What to do when someone dies in Islam, step by step.

1. 1

   Before death

   At the bedside

   If someone you love is near death, stay calm and stay close. Your presence is the best comfort you can give.

   • Say the shahada softly where they can hear it: La ilaha illallah. Do not order them to say it or press them. If they say it, stop speaking of other things, so that it can be the last thing they say.
   • Face the qibla if it is easy. The sunnah is to lay them on the right side facing the qibla. Lying on the back with the feet toward the qibla is also accepted in the Hanafi school. Do not move them if it causes pain.
   • Say only good words around them. Remind them of Allah's mercy and make dua for them.
   • You may recite Surah Yasin quietly nearby. Many Hanafi books mention it, but the hadith about it is graded weak by a number of scholars, so it is allowed, not required.

   The Prophet ﷺ said

   لَقِّنُوا مَوْتَاكُمْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ

   “Prompt your dying with La ilaha illallah.”

   Sahih Muslim 916, from Abu Said al-Khudri.

   Hanafi position

   Saying the shahada near the dying person without ordering them (talqin) is sunnah. A second talqin at the grave after burial is not part of the relied-upon Hanafi practice.

   Other madhhabs

   Shafi'i

   Also recommends a talqin at the grave after burial.

   Hanbali

   Most later Hanbali scholars also recommend it.

   Read the answers

   • What should you do when a Muslim is dying?
   • What dua should you read for someone who is dying?
   • Can you ask Allah for death?

   Back to the steps

2. 2

   The moment of death

   Say Inna lillahi, close the eyes

   The first thing is a few words, then a few gentle acts. You do not need to do them in a hurry.

   Say this first

   ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ﴿١٥٦﴾

   Allazeena izaaa asaabathum museebatun qaalooo innaa lillaahi wa innaaa ilaihi raaji'oon

   Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."

   Quran 2:156, Sahih International translation

   • Close the eyes gently. The Prophet ﷺ closed the eyes of Abu Salamah and made dua for him. The Hanafi books say to say Bismillah wa ala millati rasulillah as you do it.
   • Tie the jaw with a soft strip of cloth, straighten the arms and legs and ease the joints while the body is still warm, then cover the whole body with a clean sheet.
   • Make dua for them by name. Say it out loud if you can.
   • Weep if you need to. Tears are a mercy. What is forbidden is wailing, striking the face and tearing clothes (see "What to say" below).
   • Hanafi books dislike reciting Quran right beside the body before it is washed. Recite elsewhere, and dhikr and dua are fine anywhere.

   The dua the Prophet ﷺ made when Abu Salamah died

   اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِـ(فُلَانٍ) وَارْفَعْ دَرَجَتَهُ فِي الْمَهْدِيِّينَ، وَاخْلُفْهُ فِي عَقِبِهِ فِي الْغَابِرِينَ، وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلَهُ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَافْسَحْ لَهُ فِي قَبْرِهِ، وَنَوِّرْ لَهُ فِيهِ

   Allāhummagh-fir li-(name) warfaʿ darajatahū fil-mahdiyyīn, wakhlufhu fī ʿaqibihī fil-ghābirīn, waghfir lanā wa lahū yā rabbal-ʿālamīn, wafsaḥ lahū fī qabrihī wa nawwir lahū fīh

   O Allah, forgive (name), raise his rank among the rightly guided, look after those he left behind, forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds, make his grave spacious and fill it with light.

   Sahih Muslim 920, from Umm Salamah. Put the name of the person where it says (name). For a woman, say laha for lahu.

   Read the answers

   • What should you do right after a Muslim dies?
   • Is crying allowed when someone dies in Islam?
   • How do you deal with grief in Islam?

   Back to the steps

3. 3

   The first hours

   Who to call and what to arrange

   Death brings forms and phone calls on the same day. Ask one steady person in the family to be the contact, and let others help.

   • Have a doctor confirm the death and give the certificate. Laws differ by country: ask the hospital or the funeral director what has to be done and by when.
   • Call the mosque or a Muslim funeral service. They know the washers, the shroud, the cemetery and the local paperwork.
   • If an inquiry or autopsy is required by law, it may go ahead and the family is not sinful. Where it is a choice, an elective autopsy is not allowed, so ask for a scan if one is offered.
   • Burial, not cremation. Cremation is haram. Embalming is not allowed without need. Burying where the person died is better than sending the body far away, though it is allowed.
   • The cost of a simple funeral comes first from the dead person's own money, before debts, the will and the heirs.
   • Look for the will and the papers: ID, bank details, insurance, a list of debts. You will need them in a few days.

