Short answer
In the Hanafi school, the ruler or his deputy has the first right, then the imam of the local mosque, then the closest male relative (wali) in the order of inheritance. In practice in the West, the family usually asks the mosque imam. Anyone the wali permits may lead.
The order is: the sultan or his deputy (such as the qadi), then the imam of the neighbourhood mosque (imam al-hayy), whose precedence is recommended, then the walis in the order of 'asabah, except that the father comes before the son: father, son, grandson, brother and so on. The wali may give permission to anyone. A request in the will that a certain person lead does not bind the family.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The closest male relative has the first right, ahead of the ruler and the mosque imam.
- Hanbali
- The person named in the deceased's will comes first, then the ruler, then the closest relatives.
- Maliki
- The person named in the will (if chosen for his piety) comes first, then the ruler, then the closest relatives.
Explanation
At a funeral, nobody wants a dispute about who stands at the front. Knowing the order helps the family decide quickly and kindly.
The Hanafi order:
- The ruler or his deputy, when present. In Muslim countries this can mean the governor or the official imam of the main mosque. The Prophet ﷺ said that no man should lead another in the place of his authority.
- The imam of the local mosque, because the dead person prayed behind him in life. This is recommended, not binding.
- The wali: the closest male relative through the male line, in the same order as residuary inheritance. Here the father comes before the son, out of respect for him, then the son, the grandson and the brother. A husband comes after these relatives in the Hanafi school, though he has a right ahead of strangers.
In the UK, US and Canada, there is no ruler in this sense, and most funerals are prayed at a mosque, so the mosque imam leads unless the family asks someone else. A son who knows the prayer well may lead his parent's janazah, and many people love to do this as a last service. The wali can also hand over his right to anyone he trusts.
Wishes in a will. People sometimes write, "I want Sheikh so-and-so to lead my janazah." In the Hanafi school this does not bind the family, but honouring it is a kindness when it is easy. A woman does not lead men in the janazah; women may pray it in their own rows. See women at a janazah.
The evidence
Sahih Muslim 673
Sahih... لا يؤمن الرجل الرجل في سلطانه ...
"No man should lead another man in prayer where the other has authority."
The basis for giving the ruler, and the imam in his own mosque, precedence.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Jana'iz, section on who has the most right to the prayer. The sultan, then the qadi, then the imam of the locality, then the wali.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. The imam of the locality is recommended, not required; a bequest naming the imam does not bind.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Jana'iz, who has the most right to pray over the dead. The Hanbali precedence of the one named in the will.
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.