160 / What Is Said in the Funeral Prayer

Many hadiths have been reported in the sunnah concerning what is to be said in the funeral prayer. They are as follows:

It is authentically reported in Sahīh Muslim that Awf ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, offered the funeral prayer over a deceased person, and I memorized this supplication of his: ‘O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him; grant him well-being and pardon him; honor his reception and make his entrance spacious; wash him with water, snow, and hail; cleanse him of sins as You cleanse a white garment of stains; grant him an abode better than his abode, a family better than his family, and a spouse better than his spouse; admit him into Paradise; and protect him from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of the Fire.’” He added, “I wished that I had been that deceased person.”1

This is a magnificent and comprehensive supplication, devoted entirely to asking that the deceased be granted pardon and forgiveness, safety and deliverance, honor and beneficence. It is offered on this momentous occasion when the funeral prayer is performed over him—an occasion on which it is recommended to earnestly ask Allah to have mercy upon the deceased and to pray for him. He has been brought before his Muslim brethren so that they may pray for him and ask Allah to forgive his sins, conceal his faults, and pardon his lapses. By Allah’s permission, this supplication benefits the deceased, and it is among the many things that demonstrate the mutual mercy and compassion shared by the believers.

The sunnah is to recite this supplication after the third takbīr. After the first takbīr, al-Fātiha is recited; after the second, blessings are invoked upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; and after the third, this supplication or another transmitted supplication is recited.