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The Funeral Prayer is a ‘Fard-e-Kifayah’ a duty enjoined upon all Muslims but if it is performed by one member, it is regarded to have been performed by the whole of Ummah, otherwise, all are sinners. The condition for the funeral prayer is that the corpse must have been washed for the grave. If the dead have been buried without washing or saying the funeral prayer, or has been given a bath after saying the funeral prayer and has been buried or the funeral prayer has been said without washing him, then buried, the funeral prayer can be said at the grave within three days.
And the people, who flouted the commands of their Muslim ruler, or those who robbed others, or those who killed their fathers, and mothers, the funeral prayer of these criminals will not be said. And he who used the sword against the enemy but it fell upon his own neck and was killed, or he who committed suicide, or was killed in punishment for murder, or stoned to death, the funeral prayer in all these cases will have to be observed. The Imam of the city would be the deserving person to perform the office of Imam for the funeral prayer. After him, the Imam of the locality (Mohallah) and then the relatives of the dead, have a better right to perform the duty of the Imam for observing funeral prayer.
And the women and the minors have no right to Imamat. Ifthe dead has left behind a will that such a person should lead his funeral prayer, this should be honoured. If there is no guardian appointed for the dead from amongst his relatives, then, if the dead is a woman, her husband will be her guardian; otherwise, the inhabitants of the Mohallah who are her neighbours. If the funeral prayer for the dead has once been said, the duty of performing it will be regarded as finished. Now, there will be no funeral prayer again. Ifthe bier reaches the graveyard at the time of the cvening prayer, the funeral prayer should be performed after saying Fard prayer, and after that, the Sunan would be observed.
The same are the conditions for saying funeral prayer as are applied to the voluntary prayer. And the omissions, which render the obligatory invalid, also affect the funeral prayer in the like manner. The intention for the funeral prayer is made in these words “I perform this duty for Allah by turning my face towards the Holy Ka‘ba, and that I follow this Imam in the prayer.’? And if he intends only to the effect that ‘Then Follow this mam’, then it is also correct. For the funeral prayer, it is essential that the corpse should be put in the front and it is propitious that there should be only three lines for the prayer.
For instance, if there are only seven men, one would be an Imam and the first row would consist of three persons while the remaining two rows would consist of two men and one man respectively. And the Imam should stand in front of the chest of the dead. There are four Takbirs (Allah-o-Akbar) (God is the Greatest) in the Funeral prayer. Even if one Takbir is left, it should have to be said once again. How the funeral prayer has to be performed is this: Firstly, we should, by raising our hands up to the ears, say: ‘“‘God is the Greatest.” After this, we should say: ‘“O Allah! Thou art Innocent. We recite Thy Sacredness and Thy Paise.
And Thy Name is auspicious. And Thy Greatness is sublime (exalted). And there is no god save Thee.” Then, after saying: “Allah is the greatest,” we should recite the ‘Darud’ which we should have learnt by heart. Then after saying: ‘‘Allah is the Greatest,”’ we should recite the following prayer: “© Allah! Forgive our living and the dead, and those who are present and those who are not present, and the young and the elder, and the men and women! O Allah! Whom Thou keepest alive, keep him as such on ‘Islam’, and upon whom Thou bringest death from amongst us, cause him with faith.”
And a person, who does not know the above prayer, should say any other prayer which he remembers. Then, he should say Allai. »: the Greatest. ‘{ the dead is a boy, the following prayer should be recited: “O Allah! Send this boy ahead of us for our salvation. And make him the source of our intercession.”’
And ifthe dead is a girl, the following prayer should be recited :
“O! Allah! Make this girl go ahead of us for the sake of our salvation. And make her the source of our intercession.”
And who does not know this prayer, should say other prayers known to them. Then, after saying: ‘‘Allah is the Greatest’’, he should finish the prayer. Only the Imam should say, ‘“‘Allah is the Greatest” in a loud voice and the followers should recite it in a low voice. And a person, who reaches the middle of the prayer, should remain standing and join as soon as the Imam Says: ‘Allah is the Greatest.’”
When the Imam finishes the prayer, he shall have to finish the prayer after saying the remaining “Takbirs”’ that is Allah is the Greatest If the biers are many it is valid to say the funeral prayer. for each of them separately or to say their funeral prayer collectively by placing all of them in the front. It is appropriate to observe the funeral prayer in an open field, in the ‘Id ground and also in the house. However, it is not proper to say this prayer in a mosque where congregational prayers are observed. However, there is no harm in saying the funeral prayer in a mosque if it is raining.
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