Most of us learn how to pray janazah in the worst possible moment: standing in a row at the mosque after someone has died, following the imam and hoping we are doing it right. It is a short prayer, only four takbirs with no bowing or prostration, but it is the last thing we can do for a fellow Muslim in this world, and the Prophet ﷺ attached a huge reward to it. I’ve written this guide so you can walk into your next funeral prayer knowing exactly what to say after each takbir, including the duas for a man, a woman and a child, with a link to every source.
In short: The janazah prayer has four takbirs, all performed standing. After the 1st recite Al-Fatihah. After the 2nd send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ. After the 3rd make dua for the deceased. After the 4th pause briefly, then give salam.
What Is the Janazah Prayer?
Salat al-Janazah is the funeral prayer offered for a Muslim who has died, before burial. It is a fard kifayah, a communal obligation: if enough people in the community perform it, the obligation is lifted from the rest, but if nobody does, everyone who knew is accountable.
It is different from the five daily prayers in several ways:
- There is no ruku’ (bowing) and no sujud (prostration). The whole prayer is performed standing.
- There is no adhan or iqamah.
- Everything is recited silently, except the imam’s takbirs and salam.
- It can be prayed at most times, but scholars advise avoiding the three moments the Prophet ﷺ named: sunrise, the sun at its zenith, and sunset (Sahih Muslim 831).
Before You Start
- Wudu. You need to be in a state of ablution, as for any prayer.
- Face the qiblah with the body placed in front of the imam.
- The imam’s position. The Prophet ﷺ stood level with the head of a deceased man and level with the middle of a deceased woman (Sunan Abi Dawud 3194; Sahih al-Bukhari 1332).
- Rows. Odd numbers of rows are often formed, and people fill them quickly because the prayer is short.
- Intention (niyyah). Intend in your heart to pray the funeral prayer for this deceased person, following the imam. You do not need to say it out loud.
Step-by-Step: The Four Takbirs
1st takbir: Al-Fatihah
Raise your hands with the imam’s first “Allahu akbar”, place your right hand over your left on your chest, and silently recite Surah Al-Fatihah. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) recited it in a janazah and said he did so “so that they know it is the Sunnah” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1335).
Hanafi practice: after the first takbir, many Hanafis recite the opening praise (Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdik…) instead of Al-Fatihah as recitation. If you follow a Hanafi imam, that is why you may hear a different sequence explained.
2nd takbir: salawat on the Prophet ﷺ
With the second “Allahu akbar”, recite the Salawat Ibrahimiyyah, the same blessing you recite in the final sitting of every prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Transliteration: Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid.
Meaning: O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 3370
3rd takbir: dua for the deceased
This is the heart of the janazah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When you pray over the deceased, make your supplication for him sincere” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3199). The best-known dua comes from Awf ibn Malik, who said that when he heard the Prophet ﷺ make it, he wished he were the one in the coffin:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ، وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ، وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ، وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ، وَاغْسِلْهُ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ، وَنَقِّهِ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الْأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، وَأَبْدِلْهُ دَارًا خَيْرًا مِنْ دَارِهِ، وَأَهْلًا خَيْرًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَزَوْجًا خَيْرًا مِنْ زَوْجِهِ، وَأَدْخِلْهُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَعِذْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ النَّارِ
Transliteration: Allahummaghfir lahu warhamhu, wa ‘afihi wa’fu ‘anhu, wa akrim nuzulahu, wa wassi’ mudkhalahu, waghsilhu bil-ma’i wath-thalji wal-barad, wa naqqihi minal-khataya kama naqqaytath-thawbal-abyada minad-danas, wa abdilhu daran khayran min darihi, wa ahlan khayran min ahlihi, wa zawjan khayran min zawjihi, wa adkhilhul-jannah, wa a’idhhu min ‘adhabil-qabri wa min ‘adhabin-nar.
Meaning: O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and pardon him. Honour his resting place and widen his entrance. Wash him with water, snow and hail, and cleanse him of sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Give him a home better than his home, a family better than his family and a spouse better than his spouse. Admit him to Paradise and protect him from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of the Fire.
Source: Sahih Muslim 963
For a woman, change the endings from -hu to -ha: Allahummaghfir laha warhamha, wa ‘afiha wa’fu ‘anha… and so on through the dua.
