Method of carrying the Janaazah
﷽
Janaazah Salaah there is great blessing in carrying the Janaazah on
the shoulders. Is it Sunnat to do so?
Answer: The Fuqaha have said that to carry the Janaazah (i.e. on the
shoulders) is Ibaadat. Every person should make a sincere effort and
he should not fail in Ibaadat.
It is reported that Huzoor Sayyidul Mursaleen صلى الله عليه وسلم carried the
Janaazah of Hazrat Sa’ad bin Mu’adh � �ا� ر] .Jauhira]
Question: How many persons (at least) should carry the Janaazah,
and how should this be done?
Answer: It is Sunnat for four people to carry the Janaazah. One
person should be on each corner. If only two people carried the
Janaazah, whereby one is at the head-side and one at the foot-side,
then to do this without a need is Makruh.
However, if this is done due to a need, for example if the space (to
walk through) is narrow, then there is no objection, in doing so.
[Alamgiri]
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Question: What is the proper Sunnat method to carry the Janaazah
when walking with it?
Answer: It is Sunnat to carry the Janaazah on the shoulder in a
manner where a person carries each (of the four) ends, one after the
other, walking ten paces whilst carrying at each end.
The complete Sunnat is to first carry the right end at the head-side,
followed by the right end of the foot-side, then the left end of the
head-side, and then the left end of the foot-side, and in doing so, to
walk ten paces when carrying on each end. This will make forty
paces.
It has been mentioned in the Hadith Shareef that the one who
carries the Janaazah walking for forty paces, forty of his Kabeera (i.e.
major) sins will be erased.
It has also been mentioned in the Hadith, the one who carries on his
shoulders the Janaazah from all four ends, will most certainly be
pardoned by Allah. [Jauhira; Alamgiri; Durr e Mukhtar]
Question: How is the Janaazah of a small baby or infant carried?
Answer: One may carry in his hands the Janaazah of a small baby, be
it a new born or one who has just stopped suckling, or an infant
slightly older than that; and one person after the other may carry it
in their hands. If the deceased is older than this, then it should be
carried on a wooden bed or (bier etc.). [Ghuniya; Alamgiri]
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Question: At times people are seen running with the Janaazah. In
other words, they say this is because the deceased should be taken
swiftly towards the grave. Is this manner correct?
Answer: It is incorrect and unethical to run with the Janaazah. It
should neither be carried too slowly nor too fast. The Janaazah
should be carried at a moderate pace. However, it should not be so
fast that it causes the deceased to jerk.
Question: Where should those who are accompanying the Janaazah
walk? In other words, should they go ahead of the Janaazah or walk
behind it or beside it?
Answer: It is more virtuous for those who are accompanying the
Janaazah to walk behind the Janaazah. They should not walk to the
right or left of the Janaazah. If someone does walk in front, then he
should walk at such a distance, that he is not counted amongst those
accompanying the Janaazah. If all those accompanying the Janaazah
are walking in front, then to do so is Makruh. [Alamgiri]
Question: Does the same apply to going with the Janaazah in a
conveyance, i.e. in a car etc.?
Answer: It is more virtuous to go with the Janaazah by foot, but if it
is at a distance from the cemetery and needs to be taken in a vehicle,
then if one is in a vehicle, or some other mode of conveyance then it
is Makruh to be in front. If one does proceed ahead, he should go far
ahead of the Janaazah. [Alamgiri; Sagheer]
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Question: Is it permitted for females to accompany the Janaazah?
Answer: It is impermissible for females to go with the Janaazah.
[Durr e Mukhtar; Sagheer]
Question: When walking with the Janaazah, should the head be in
front or the feet?
Answer: When walking with the Janaazah, the head should be in
front. [Alamgiri]
Question: We often see people having worldly conversations and
sometimes even laughing while carrying the Janaazah. What is the
advice concerning this?
Answer: Those walking with the Janaazah should do so quietly. They
should be remembering death and the condition of the grave. They
should neither have worldly conversations nor laugh (i.e. be jovial).
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas’ud � �ا� ر saw a person laughing whilst
accompanying the Janaazah; he said,
‘You are laughing whilst accompanying a Janaazah! I shall never
speak to you again’.
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Question: Is it permissible to recite Dhikr or Faateha and or to recite
the Salaat o Salaam etc. before taking the Janaazah from the home
towards the cemetery?
Answer: It is permissible as these are virtuous actions and a means
of blessing and comfort to the soul of the deceased as well. Any
permissible recitations are permitted in such a situation. The
following question was asked to Sayyidi Aala Hazrat � �ا� ر as part of a list
of other questions:
When the Janaazah is being taken from the house, does the recitation
of the Na’at (praise) of Huzoor Aqdas صلى الله عليه وسلم and Qasidahs etc. in Urdu
and Arabic benefit the deceased in any way i.e. does the deceased
receive Mercy from the Court of Allah for (all) this or not? Zaid says
that these practices are impermissible.