   Read the answers

   • Is an autopsy allowed in Islam?
   • Is embalming allowed in Islam?
   • Can you send a body back to your home country for burial?
   • Who pays for a Muslim funeral?
   • Is cremation haram in Islam?

   Back to the steps

4. 4

   Same day

   Ghusl and kafan: washing and shrouding

   Washing and shrouding the dead is a duty on the community (fard kifayah): if some people do it, the rest are free of it. Most mosques have trained men and women who do this every week.

   • Who washes: men wash men and women wash women, with a close relative who knows how, or the mosque's team. Children can be washed by either.
   • How, in short (Hanafi): lay the body on a raised surface with the private parts covered. Clean them with a cloth over the hand, without looking. Do wudu without rinsing the mouth and nose. Then wash with warm water and soap or sidr, the right side, then the left, and finish with a wash with camphor water, in odd numbers. Do not cut the nails or comb the hair.
   • The kafan: white cotton. For a man, three pieces (izar, qamis, lifafa). For a woman, five (those three, a head cover and a chest cloth). Two pieces for a man and three for a woman are enough if that is hard. Perfume the kafan and the places of sujud.
   • The washers do not have to take a bath afterwards, though it is recommended in the Hanafi school.

   Hanafi position

   A wife may wash her husband, but a husband does not wash his wife, though he may see her.

   Other madhhabs

   Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali

   A husband may wash his wife and a wife her husband.

   Special cases

   For a person who died in an accident, in a fire or by drowning, a stillborn baby, or a body that cannot be washed fully, the rules differ a little. Read the answers below or ask the mosque.

   Read the answers

   • How do you wash a dead body in Islam?
   • How many sheets of cloth are in a kafan?
   • Who can wash a dead body in Islam?
   • Do you need to take a bath after washing a dead body or attending a funeral?
   • How do you wash a body that is badly burned, injured or not complete?
   • Is janazah prayed for a stillborn or miscarried baby?

   Back to the steps

5. 5

   Before the burial

   The funeral prayer (janazah)

   The janazah prayer is also a duty on the community. It is prayed standing, with four takbirs and no bowing or prostration, for the one who has died.

   • Where: at the mosque, a funeral home or a prayer ground at the cemetery. In the Hanafi school it may be prayed after Fajr and after Asr. Avoid only the three short moments of sunrise, the sun at its height and sunset.
   • Who leads: the family usually asks the imam, or the closest male relative leads. Anyone the family agrees may lead.
   • You need wudu, a clean place and the qibla, as in any prayer. The body is placed in front of the imam.
   • Hanafi order: after the first takbir say the opening praise (thana). After the second, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. After the third, make dua for the dead. After the fourth, give the salam. Hands are raised only at the first takbir.
   • Women may pray the janazah and the prayer is valid. In the Hanafi school it is disliked for women to follow the procession to the graveyard, and the other schools are less strict.

   The Prophet's ﷺ dua in the funeral prayer

   اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ وَاغْسِلْهُ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّهِ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبَ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ

   O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, give him well-being and pardon him. Honour his place, widen his entrance, wash him with water, snow and hail, and cleanse him of sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt.

   Sahih Muslim 963, from Awf ibn Malik. This is the start of the dua; the full text is on the dua page. For a woman, say laha.

   Hanafi position

   Al-Fatiha is not recited as a duty in the janazah prayer. The prayer is thana, durood and dua.

   Other madhhabs

   Shafi'i, Hanbali

   Al-Fatiha is recited after the first takbir, and the hands are raised at every takbir.

   How to pray janazah, with all the words

   Read the answers

   • Who should lead the janazah prayer?
   • Can janazah be prayed after Asr or at night?
   • Can women attend a janazah in Islam?
   • What if you join the janazah prayer late?
   • Can you pray janazah in absentia (ghaib)?

   Back to the steps

6. 6

   The same day if you can

   Burial, and the sunnah of speed

   Burial is a duty on the community. Once death is certain, hurrying the washing, the prayer and the burial is sunnah. There is no fixed 24-hour rule.

