Third: the time at which this prayer is performed;
Fourth: the place where it is performed; and
Fifth: the conditions governing it.
Chapter One
The Description of the Funeral Prayer
With regard to the prayer’s manner, several issues arise:
Issue One: The early community—the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them—differed greatly over the number of takbirs, ranging from three to seven. Yet the jurists of the various regions agree that the takbirs in the funeral prayer are four, except Ibn Abī Laylā and Jābir ibn Zayd, who held them to be five.
The reason for this disagreement is the variance found in the transmitted reports. It is related in the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah that “the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—announced the death of the Negus on the very day he died, led the people out to the prayer-ground, arranged them in rows, and pronounced four takbirs.” This ḥadīth is unanimously judged authentic, and for that reason it became the basis for the majority of jurists.
A similar report states that “he—peace and blessings be upon him—prayed over the grave of a poor woman and uttered four takbirs.”
Muslim also narrates from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā: “Zayd ibn Arqam would pronounce four takbirs over funerals, but once he pronounced five. When we asked him why, he replied, ‘The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—used to do so.’”
It is likewise reported from Abū Khaythamah, from his father: “The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—pronounced four, five, six, seven, and eight takbirs over funerals until the Negus died; he then stood the people in rows behind him and pronounced four, after which he remained constant upon four until Allah caused him to pass away.” This serves as a clear proof for the view held by the majority.
All scholars agree that the hands are to be raised at the first takbir of the funeral prayer, but they differ concerning the remaining takbirs. Some hold that the hands should be raised for each, while others say they should not. Al-Tirmidhī relates from Abū Hurayrah that “the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—pronounced the takbir over a funeral, raised his hands at the first takbir, and placed his right hand over his left.”
Whoever adopted the view that