You can add, or use instead, this shorter dua that includes the whole community:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا، وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا، اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلَا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ
Transliteration: Allahummaghfir li-hayyina wa mayyitina, wa shahidina wa gha’ibina, wa saghirina wa kabirina, wa dhakarina wa unthana. Allahumma man ahyaytahu minna fa-ahyihi ‘alal-Islam, wa man tawaffaytahu minna fa-tawaffahu ‘alal-iman. Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu wa la tudillana ba’dah.
Meaning: O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our men and our women. O Allah, whoever You keep alive among us, keep them alive upon Islam, and whoever You take among us, take them upon faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of the reward for him, and do not let us go astray after him.
If you have not memorised either yet, make a sincere dua in your own language asking Allah to forgive the deceased, have mercy on them and admit them to Paradise. The hadith asks for a sincere dua, not a perfect recitation.
Dua for a child
A child who dies before puberty is in Paradise by the mercy of Allah, so the dua asks for the child to be a source of reward for the parents. Al-Hasan al-Basri is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Funerals, chapter on reciting Al-Fatihah) to have said over a child:
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ لَنَا فَرَطًا وَسَلَفًا وَأَجْرًا
Transliteration: Allahummaj’alhu lana faratan wa salafan wa ajra.
Meaning: O Allah, make him a forerunner for us, one who goes ahead of us, and a reward for us.
Source: Reported from al-Hasan al-Basri in Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Funerals
4th takbir: pause, then salam
After the fourth takbir, pause for a moment. Some scholars recommend a short dua here, such as Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu wa la taftinna ba’dah. Then turn your head to the right and say “As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah”. Many scholars say one salam to the right is enough, and others give two, as in regular prayer.
Raising the Hands and Other Madhhab Differences
The four schools agree on the core: four takbirs, Al-Fatihah or praise, salawat, dua and salam. They differ on details, and all of these positions are valid. Follow your imam:
| Point | Common views |
|---|---|
| Raising hands | Raised on every takbir (Shafi’i, Hanbali, from Ibn Umar’s practice); raised on the first only (Hanafi, Maliki) |
| After 1st takbir | Al-Fatihah (Shafi’i, Hanbali); opening praise Subhanaka (Hanafi) |
| Salam | One salam to the right, or two salams |
The Reward of Attending a Janazah
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever attends a funeral until the prayer is offered gets one qirat of reward, and whoever stays until the burial gets two qirats.” When asked what a qirat was, he said: “Like two great mountains” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1325).
He also said that if a hundred Muslims, or forty in another narration, pray over someone and intercede sincerely for them, their intercession is accepted (Sahih Muslim 947; Sahih Muslim 948). Every person in those rows matters to the one who has died.
Related Guides
- Dua for the deceased: at the grave and after
- Durood Ibrahim, recited after the second takbir
- Dua Qunoot
Frequently Asked Questions
How many takbirs are in the janazah prayer?
Four. This is how the Prophet ﷺ prayed over the Negus (an-Najashi) and is the practice of the four schools (Sahih al-Bukhari 1333).
Is there ruku’ or sujud in the janazah prayer?
No. The entire prayer is performed standing, with takbirs, recitation, dua and salam only.
Is the janazah prayer fard?
It is fard kifayah: a communal obligation that is fulfilled when enough of the community performs it.
Can women pray janazah?
Yes. Women may pray the funeral prayer, and the wives of the Prophet ﷺ prayed janazah in the mosque. Scholars discuss separately whether women should follow the funeral procession to the graveyard.
Can you pray janazah for someone who is not present?
The Prophet ﷺ prayed salat al-gha’ib (the absentee funeral prayer) for an-Najashi, who died in another land (Sahih al-Bukhari 1333). Scholars differ on when it applies. Many limit it to cases where nobody prayed over the person.
What if I join the janazah late?
Join the imam at whatever takbir he is on. After his salam, complete the takbirs you missed quickly before the body is lifted. If it is lifted, finish with the takbirs and salam.
Final Thoughts
The janazah prayer takes less than five minutes, but it is the final gift one Muslim can give another: a sincere plea for forgiveness from people standing shoulder to shoulder. Learn the dua after the third takbir, even the short version, so that next time you are in those rows you are praying for your brother or sister with full attention rather than trying to remember the words.
Grief does not end at the graveside. If you or someone close to you is struggling after a loss, our guide to the dua for anxiety, worry and grief collects the authentic supplications the Prophet ﷺ taught for heavy hearts.