   The Prophet ﷺ said

   أَسْرِعُوا بِالْجِنَازَةِ، فَإِنْ تَكُ صَالِحَةً فَخَيْرٌ تُقَدِّمُونَهَا إِلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ يَكُ سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَشَرٌّ تَضَعُونَهُ عَنْ رِقَابِكُمْ

   “Hasten with the funeral. If the person was righteous, it is good that you send them to it. If not, it is an evil you put down from your necks.”

   Sahih al-Bukhari 1315, from Abu Hurayrah.

   • Delay only for a reason: the legal paperwork, an inquiry required by law, confirming the death, or a close relative who is near and will arrive soon. Waiting to gather a bigger crowd is disliked.
   • The grave: the lahd (a niche dug into the side) is sunnah where the soil allows it. A coffin is disliked without need, and allowed when the soil or the law needs one.
   • Lay the body on the right side facing the qibla, lowered from the qibla side, by men. Untie the knots of the kafan. Say the words below.
   • Fill the grave. Those present throw three handfuls of earth each, then the grave is filled and raised about a hand span in a hump shape.
   • Stay a little after the burial and make dua for steadfastness.

   When laying the body in the grave

   بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى سُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ

   Bismillāhi wa ʿalā sunnati rasūlillāh

   “In the name of Allah, and on the way of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”

   Sunan Abi Dawud 3213, from Ibn Umar. Another report has millati (the religion of) in place of sunnati.

   After the burial

   اسْتَغْفِرُوا لأَخِيكُمْ وَسَلُوا لَهُ التَّثْبِيتَ فَإِنَّهُ الآنَ يُسْأَلُ

   “Ask forgiveness for your brother and ask for steadfastness for him, for he is being questioned now.”

   Sunan Abi Dawud 3221, from Uthman ibn Affan. Graded sahih by al-Albani.

   Read the answers

   • How soon must a Muslim be buried after death?
   • How are Muslims buried?
   • Can Muslims be buried in a coffin?
   • What is the etiquette of following a janazah?
   • How long should you stay at the grave after the burial?
   • Can a Muslim be buried in a non-Muslim cemetery?

   Back to the steps

7. 7

   The first three days

   Condolence and the three days

   Visiting the grieving family (ta'ziyah) is recommended, and it is best within three days. The family may sit at home to receive visitors for up to three days.

   What the Prophet ﷺ sent to a grieving daughter

   إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا أَخَذَ وَلَهُ مَا أَعْطَى وَكُلٌّ عِنْدَهُ بِأَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى، فَلْتَصْبِرْ وَلْتَحْتَسِبْ

   Inna lillāhi mā akhadha wa lahū mā aʿṭā, wa kullun ʿindahū bi-ajalin musammā

   “To Allah belongs what He took and to Him belongs what He gave, and everything with Him has a fixed term. So be patient and hope for the reward.”

   Sahih al-Bukhari 1284, from Usamah ibn Zayd.

   • When you visit: keep it short. Say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, a kind word about the one who died, and a dua for them and for the family. Silence and a hand on the shoulder are also fine.
   • Bring food. Neighbours and relatives feed the bereaved family. It is not the bereaved who should cook for guests.
   • After three days repeating the condolence is disliked in the Hanafi school, except for someone who was away.
   • For the family: accept help, eat and rest. You do not have to host anyone.

   Feeding the family

   اصْنَعُوا لآلِ جَعْفَرٍ طَعَامًا فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ أَتَاهُمْ أَمْرٌ شَغَلَهُمْ

   “Make food for the family of Jafar, for something has come to them that keeps them busy.”

   Sunan Abi Dawud 3132, from Abdullah ibn Jafar. Graded hasan.

   Hanafi position

   Condolence is mustahabb, best within three days. Hosting a feast on the 3rd, 10th or 40th day as a religious occasion has no basis in the sunnah and is disliked. Dua, Quran and charity for the dead are good on any day.

   Read the answers

   • How do you give condolences in Islam?
   • How long is the mourning period in Islam?
   • What happens 40 days after death in Islam?
   • Can you announce a death in Islam?
   • Are flowers appropriate for a Muslim funeral?

   More words of comfort: what to say when someone dies.

   Back to the steps

8. 8

   From the day of death

   The widow's iddah

   A widow keeps a waiting period (iddah) of four months and ten days. It begins on the day of her husband's death.

