599. It is obligatory to offer prayer on the dead body of a Muslim. It is also obligatory to offer prayer on the body of child who is subject to the rulings of a Muslim and has completed six lunar years.
600. There is no harm in offering prayer on a child who has not completed six lunar years, with the intention of rajÁ‘. However, offering prayer on the body of a stillborn child is not canonically prescribed.
805. The clothing worn during prayer must be ÔÁhir. If one prays with najis clothing or a najis body despite having alternatives, his prayer is invalid.
601. The prayer for the dead should be offered after giving ghusl, applying ÎunÙÔ and shrouding the body. If it is offered prior to these rites or between them, it will not be adequate, even if it was due to forgetfulness or ignorance of the ruling.
602. It is not necessary for the one who wishes to offer the prayer for the dead to have performed wuÃÙ, ghusl or tayammum. His clothes and body do not have to be ÔÁhir either. In fact, even if he offers the prayer with clothes that are usurped, it will not be problematic.
The recommended precaution is that he should observe all the conditions that have been stipulated for other prayers. However, obligatory precaution dictates he should avoid all the things that are inconsistent with the unspoken agreement between the observant believers with respect to the prayer for the dead.
806. If a person does not know—due to his own culpability—that praying with najis clothing or a najis body renders the prayer invalid, and he prays with a najis cloth or najis body, his prayer will be invalid.
603. The person offering the prayer should be facing qiblah. It is obligatory that the dead body be placed in front of him, lying on its back, in a manner that its head is situated to his right and its feet to his left.
807. If a person is unaware of an item being najis due to ignorance of its ruling—for example, he is unaware that the sweat of a disbeliever who is not an Ahl al-KitÁb is najis—and prays with it, his prayer is invalid is the case he is a culpable ignorant.
604. The recommended precaution is that the area on which the one offering the prayer is standing should not be usurped. It should also not be much higher or much lower than the area on which the body is placed. Of course, there is no harm if the height difference between the two is not significant.
808. If a person is oblivious of his body or clothing being najis and realizes it after the completion of his prayer, his prayer is valid. Based on recommended precaution, if he realizes within the time frame of prayer, he should repeat his prayer.
809. If a person forgets that his body or clothing is najis and realizes it during his prayer or after it, he must repeat his prayer. If the time for prayer has elapsed, he must perform its qaÃÁ.
605. The person offering the prayer should not be situated very far from the body. However, there is no harm if the one who is offering the prayer in congregation is situated at a distance from the body, as long as the rows (of the congregation) are connected to each other.
810. If the body or clothes of a person who is engaged in prayer become najis, and he realizes it before praying anything of the prayer with the najÁsah, provided he has ample time remaining, and given that washing his clothes or body, or changing his clothes, or taking off his clothes does not break the form of his prayer, he should—in the midst of his prayer—either:
a. wash his clothes or body
b. or, change his clothes
c. or, take off his clothes if something is covering his private parts.
The same will apply if he realizes that his clothes or body has become najis, but doubts if it became najis at that moment or it was najis from before.
However, if it turns out that washing his body or clothes, or changing his clothes, or taking off his clothes breaks the form of his prayer, or if he removes his clothes, it will expose his private parts, his prayers will have been rendered invalid. Subsequently he should offer his prayers again with ÔÁhir clothes and a ÔÁhir body.
606. The person offering the prayer should be situated directly in front of the body. However, if the prayer is offered in congregation, and the rows of the congregation extend beyond the length of the body, the prayers of those who are not situated directly in front of the body will be in order.
607. There should be no curtain, wall or any other barrier between the body and the person offering the prayer. However, there is no harm if the body is placed in a coffin or a similar container.
811. A person who begins his prayer while there is nominal time remaining, must render his body or clothing ÔÁhir by means of water or changing his clothes if doing so will not invalidate his prayer:
a. If his body or clothing becomes najis and he realizes that it has become najis before having prayed anything of his prayer.
b. If his body or clothing are najis but he doubts as to whether they were najis from before or whether they became najis during that time
If another article of clothing is covering his private parts, he should remove the najis clothing and complete his prayer. However, if there is no other article of clothing covering his private parts and he cannot change his clothes, nor render them ÔÁhir by means of water, it is an obligatory precaution that he complete his prayer with the najis clothing.
