Class 6
FIQH OF FUNERAL RITES & A GOOD END
Ghusl · Kafan · Janaazah · Burial · Graves · Benefitting the Dead · A Good End
A COMMUNITY OBLIGATION
Scholars say, “Praying the Janaazah prayer for the deceased is Fard Kifaayah — a communal obligation. If some perform it, the obligation is lifted from the rest. If none perform it, all are sinful.”
Fard Kifaayah. These two words carry a weight that most Muslims have never fully felt. When someone in your community dies, you — personally — are included in the obligation to wash them, shroud them, pray over them, and bury them. If nobody does it, you are among those who are sinful. If it is done, you are released. But the default assumption of ‘someone else will handle it’ is not an Islamic posture. It is a communal abandonment dressed as convenience.
This class gives you everything you need to fulfil that obligation, or to support those fulfilling it. And it ends where this entire course began — with the purpose of life itself.
THE GHUSL
WASHING THE DECEASED
Rulings
Fard Kifaayah.
Priority order: the father, then closest male relatives for a man. The mother, then closest female relatives for a woman. A husband may wash his wife (the Prophet ﴿﴾ told ‘Ali to wash Fatimah — though this narration has been discussed). A wife may wash her husband — explicitly established. (Sunan Abu Dawud No. 3157, Hasan by Al-Albani)
Confidentiality — a sacred trust: whatever is seen of the deceased’s body must not be spoken of. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Whoever washes a deceased person and conceals what he sees of them, Allah will forgive him forty times.’ (Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak No. 1349, Graded Hasan by Al-Albani). What is seen on the table stays on the table.
The Shaheed (martyr): buried without Ghusl or Kafan in their own clothes. (Sahih Al-Bukhari No. 1347). The categories of martyrdom extend beyond battlefield deaths and are a detailed scholarly discussion.
General Washing and Shrouding Instructions.
To wash an odd number of times 3, 5, 7, or more times if necessary.
To hasten to wash the body.
To use water and mix (ground leaves of) lotus/ sidr.
To wash the right side, and then the places of wudu. Then the left side.
To use camphor in the final wash.
To untie the hair (of a women), wash it, comb it, and divide into three plaits (two sides and the centre), and arrange it at the back of the head.
To shroud the body in odd number of (three for men & five for women) plain / stripped cotton sheets
To perfume the shroud with incense an odd number of times, three or more before wrapping the body.
Washing Supplies needed
Three or more buckets of water.
Cup for pouring.
Tissues/ cotton etc.
Two sheets large enough to cover the body and towel.
Ground lotus leaves/ soap/ shampoo for washing.
Sponge/ rough piece of cloth for scrubbing.
Camphor or perfume.
Scissors for cutting clothes off.
Comb.
Gloves.
Washing Sequence.
Carefully lay the deceased on his/her back on a washing table. In a private place.
Cover the deceased awrah with towel or sheet.
Undress the deceased cutting whatever is not easy to slide off.
Remove any jewellery, if fingers are swollen use soap to help remove rings. In this and all subsequent steps, the awrah must remain covered by sheet.
Cut the nails and trim the mustache if they are long. There is a difference of opinion about shaving the armpits. The pubic hair should be left as is and not shaved.
Slightly move the limbs to loosen the joints, if that is found necessary for the washing and shrouding. Only a slight pressure may be applied to the abdomen to expel any excrement that are close to exiting.
Wash the deceased private parts very well, removing all dirt and excrements. If that does not stop after several washes cotton or cloth may be used to stop it.
Untie any tied or braided hair. Wash hair.
Perform Wudu on the body.
Turning the deceased on the left side, use pure water to wash the right side. Starting with the head, then arm, then foot, then the rest of the right side. As much as possible the water should reach all parts of the body.
Turning the deceased on the right side, use pure water to wash the left side. Starting with the head, then arm, then foot, then the rest of the left side. As much as possible the water should reach all parts of the body.
Repeat steps 10 and 11 one or more times if needed.
Using water lotus / soap water mixture, wash the body as in step 10 and 11.
If needed, wash the body with pure water as in step 10 and 11 to remove the soap.
Conclude the final wash with the water- camphor mixture following the order of steps in 10 and 11.
Comb the hair. If it is long, divide into three plaits, the sides and the centre. Place the hair behind the head.
Use a towel to dry the body.
Replace the wet sheet covering the awrah, with a dry one.
Apply perfume to the body at places of sujood (forehead, palms, knees and feet). Can apply more or full body as well.
The body is now ready for shrouding.
Do Ghusl after washing the Dead
The correct scholarly view is that doing ghusl after washing the deceased is mustahabb, but it is not obligatory.
This is the view of Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Aa’ishah, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibraaheem al-Nakha’i, al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Abu Thawr, Ibn al-Mundhir and others, and it is also the view regarded as most correct by Ibn Qudaamah.