In response, the great Mujad’did Sayyidi Aala Hazrat Imam Ahle
Sunnah Ash Shah Imam Ahmed Raza Khan � �ا� ر said, To recite
Kalima Shareef, Durood Shareef, or Na’at Shareef when taking (i.e.
carrying) the Janaazah is not objectionable in any way. All these are
Zikr e Ilaahi (Remembrance of Allah) and it has been mentioned in
the Sahih Hadith:
مامن �يءان�ي من عذاب االله من ذ�االله
‘There is nothing in comparison to Zikr e Ilaahi,
which gives salvation from the punishment of Allah.’
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This is Zikr e Rasool صلى الله عليه وسلم as well and it is transmitted from the Great
Imams:
عند ذ� الصالح�ن تنزل الرحمة
In other words, wherever the remembrance of those, who are
obedient to Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم) i.e. the pious) is mentioned, there the
Mercy of Allah descends.
Sayyiduna Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم is the ‘Raas-us Saaliheen’ (The most exalted
leader of the Pious), and Huzoor Pur Noor صلى الله عليه وسلم is Huzoor Pur Noor االله ي�ص
ٰ عليہ وعليہم وسلم
ي�عا .�It is through being obedient to Him صلى الله عليه وسلم that the pious
have been adorned with piety. The detailed research of this issue is
present in my Fatawa. By the grace of Allah, in it is the eradication
(i.e. refutation) of all fallacies. [And Allah Knows Best]
At the end of the answers Sayyidi Aala Hazrat � �ا� رsays:
Concerning the above-mentioned practices, Zaid’s claim that these
are improper (i.e. impermissible) practices, then it must be noted
that if the basis of these claims is Wahabism, then Wahabism itself is
irreligiousness and deviancy; otherwise, his claim is due to
ignorance of the rules of Shariah. Who is he to prohibit that which
Allah and His Rasool صلى الله عليه وسلم have not prohibited?
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These matters have been settled time and over again, and the subtle
method, in this case, is that which the great Imam and gnostic
Sayyidi Abdul Wahab Sha’raani ���ا ہ �س �has mentioned in his
splendid book, Al Bahr ul Mawrood Fil Mawatheeq Wal Uhood’ that:
اخذعلينا العهودان لا نمكن احد امن الاخوان ين� شيئا مماابتدعہ المسلمون
ٰ دراوہ حسنا، فان �ل ماابتدع ع�ي هذا الوجه من
ٰ الله �عا�ي
ع�ي وجہ ال�بة ا�ي
توابع ال� �عتہ، وليس هو من قسم البدعة المذمومة�ي ال�ع
In other words, the promise has been taken from us that none of our
Deeni brothers should be given such authority, (allowing them) to
reject any such thing which the Muslims have devised (started new)
for the sake of getting closeness to Allah, and it is regarded as
something good; because all things of this nature which are started
of new, are from the subsidiaries of the Shari’at, and they are not
from that Bid’at (innovations) which the Shari’ah has condemned.
Question: Is it permitted for people to sit down before the Janaazah
has been kept down, in other words, before it has been placed on the
ground?
Answer: It is Makruh (i.e. disapproved) to sit until the Janaazah has
been kept down, and after it has been kept down, one should not
remain standing without reason.
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Question: What about in the case where people are already seated
from before, waiting for the Janaazah to arrive? Should they remain
seated or stand when the Janaazah has arrived?
Answer: If people are already seated and the Janaazah has been
brought there for Namaaz, then until it is not kept, they should not
stand.
Question: How should the Janaazah be placed for the Janaazah
Namaaz?
Answer: When the Janaazah is kept, it should not be kept in a
manner whereby the legs or head is facing the Qibla, but it should be
placed down in a transverse position, whereby the right side is
facing the Qibla. [Alamgiri; Durr e Mukhtar]
Question: What is the virtue of going with the Janaazah, especially
that of a close relative etc.?
Answer: There is great virtue in this. It has been mentioned that if
the Mayyit is a Muslim neighbour, relative or some pious person, it is
more virtuous to go with his Janaazah, than performing Nafil
Namaaz. [Alamgiri]
Question: It is seen at times that people accompany the Janaazah
but then do not remain for the Janaazah Namaaz. Has there been any
mention made about this?
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Answer: One who has gone with the Janaazah, should not return
without partaking in the Janaazah Namaaz, and after the Janaazah
Namaaz he should return by taking permission of the guardians of
the Mayyit. However, if he leaves after the burial, then he does not
need to take the permission of the guardians. [Alamgiri]
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