The Reward of Praying for the Deceased

The act of praying for the deceased carries significant rewards, as highlighted by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), which consists of a single qirāt, equated to the size of Mount Uhud. Furthermore, anyone who participates in the funeral prayer and remains until the burial will receive a reward of two qirāts. This prayer serves as a means of wishing for mercy, intercession, and steadfastness for the deceased in the hereafter. The measurement of the reward for praying for the deceased is sourced from Imam al-Bukhari’s (may Allah have mercy on him) authentic narration from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) stating: “Whoever follows a Muslim funeral, believing and seeking reward, and remains with them until the prayer is performed and the burial is completed, will return with two qirāts of reward, each qirāt equal to Mount Uhud. If one prays for them and leaves before the burial, they will earn a single qirāt.”

Interpretation scholars have defined the qirāt as a portion of a dinar, with its value differing from one country to another. For instance, in Mecca, the qirāt is one-sixth of a quarter dinar, whereas in Iraq, it is one-tenth of a dinar. Scholars of jurisprudence have further delineated that a qirāt constitutes one-twentieth of a dinar. The qirāt mentioned in various hadiths is acknowledged as a specific measure of divine reward likened to the size of Mount Uhud.

The Ruling on Praying for the Deceased

The funeral prayer, or the prayer for the deceased, is considered a right of the deceased; hence, it is classified as a communal obligation (fard kifayah) for Muslims. This means that if a group fulfills it, the obligation is lifted from others, based on the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that states: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: No Muslim dies, and forty men attend his funeral prayer, not associating anything with Allah, except that Allah grants them intercession on his behalf.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) consistently performed the funeral prayer for deceased Muslims; also, Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was informed of a deceased person who had debts, he would ask, “Did he leave behind anything to settle his debts?” If told that he had, he prayed for him; otherwise, he would instruct the Muslims to pray for their companion. After Allah granted him victory in conquests, he stated: “I have greater authority over the believers than they do themselves. Whoever among them passes away leaving behind a debt, I am responsible for settling it; and whatever he leaves behind as an inheritance belongs to his heirs.”

The Wisdom Behind the Legislation of Praying for the Deceased

Allah (exalted be He) has instituted the funeral prayer for various reasons, which include:

Intercession for the deceased, based on the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) stating: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: No Muslim dies, and forty men attend his funeral prayer, not associating anything with Allah, except that Allah grants them intercession on his behalf.”
Providing consolation to the grieving family, thus helping to alleviate their sorrow through fulfilling the right of the deceased by praying for them and invoking divine mercy upon them.
Allowing the deceased to benefit from the prayers of the living; the funeral prayer is entirely a supplication directed towards Allah (exalted be He), where attendees pray for the deceased’s honor, expansion of their grave, forgiveness of sins, and entry into Paradise.
The funeral prayer has been ordained for the purpose of prayer; it is reported by Auf ibn Malik al-Ashja’i (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed at a funeral and I remembered his invocation, which included: “O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, and honor his hospitality; grant him a spacious dwelling, wash him with water and ice, and purify him from sins just as a white garment is purified of dirt; replace his home with a better home, his family with a better family, and his spouse with a better spouse; admit him into Paradise and protect him from the punishment of the grave or the Hellfire.” I wished at that moment that I could be that deceased person.

The Method of Performing the Funeral Prayer

The funeral prayer is ideally held in a mosque, and it is preferable to have a large number of worshippers present to offer prayers for the deceased. The procedure for the funeral prayer is as follows:

Purification; prayers are only accepted with valid purification, as stated by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: No prayer is accepted without purification.”
Facing the Qibla and positioning the deceased in front, the Imam stands at the head if the deceased is male and at the midpoint if the deceased is female, according to what was narrated by Samurah ibn Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him): “I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for a woman who died during childbirth, and he stood in the middle of her body.”
The congregation stands behind the Imam; it has been reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for the Negus, where I was in the second or third row.
The opening takbir: The worshipper begins by raising their hands at their ears, intending to perform the funeral prayer, after which they place the right hand over the left on their chest. It was confirmed by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that “the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hands in the first takbir and placed his right hand on his left.” The funeral prayer consists of four takbirs, as narrated in authentic collections by Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) stating: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for the Negus and performed four takbirs.” At times, it can be five, six, seven, nine, or more depending on the significance of the deceased.
Seeking refuge from Satan and reciting the Bismillah followed by Surah Al-Fatiha secretly without the opening supplication, as reported by Abu Umamah ibn Sahl ibn Hanif: “The Sunnah regarding the funeral prayer is to privately recite the opening chapter, then make three takbirs, and conclude with the Salam in the last takbir.” It is permissible to recite a short surah following Al-Fatiha, as narrated by Talhah ibn Abdullah ibn Awf: “I prayed behind Ibn Abbas at a funeral, and he recited Al-Fatiha followed by a surah, raising his voice so that we could hear him. When he finished, I took hold of his garment and asked him about it, and he said: ‘It is a Sunnah and a right.’”
The second takbir: The worshipper will raise their hands again, demonstrating that Ibn Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) would raise their hands during every takbir, as reported by Imam al-Bukhari and Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on them). After the second takbir, the invocation similar to the final tashahhud in the prayers is recited.
The third takbir: Similarly, the worshipper raises their hands for the third takbir and invokes supplications for the deceased. Among the invocations are: “O Allah, forgive our living and dead, our present and absent, our young and old, our male and female.” Among other prayers are: “O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, honor his hospitality, and expand his entrance. Wash him with water and ice; purify him from sins just as a white garment is purified of dirt; grant him a home better than his home and a family better than his family, and bring him into Paradise while protecting him from the punishment of the grave or the Hellfire.” If the deceased was a young child, the prayers may include: “O Allah, make him a precursor and an intercessor for us.”
The fourth takbir: The worshipper will raise their hands for the fourth takbir and then offer Salam to the right side only. However, it is also acceptable to extend the greeting to the left side.