THE KAFAN
SHROUDING THE DECEASED
Rulings
The minimum in which the deceased may be shrouded, which fulfills the obligatory duty, is a single piece of cloth that covers the entire body.
Colour and quality: white is the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Wear white clothing, for it is the best of your clothing, and shroud your dead in it.’ (Sunan Abu Dawud, Sahih by Al-Albani). The Kafan should be clean and modest, not expensive, embroidered, or decorated.
The scent: it is Sunnah to perfume the Kafan with incense or oud before wrapping. This is a final act of honour for the deceased.
Shrouding a Man
It is better that he should be shrouded in three pieces of cloth which are wrapped around him, as was done to the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ .
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ was shrouded in three pieces of white Yemeni cotton cloth among which there was no chemise or turban. (Bukhaari & Muslim). Ibn Hazm said: Allaah does not choose anything but the best for His Prophet. End quote.
Shrouding a Woman
Majority of the Scholars agreed that it is mustahabb for a woman to be shrouded in five pieces of cloth. Ibn al-Mundhir said: Most of the scholars from whom were learned were of the view that a woman should be shrouded in five pieces of cloth. [Al-Mughni (3/391)].
A number of scholars are of the view that these five pieces are:
An izaar (lower garment or waist wrapper),
A khimaar (head cover),
A qamees (chemise),
And two large pieces of cloth that are wrapped around her.
SALAT-UL-JANAAZAH
THE PRAYER OVER THE DECEASED
Ruling, Who Leads, and Conditions
Ruling: Fard Kifaayah. The enormous reward: ‘Whoever prays the Janaazah prayer will receive a Qirat (mountain of reward). Whoever follows it until burial will receive two Qirats.’ (Bukhari & Muslim)
Who leads: the father of the deceased, then the closest male relative. If there is a Qadi or Imam of the mosque, they may be given precedence. The wishes of the deceased should be considered if known.
Conditions: Taharah (ritual purity), facing the Qiblah, the body must be present and in front of the congregation. It is valid inside a Masjid, though the open Musalla is traditional. Women should attend — there is no prohibition on their attendance or prayer.
Position of the Imam: at the chest of a male deceased. At the middle (waist area) of a female deceased. (Sunan Abu Dawud No. 3194, Sahih by Al-Albani)
How to Perfrom?
The Prayer over the deceased person takes the following form:
The funeral prayer has neither Adhaan nor lqamah.
The deceased is laid down on the ground with the face directed towards the Ka’ba.
Where the deceased is a male, the Imam would stand facing towards the head of the dead body, while, if the deceased is a woman the Imam would stand facing the middle part of the dead body. Meanwhile, the congregation would be standing behind him in rows.
The funeral prayer is performed with one standing only and has neither bows (Rukuus) nor prostration (Sujuuds).
Steps to be followed.
First takbir said. (#1)
Recite Surah al Fatiha. (Can also recite another Surah after that - optional)
Second takbir said. (#2)
Then recite Durood Ibrahim (that we recite in Tashahud of Salah)
Next takbir (#3)
Dua for the person who has died. Click here to read the Duas
Next takbir (#4)
Pause for a little while.
Then taslimah – one taslim to the right is what majority of the Scholars say is the Sunnah but some also say that Two Taslim is also fine
Note
The person should follow the imam in the number of Taslims to finish if he makes one we make one if he makes two we follow. But the majority of Scholars say better to make one Tasleem.
The largest possible number of Muslims should be invited to the Funeral, they should be arranged in a minimum of three rows.
Raising hands for all the Takbeers is the view of Majority of the Scholars but some also are of the view that raising only for the first one is required and one does not need to raise the hands for the others.
If a person joins the funeral prayer while the Imam is about to complete the same, then, the person would continue with the congregation until when the Imam concludes the prayer, then, the person would complete by himself whatever he missed of the prayer following the above procedure.
If a late-comer fears that the body of the deceased may be taken away before he completes the pray over him, then, such a person may only come up with the Words of greatness i.e. “ALLAHU AKBAR” four times without necessarily reciting the required supplications. The person thereafter, comes up with the words of peace, thereby, ending the prayer.
If a person is unable to pray over a deceased person before burial, then, it is permitted for him to pray over the deceased’s grave.
If a person who is faraway is told of the death of another, then such a person may pray over the deceased person in absentia with the intention as though the deceased is actually before him/her.
Women are allowed to attend the funeral Prayer. But women should not follow the funeral procession to the graveyard, because they are not allowed to do that.
