Short answer
A Muslim funeral is simple and quick. The body is washed, wrapped in a plain white shroud, prayed over in the janazah prayer, and carried to the cemetery to be buried facing the qiblah. There is no eulogy service or open casket, and the whole funeral usually takes a few hours.
Washing, shrouding, praying over and burying a dead Muslim are each fard kifayah (a communal duty): if some people do them, the rest are free of sin. Hurrying all four is sunnah, and following the funeral to the grave is a recommended right one Muslim has over another.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Reciting al-Fatiha after the first takbir is a required part of the janazah prayer. In the Hanafi school it is not recited as Quran recitation in this prayer.
- Hanbali
- Also treat al-Fatiha after the first takbir as a pillar of the janazah prayer.
Explanation
If you have never been to a Muslim funeral, it can feel very different from what you know. It is short, plain and focused on two things: honouring the body and praying for the person. Most Muslim funerals in the US, UK and the Gulf follow the same order.
- Washing (ghusl). Relatives of the same sex, or a trained team from the mosque, wash the body gently and privately. See how the body is washed.
- Shrouding (kafan). The body is wrapped in plain white cloth: three pieces for a man and five for a woman in the Hanafi school. See the kafan.
- The janazah prayer. The community stands in rows behind the imam, with the body in front. There is no bowing or prostration, only four takbirs with praise of Allah, blessings on the Prophet ﷺ and dua for the dead. It takes a few minutes.
- Procession and burial. Men carry the body to the cemetery. It is laid in the grave on its right side facing the qiblah, the people help fill the grave with earth, then stand making dua.
- Condolence. For three days, people visit the family, comfort them and bring food.
How long does it take? The washing takes about an hour, the prayer a few minutes, and the burial around half an hour to an hour. Because the sunnah is to hurry, the funeral is often held on the day of death or the next day; see how soon burial should happen.
What you will not see: music, a eulogy service, flowers on the coffin, a display of the body, or cremation. Loud wailing is avoided, but quiet tears are normal and allowed. For the steps of the prayer itself, see how to pray janazah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Abasa 80:21
ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ ﴿٢١﴾
Then He causes his death and provides a grave for him.
Burial in the earth is how Allah honours the human body after death.
Quran, Surah Taa-Haa 20:55
۞ مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَٰكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ ﴿٥٥﴾
From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.
The body returns to the earth it came from.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1315
Sahih... أسرعوا بالجنازة فإن تك صالحة فخير تقدمونها إليه ...
"Hurry with the funeral: if the person was righteous, you are bringing them to something good."
This is why Muslim funerals are quick and simple.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1240
Sahih... حق المسلم على المسلم خمس رد السلام وعيادة المريض واتباع الجنائز ...
"The rights of a Muslim over a Muslim are five, among them returning the greeting, visiting the sick and following funerals."
Following the funeral is one of the rights of the dead Muslim.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Jana'iz. Washing, shrouding, prayer and burial, and hurrying the funeral.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Bab Ahkam al-Jana'iz. The communal duties owed to a dead Muslim, in order.
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.