The Funeral Prayer (Ṣalāt al-Janāzah)
Question: How do we perform the funeral prayer and what do we say in it?

Answer: The manner of the funeral prayer is as follows: after making the opening takbīrah (takbīrat al-iḥrām), one recites Sūrat al-Fātiḥah. Then he pronounces a second takbīrah and invokes blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, saying: “O Allah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, just as You sent blessings upon Ibrāhīm and upon the family of Ibrāhīm; You are indeed Praiseworthy, Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm; You are indeed Praiseworthy, Glorious.”

Next he pronounces the third takbīrah and supplicates for the deceased, for example: “O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being and pardon him; honor his place of rest and make his entrance spacious,” or any of the established supplications that ask forgiveness for the deceased and mercy upon him.

After that he pronounces the fourth takbīrah and concludes with one taslīm to his right. This is the prescribed form of the funeral prayer.

Washing the Deceased (Ghusl al-Mayyit)
Question: Who is entitled to wash the deceased—male or female—from among the relatives? We sometimes see men entering to wash both male and female bodies, whether the deceased are relatives or not. Is this correct?

Answer: A male is to be washed by men, and it is permissible for a woman to wash her husband. A female is to be washed by women, and it is permissible for a man to wash only his wife. Thus, the spouses may each wash the other, but beyond that, every deceased person is washed by those of the same gender.