608. The private parts of the deceased should be covered whilst the prayer is being offered on it. In the event that it is not possible to shroud the body, the private parts should still be covered, even if it be with a slab, or a brick, or any similar item.
609. The person offering the prayer should be a believer , and even though the prayer of a non-bÁligh child is in order, it will not compensate for the prayer of a bÁligh person. He should also pray standing, with the intention of attaining proximity to Allah and with sincerity. He should also specify the deceased when making his intention. For example, he may say, “I am offering prayer on this deceased’s body to attain proximity to Allah.”
610. If no one who can offer the prayer on the deceased while standing is available, it can be offered while sitting.
812. If the body of a person who is engaged in prayer becomes najis, and he realizes it before praying anything of the prayer with the najÁsah, given that there is nominal time remaining, he should:
Wash his body, if doing so does not break the form of his prayer.
Continue praying in the same state (of najÁsah), if washing his body breaks the form of his prayer. In this case, his prayer will be valid.
The same will apply if he realizes that his body has become najis, but doubts if it became najis at that moment or was najis from before.
611. If the deceased has made a will that a particular person should offer prayer on his body, the recommended precaution is that the person should seek permission from the guardian of the deceased, and the guardian too should grant him the permission.
612. It is permissible to offer the prayer multiple times on a single body.
613. If a body is buried without offering the prayer on it, be it intentionally, forgetfully or owing to an excuse, it is obligatory to offer the prayer over his grave with the conditions previously stipulated for the prayer for a dead body, as long as the body has not completely disintegrated. The same will also apply in the case where the offered prayer was invalid.
813. If a person doubts whether his body or clothes are ÔÁhir, and does not have certainty, or that which has the ruling of certainty of it previously being najis, and he prays in such a condition, his prayer is valid even if he later realizes that it had in fact become najis.
814. If a person washes his clothes with water and attains certainty, or that which has the ruling of certainty of it being ÔÁhir, and prays with that clothing, his prayer is in order even if he later realizes that it had not become ÔÁhir.
815. If a person finds blood on his body or clothing, and has certainty that it is not amongst the blood which is considered najis—for example, he is certain that it is the blood of a mosquito—and if he realizes after prayer that it was in fact amongst the blood that prayer cannot be offered with, his prayer is valid.
816. If a person is certain that the blood on his body or clothing is najis, but amongst the blood that is permissible for one to pray in—for example the blood of a wound or that of a boil—his prayer is valid even if he later realizes that it was in fact amongst the blood that prayer cannot be offered with.
614. The prayer for the dead is composed of five takbÐrs (glorifying Allah with the statement ‘AllÁhu Akbar’), and it will be sufficient if the person offering the prayer recites the takbÐrs in the following manner:
After the first takbÐr, he should recite:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّه
Ash hadu an la ilaaha illal lahu wa ash hadu anna Muhammadar Rasulullah.
After the second takbÐr:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد
Alla humma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad.
After the third takbÐr:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنَات
Alla hummaghfir lil mu'mineena wal mu'minaat.
After the fourth takbÐr, if the deceased is a man:
اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِهذَا الْمَيِّتِ
Alla hummaghfir li haadhal mayyit.
And if the deceased is a woman:
اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِهذِه الْمَيِّتِ
Alla hummaghfir li haadhihil mayyit.
He should then complete his prayer with the fifth takbÐr.
It is better to recite the following recitations after each takbÐr:
After the first takbÐr:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيراً وَ نَذِيراً بَيْنَ يَدَيِ السَّاعَة
Ash hadu an la ilaaha illallahu wahdahu la shareeka lah. Wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa Rasuluh, arsalahu bil haqqi bashirau wa nadheeran bayna yada yis sa'aa.
