Short answer
Not in the Hanafi school. After the first takbir you read the thana (Subhanakallahumma), not al-Fatiha as Quran recitation, though reading it with the intention of praise and dua is allowed. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold that al-Fatiha after the first takbir is a required part of the janazah.
Reciting the Quran is not part of the janazah prayer. After the first takbir the thana is sunnah; reading al-Fatiha with the intention of praise (thana) or dua is permitted, but with the intention of recitation it is disliked. After the second takbir comes the salawat, and after the third the dua for the dead.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Reciting al-Fatiha after the first takbir is a pillar of the janazah; without it the prayer is not valid.
- Hanbali
- Reciting al-Fatiha after the first takbir is a pillar of the janazah.
- Maliki
- Al-Fatiha is not required; the heart of the prayer is the dua for the dead.
Explanation
The janazah is a prayer of intercession. Its core is asking Allah to forgive the person who has died. The schools agree on that, and differ on whether al-Fatiha is part of it.
The Hanafi order:
- First takbir with raised hands, then the thana: Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika..., adding wa jalla thana'uk.
- Second takbir, then the salawat on the Prophet ﷺ, the same as in the tashahhud (Durud Ibrahim).
- Third takbir, then the dua for the dead, such as Allahumma-ghfir lahu warhamhu wa 'afihi wa'fu 'anhu.
- Fourth takbir, then salam to the right and the left.
Why no Fatiha in the Hanafi school? Hanafi scholars note that the many reports describing the Prophet's ﷺ janazah prayers mention the takbirs and the duas, and that senior Companions such as Ibn Umar did not recite in it. They treat it as a dua, not a prayer of recitation. Ibn Abbas once recited al-Fatiha aloud at a janazah and said he did it so people would know it is a sunnah; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools build on this report. Hanafi scholars allow reading al-Fatiha after the first takbir if you intend it as praise of Allah, which keeps you clear of the difference.
If you pray behind a Shafi'i imam, your prayer is valid; follow the imam's takbirs and make your own dua. For the full method and the duas in Arabic, see how to pray janazah and dua for the deceased.
The evidence
Sahih Muslim 963
Sahih... اللهم اغفر له وارحمه وعافه واعف عنه ...
"O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, keep him safe and pardon him."
This is the dua the Prophet ﷺ made in a janazah, the heart of the prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1335
Sahih... ليعلموا أنها سنة ...
"So that they would know it is a sunnah."
Ibn Abbas's report, which the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools rely on for reciting al-Fatiha.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Jana'iz, section on the funeral prayer. Thana after the first takbir, salawat after the second, dua after the third.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. Reading al-Fatiha with the intention of thana is allowed; with the intention of recitation it is disliked.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Jana'iz, the pillars of the funeral prayer. Al-Fatiha as a pillar in the Shafi'i school.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.