Salat-ul-Ghaa’ib: Prayer Over the Absent. This is the Janaazah prayer performed without the body being present — for someone who died in a distant land. The Prophet ﷺ prayed Ghaa’ib for Najashi (the Negus of Abyssinia) when news of his death reached. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Conditions and scholarly positions: the majority of Shafi’i and Hanbali scholars permit it without restriction. Hanafi and Maliki scholars generally restrict it to cases where no Janaazah was prayed for the deceased in their own land, or apply conditions. In the West where Muslim communities are scattered, it is frequently practised and accepted.
THE FUNERAL PROCESSION AND BURIAL
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Hasten with the Janaazah. If it is righteous, you are sending it toward good. If it is otherwise, you are putting evil away from your shoulders.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
Once the washing and shrouding is done the Funeral Prayer is to be offered and is to be taken to the Graveyard for Burial,
The pace: the Prophet ﷺ said to hasten — a brisk walking pace, not a run. Slow, processional walks have no Sunnah basis.
Standing when a Janaazah passes: initially commanded, then abrogated. The final position of the Prophet ﷺ was that sitting is permissible. (Sahih Muslim No. 959 — the abrogating narration). However, standing out of respect remains a valid practice by many scholars.
The grave should be amongst other Muslim graves, it should be dug deep and wide.
It can be dug as a deep rectangular hole with its long side facing Makkah, such that when the body is placed within it, it faces the Qiblah. (This type of Grave is called Shaqq).
At the bottom of this hole, another spacious cavity can be dug in the side closest to the Qiblah, within which the body is placed on its right side facing the Qiblah. (This type of grave is called Lahd)
Both the Lahd and the Shaqq are permissible according to scholarly consensus, but the Lahd is preferable, because this is what was done with the grave of the Messenger ﷺ.
The closest male relatives (who has taharah) should lower the deceased into the grave.
The body should be entered lengthwise into the grave from the feet-side of the grave so the head enters the grave area first – and on the right side facing the Qiblah.
As the dead person is placed in the grave, one should say, “Bismillaah, wa `alaa millati rasoolillaah.” ( In the name of Allaah and according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah )
The body is then covered with soil; the Prophet ﷺ once buried a Muslim, and put three handfuls of soil into the grave. So each one attending can put three handfuls of dust in the grave.
The grave should be filled and mounded by approximately a handspan as was done with the grave of the Prophet ﷺ himself.
It is permissible to mark the head of the grave with a rock so that it is distinguished for family members who are to be buried in the same vicinity later (Abu Dawood).
One must remember that the Muslims have a distinct method of conducting funerals in accordance to the Prophetic Sunnah. Muslims are commanded not to follow and imitate non-Muslims in our rites and rituals.
After Burial Make dua for the Deceased facing the Qiblah and not the Grave. The Prophet finished a burial and said to his Companions, “Ask forgiveness for your brother, ask for steadfastness for him for indeed he is now being questioned” (Abu Dawood).
It is allowed to visit the graveyards so as to supplicate for the deceased Muslims. This practice is permissible so long as lamenting and wailing is avoided.
Common Practices that are NOT Sunnah
Reciting Quran or some specific verses on the water to wash the body.
Pushing cotton or cloth in the mouth/nose.
Enclosing anything in the Shroud.
Writing on the Shroud (the Kalimah).
Having or thinking a specific colour of cloth is required to cover the funeral while taking it to the graveyard.
Saying the Kalimah or Takbeer while taking the Funeral to the Grave. This is not from Sunnah it has been taken from other religions.
Placing the Quran or any worldly possessions or pillow in the Grave.
Placing wreaths and flowers and the like upon the grave
Plastering graves, building structures over them, making them high and writing upon them. Allaah’s Messenger forbade these acts (Muslim, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah). The Prophet ﷺ commanded `Ali R.A. saying, “Do not leave a statue in a house except that you demolish it and do not leave a grave except that you flatten it” (Muslim).
Making zikr whilst throwing soil into the grave, reciting Soorah al-Faatihah at the grave side.
There are many more that has absolutely no basis but still has creeped into Muslim’s minds and have them believing all that is Sunnah. We also see things are not even Bidah they are more towards Shirk like taking the deceased to a Tomb before burial.
May Allah make us all follow the Sunnah on occasions of Birth, during our lives and on the distress of Death of a Loved one!
BENEFITTING THE DEAD
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When a person dies, their deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge from which others benefit, or a righteous child who prays for them.” (Sahih Muslim)
Death is not perceived as an end of life. It is just the end of the worldly existence as we witness it, and the beginning of a new existence, in which the soul experiences a new world. Death is not the end of the relationship between the living and the dead. And so instead of crying or wailing on the death, it is prescribed to do the things mentioned in the Sunnah that would benefit our Dead. This is not a matter of culture or sentiment — it is Fiqh with Quranic and Prophetic basis.