Following the second takbÐr:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ ارْحَمْ مُحَمَّداً وَ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ كَأَفْضَلِ مَا صَلَّيْتَ وَ بَارَكْتَ وَ تَرَحَّمْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد وَ صَلِّ عَلى جَمِيعِ الأَنْبِياءِ وَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ وَ الشُّهَداءِ وَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَ جَمِيعِ عِبادِ اللّهِ الصّالِحِينَ
Alla humma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammadiu wa barik 'ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammadiu, warham Muhammadan wa aala Muhammadin ka afdhali ma sallayta wa barakta wa tarah hamta 'ala Ibrahima wa aali Ibrahima innaka Hamidum Majeed wa salli 'ala jamee'il ambiya'i wal-mursalina wash-shuhadaa'i was-siddeeqeena wa jamee'i 'ibaadilla his-saliheen.
Following the third takbÐr:
اَللّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِناتِ وَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ الْمُسْلِماتِ الأَحْياءِ مِنْهُمْ وَ الاَْمْواتِ تابِعْ بَيْنَنا وَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْخَيْراتِ اِنَّكَ مُجِيبُ الدَّعَواتِ اِنَّكَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْء قَدِير
Alla hum maghfir lil mu'minina wal mu'minati wal muslimina wal muslimat, al ahya'i minhum wal amwat tabi' baynana wa baynahum bil khayrati innaka mujibud-da'waat innaka 'ala kulli shay'in Qadeer.
After the fourth takbÐr, if the deceased is a man, he should recite:
اللَّهُمَّ اِنَّ هذَا عَبْدُكَ وَ ابْنُ عَبْدِكَ وَ ابْنُ أَمَتِكَ نَزَلَ بِكَ وَ أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْزُولٍ بِهِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا لَا نَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ إِلَّا خَيْراً وَ أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنَّا اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ مُحْسِناً فَزِدْ فِي إِحْسَانِهِ وَ إِنْ كَانَ مُسِيئاً فَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْهُ وَ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ عِنْدَكَ فِي أَعْلَى عِلِّيِّينَ وَ اخْلُفْ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ فِي الْغَابِرِينَ وَ ارْحَمْهُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
Alla humma inna hadha 'abduka wabnu 'abdika wabnu amatika nazala bika wa anta khayru manzulin bihi. Alla humma inna la na'lamu minhu illa khayra wa anta a'alamu bihi minna. Alla humma in kana mohsinan fa zid fi ihsaanihi wa in kana musi'an fatajaawaz 'anhu waghfir lahu. Alla hummaj'alhu 'indaka fi a'laa 'illiyyeen wakhluf 'ala ahlihi fil ghabireen warhamhu bi-rahmatika ya ar hamar Rahimeen.
And if the deceased is a woman:
اللَّهُمَّ اِنَّ هذِه أَمَتُكَ وَ ابْنَةُ عَبْدِكَ وَ ابْنَةُ أَمَتِكَ نَزَلَتْ بِكَ وَ أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْزُولٍ بِهِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا لَا نَعْلَمُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا خَيْراً وَ أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهَا مِنَّا اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَتْ مُحْسِنَةً فَزِدْ فِي إِحْسَانِهَا وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ مُسِيئَةً فَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْهَا وَ اغْفِرْ لَهَا اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهَا عِنْدَكَ فِي أَعْلَى عِلِّيِّينَ وَ اخْلُفْ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا فِي الْغَابِرِينَ وَ ارْحَمْهَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
Alla humma inna hadhihi amatuka wabnatu 'abdika wabnatu amatika nazalat bika wa anta khayru manzulin bihi. Alla humma inna la na'lamu minha illa khayra wa anta a'alamu biha minna. Alla humma in kanat mohsinatan fa zid fi ihsaaniha wa in kanat musi'atan fatajaawaz 'anha waghfir laha. Alla hummaj'alha 'indaka fi a'laa 'illiyyeen wakhluf 'ala ahliha fil ghabireen warhamha bi-rahmatika ya ar hamar Rahimeen.
615. The takbÐrs and the recitations in between should be recited consecutively, in a manner that the prayer does not lose its form.
616. A person who is reciting the prayer in congregation should recite the takbÐrs and the recitations himself, even if he is offering it behind an Imam.