   The Quran

   وَٱلَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَٰجًۭا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍۢ وَعَشْرًۭا ۖ فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا فَعَلْنَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ ﴿٢٣٤﴾

   Wallazeena yutawaffawna minkum wa yazaroona azwaajai yatarabbasna bi anfusihinna arba'ata ashhurinw wa 'ashran fa izaa balaghna ajalahunna falaa junaaha 'alaikum feemaa fa'alna feee anfusihinna bilma'roof; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona Khabeer

   And those who are taken in death among you and leave wives behind - they, [the wives, shall] wait four months and ten [days]. And when they have fulfilled their term, then there is no blame upon you for what they do with themselves in an acceptable manner. And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do.

   Quran 2:234, Sahih International translation

   • The length: four months and ten days, whether or not the marriage was consummated. If she is pregnant, until the baby is born.
   • During it she avoids adornment, perfume, make-up and jewellery, and she does not accept a proposal or marry.
   • Her home: she stays in the home and spends the nights there. In the Hanafi school she may go out in the day for real needs such as work, medical care or essential shopping.
   • Seeing visitors, the phone and normal housework are all fine.
   • A woman may mourn a relative for up to three days. A widow is the exception, for the full iddah.

   Hanafi position

   Four months and ten days, or until delivery if pregnant. The widow observes hidad (no adornment) and stays in her home, going out by day only for need.

   Other madhhabs

   Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali

   The length and the avoiding of adornment are the same. Details of leaving the home differ a little between schools, so ask a mufti about your case.

   Work out the end date with the iddah calculator

   Read the answers

   • What is iddah in Islam?
   • What can a widow do during iddah?
   • Can a widow spend her iddah at her parents' house?
   • Does a widow get maintenance during her iddah?
   • Can a widow go to her husband's funeral or grave during iddah?

   Back to the steps

9. 9

   Every day

   Duas for the deceased

   Your dua is one of the gifts that reach the dead. There is no fixed time, place or number, and a dua in your own language is valid.

   The Prophet ﷺ said

   إِذَا مَاتَ الإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ إِلاَّ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ

   “When a person dies, their deeds stop except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is used, or a righteous child who prays for them.”

   Sahih Muslim 1631, from Abu Hurayrah.

   • Dua for them in sujud, after the prayers and when you visit the grave.
   • Charity on their behalf, and ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah) such as a well, a school or a copy of the Quran.
   • Quran and good deeds. In the Hanafi school you may recite Quran, fast, give charity or do dhikr and ask Allah to give the reward to a dead Muslim.
   • Keep their promises and make up what they owed to people.

   Dua for the deceased

   The funeral duas in Arabic, transliteration and English.

   Dua for deceased parents

   What to say for your father and mother, and what still reaches them.

   Dua for visiting the grave

   The greeting to the people of the graves and the manners of a visit.

   Sadaqah jariyah

   Charity that keeps giving, with ideas you can start today.

   Read the answers

   • What is the dua for a dead person in Islam?
   • Does reciting Quran for the dead reach them?
   • Is visiting graves allowed in Islam?
   • What can you do for your parents after they die?

   Back to the steps

10. 10

    Whenever you meet the family

    What to say, and what to avoid

    Most people are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Simple words, said kindly, are enough.

    Say

    • Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
    • "May Allah forgive him and have mercy on him" (Allah yarhamhu).
    • "May Allah give you patience and a great reward."
    • A true, kind memory of the person.
    • "What can I do for you today?" and then do it: school run, meals, forms.

    Avoid

    • Wailing aloud, listing their qualities in lament, striking the face, tearing clothes.
    • Speaking ill of the dead, or of how they lived.
    • Saying where they are going, as if you knew. Say "may Allah be merciful to them".
    • "RIP." It is not a Muslim phrase; use the dua words above.
    • Hurrying the family to "move on", or asking why Allah did this.

    The Prophet ﷺ said

    لاَ تَسُبُّوا الأَمْوَاتَ فَإِنَّهُمْ قَدْ أَفْضَوْا إِلَى مَا قَدَّمُوا

    “Do not speak ill of the dead, for they have reached what they sent ahead.”

    Sahih al-Bukhari 1393, from Aishah.