Things that Scholars agree Benefit the Dead
Salat Al Janazah (Funeral Prayer). The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whenever a Muslim man dies, and forty men stand for his janazah prayer, all of them not joining anything with Allaah in worship, Allaah grants them intercession for him.” (Muslim and others). In another narration, the number 100 was mentioned instead of 40
Du’a for the deceased: the most consistent and powerful benefit. ‘Make du’a for forgiveness for your parents and for those who preceded you in faith.’ (Quran — Ibrahim 14:41 as a model). The du’a of a righteous child benefits the parent after death. (Sahih Muslim No. 1631)
Sadaqah on their behalf: explicitly permitted and rewarded. (Bukhari & Muslim).
Making up fasts that were obligatory upon the deceased because of vows, as expiation (kafaarah) and so on The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever dies and had any fasts outstanding, his heir should observe those fasts on his behalf.” (Bukhaari & Muslim)
Paying off debts or fulfiling their vows
Hajj and ‘Umrah on their behalf: permitted and established by Sahih hadith. (Bukhari & Muslim)
Sadaqah Jaariyah — their legacy continues: the greatest ongoing gift to the deceased is the Sadaqah Jaariyah they established while alive — a well, a masjid, a school, an endowment. But the living can also establish ongoing charity on their behalf, creating a perpetual stream of reward flowing to a soul in its grave.
Righteous deeds done by the children of the deceased.
A GOOD END
(HUSN AL-KHATIMAH)
We began this course with a newborn entering the world — the Adhaan in the ear, the sweetness of the date on the palate, the first declaration of Tawheed. We end with a soul leaving it. And in between those two moments lies everything: the puberty, the marriage, the children, the celebrations, the conflicts, the losses. Every class in this course was about navigating those moments with the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ.
Husn Al-Khatimah — a good ending. It is the prayer of every believer and the aspiration of every soul that has truly understood what is at stake. The Prophet ﷺ described some of its signs:
“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them. Whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet them.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
“If Allah intends good for a servant, He puts him to work. The Companions asked: 'How does He put him to work?' He replied: 'He guides him to do a righteous deed before his death.'” (Musnad Ahmad)
A good end is not something that happens to you at the last moment. It is the natural conclusion of a life lived in obedience. The person who prays five times a day does not need a last-minute miracle — their every Salah was a renewed covenant. The person who fulfilled the rights of their spouse, raised their children on the Sunnah, buried their dead properly, gave Sadaqah regularly, remembers death often — that person will always strive to rectify his affair and prepare for a good end.
“Live for death and you will gain life. Live for life and you will lose both.” — Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
Six classes. Six events. One life.
We began with the Adhaan whispered into a newborn’s ear and we end with the du’a whispered at a graveside. In between, we covered the threshold of puberty, the covenant of marriage, the rights of family, the dignity of celebration, and the grace of death. Every class was an attempt to answer the same question: how do I live this life in a way that pleases Allah at every turning point?
The answer the Sunnah gives is not a list of rules. It is a complete architecture of meaning — one in which every birth is welcomed with Tawheed, every marriage is anchored in accountability, every celebration reflects gratitude, every death is met with dignity, and every grave is a reminder of what the living still have time to do.
You came to this course with knowledge of some of this. You leave with more. The obligation now is to act on it — not to store it as information but to live it as practice. To raise your children with the Aqeeqah. To enter your marriage knowing the five pillars of the Nikaah. To write your Wasiyyah. To bring food to the bereaved. To say the du’a at the deathbed. To ask for steadfastness for your brother when his grave is filled.
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Take advantage of five before five — your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your occupation, and your life before your death.' (Mustadrak Al-Hakim No. 7846, Sahih)
You have life. You have time. You have knowledge. Use all three before any of them is taken away.
Final Actions Before You Leave:
Write your Wasiyyah this week.
Learn the du'as — these are the words that mark every major moment of a Muslim's life.
Identify the bid'ah most present in your family's life events and begin a gentle, patient, loving conversation about the Sunnah alternative.
Share this knowledge — with your spouse, your children, your parents. Knowledge not shared is knowledge not completed.
Remember that Allah, have good hope of him and remember death often – prepare for it. Live and Love the Sunnah, It is a mercy and may it carry you to a good end.
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:201 | The Prophet ﷺ said this was the most comprehensive du’a. (Bukhari & Muslim)
May Allah accept this knowledge from all of us. May He grant us the Tawfiq to live by it, the wisdom to teach it, and the mercy to meet Him having fulfilled as much as we can of what His Prophet ﷺ taught. Ameen.
End of the Fiqh of Events Course —
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TIPS FOR THE TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the rulings.
The extra links provided are for extra knowledge and no questions from there will come in the test.
ASSIGNMENT
There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -
I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)
Note:
Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.
It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.
II. Talk to 3 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)
III. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
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