the fourth takbīr and shortly before pronouncing the salām; to place his left hand upon his chest; and to turn to his right when giving the salām.

The funeral prayer is conducted as follows: the imam—or a lone worshipper—stands at the chest of a deceased man and at the middle of a deceased woman. Those praying behind him line up in rows, and it is recommended that they form three rows. He then pronounces the opening takbīr, immediately seeks refuge with Allah (without an opening supplication), says the basmalah, and recites Sūrat al-Fātiḥah. After the second takbīr he invokes blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ as he does in the tashahhud of the regular prayer. After the third takbīr he supplicates for the deceased with any of the transmitted prayers, among them:

“O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. You know where we are and where we will be, and You have power over all things. O Allah, whoever among us You keep alive, let him live upon Islam and the Sunnah, and whoever among us You cause to die, cause him to die upon them. O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being, and pardon him. Honor his place of rest, widen the entrance to his grave, wash him with water, snow, and hail, and cleanse him of sins and faults as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Give him a home better than his home, and a spouse better than his spouse. Admit him into Paradise, protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of the Fire, make his grave spacious, and illuminate it for him.”