for him in his grave and illuminate it for him.

If the deceased is a child, he says: “O Allah, make him a treasure for his parents, a forerunner and a reward1, and an intercessor whose plea is accepted. O Allah, through him make their scales heavy and magnify their reward; join him to the righteous predecessors of the believers; place him under the care of Abraham; and, by Your mercy, protect him from the torment of Hellfire.”

After the fourth takbir he pauses briefly, gives a single salutation to his right, and raises his hands with each takbir.

Its obligatory elements2 are: standing, the takbirs3, al-Fātiḥah, sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, supplication for the deceased, and the concluding salutation.

Whoever misses any of the takbirs makes them up in the same manner. Whoever misses the prayer altogether may perform it at the grave, and he may pray for someone absent from the town4 with the intention of funeral prayer—within a month of death.

The imam does not offer the prayer over one who has misappropriated war booty (al-ghāl) or over a person who has killed himself. There is, however, no objection to performing the funeral prayer in the mosque.

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It is recommended5 to carry the bier on four shoulders, though carrying it between its two poles is permissible. The Sunnah is to move with it quickly, for those on foot to walk in front of it and those on horseback to follow behind, and it is disliked for any of the mourners to sit down before the bier is placed on the ground.