The funeral prayer, Salat al-Janazah, is offered for a Muslim who has died. It is a communal obligation, or fard kifayah. That means that if enough people pray it, the obligation is fulfilled on behalf of the whole community.

Death is a reality for every soul. In Surah Ali Imran, chapter three, verse one hundred and eighty-five, an English translation of the meaning reads: “Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your full compensation on the Day of Resurrection.” The funeral prayer is a duty of care that the living owe to the dead.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, told the people of the death of the Negus, the king of Abyssinia, on the day he died. He went to the prayer ground, the people stood in rows behind him, and he said four takbirs. This is in Sahih al-Bukhari, number twelve hundred and forty-five. Auf ibn Malik reported the Prophet's supplication for a deceased person. In meaning, it asks Allah to forgive him, have mercy on him, make his grave spacious, admit him to the Garden, and protect him from the torment of the grave and of the Fire. That is in Sahih Muslim, number nine hundred and sixty-three. And Abu Hurayrah reported that whoever attends a funeral until the prayer receives a reward of one qirat, and whoever stays until the burial receives two, like two great mountains, in Sahih al-Bukhari, number thirteen hundred and twenty-five.

In outline, the prayer is prayed standing, in rows, with no bowing and no prostration. There are four takbirs. Between them, the worshipper glorifies Allah, sends blessings on the Prophet, and makes supplication for the deceased and for the Muslims, and then ends with the salam. Preparing the body, by washing and shrouding it, and the burial itself, are separate duties not covered in this lesson.

The schools differ on some of what is recited. In the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, Al-Fatihah is recited after the first takbir. In the Hanafi school, the first takbir is followed by an opening praise of Allah instead. And in the Maliki school, the emphasis is on the supplication. The wording of the supplication also varies between the reports. The schools also differ on praying for someone who is absent: the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools permit it in general, while the Hanafi and Maliki schools take the report of the Negus to be specific to him.

Learn the recitations themselves from a teacher, and follow your school or local mosque for the details.