    Wailing (niyahah) and striking the cheeks and tearing the clothes are forbidden (Sahih al-Bukhari 1294). Weeping without wailing is allowed: the Prophet ﷺ wept when his son Ibrahim died and said, "It is a mercy" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1303).

    Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un with the Arabic and when to say it.

    Read the answers

    • Is it okay to say RIP (rest in peace) when a Muslim dies?
    • Is crying allowed when someone dies in Islam?
    • How do you deal with grief in Islam?
    • What does Islam say about losing a child?

    Back to the steps

11. 11

    In the first weeks

    Debts, the funeral costs and the will

    Before anything is shared among the family, the estate pays what the person owed. This is one of the kindest things heirs can do for them.

    The Prophet ﷺ said

    نَفْسُ الْمُؤْمِنِ مُعَلَّقَةٌ بِدَيْنِهِ حَتَّى يُقْضَى عَنْهُ

    “The soul of the believer is held back by their debt until it is paid for them.”

    Jami at-Tirmidhi 1078, from Abu Hurayrah. Graded sahih by al-Albani.

    The order of the estate (Hanafi):

    1. The simple cost of the funeral and burial.
    2. Debts owed to people, including unpaid mahr and loans.
    3. The bequest (wasiyyah) in the will, from up to one third of what remains.
    4. The heirs, by the shares set in the Quran.

    • List every debt and everything the person was owed. Pay small ones quickly. If the estate cannot cover them, the heirs may choose to help.
    • The will: a bequest is valid up to one third and to people who do not already inherit. A bequest to an heir, or of more than a third, needs the other adult heirs to agree.
    • Do not give away the clothes, phone, car or jewellery yet. Everything the person owned is now part of the estate.

    Hanafi position

    Unpaid zakat, fidya for missed prayers or fasts, and Hajj are paid from the third only if the dead person left a will asking for it. Otherwise the heirs may pay them as a favour.

    Other madhhabs

    Shafi'i, Hanbali

    Unpaid zakat is a debt on the estate and is paid before the heirs divide it.

    Write your own Islamic will

    Read the answers

    • Do you have to pay the debts of a dead person in Islam?
    • What should you do if you owed money to someone who died?
    • Does a widow get her mahr if her husband died before the marriage was consummated?
    • What should you do with a dead person's clothes and belongings?
    • How much can you leave in a will in Islam?
    • Is it obligatory to write a will in Islam?

    Back to the steps

12. 12

    After the debts

    Inheritance

    The shares of the heirs are fixed by Allah in the Quran. Nobody can change them, and nobody should hold them back.

    The Quran

    لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبُونَ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبُونَ مِمَّا قَلَّ مِنْهُ أَوْ كَثُرَ ۚ نَصِيبًۭا مَّفْرُوضًۭا ﴿٧﴾

    Lirrijaali naseebum mimmaa tarakal waalidaani wal aqraboona wa lin nisaaa'i naseebum mimmaa tarakal waalidaani wal aqraboona mimmaa qalla minhu aw kasur; naseebam mafroodaa

    For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much - an obligatory share.

    Quran 4:7, Sahih International translation

    • Wait until the funeral costs, the debts and the bequest are settled. Then divide.
    • Do not delay without reason. Holding back an heir's share against their wishes, or using the property as if it were yours, is a serious wrong. Delay by agreement for a good reason, such as selling a house at a fair price, is allowed.
    • Daughters and sisters have their share too. A son gets twice a daughter's share, because sons carry the duty of supporting the family.
    • Who inherits depends on who is alive: spouse, children, parents, siblings. The calculator below gives the shares. For a real estate, check the result with a mufti.

    Hanafi position

    If no sharer or residuary heir is left, distant relatives (dhawu al-arham) inherit. A surplus after the fixed shares goes back to the sharers (radd).

    Other madhhabs

    Shafi'i, Maliki

    The classical rulings send the surplus to the public treasury when there are no residuary heirs. Later scholars of both schools allowed it to go back to the heirs.

    Hanbali

    Like the Hanafi school, distant relatives inherit.

    Islamic inheritance calculator

    Read the answers

    • Who inherits in Islam?
    • Why does a son get twice the share of a daughter in Islam?
    • Do grandchildren inherit if their parent died before the grandparent?
    • Is it a sin to delay dividing an inheritance?
    • Is it haram to deny daughters or sisters their inheritance?
    • Does a divorced wife inherit from her ex-husband in Islam?

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