Actions that are discouraged In regards to the Funeral Prayer

Being loud in voice Ibn Al-Munzhir related that Qais ibn 'Abbad said: "The Companions of the Prophet disliked raising one's voice on three occasions, namely, funeral processions, when remembering Allah, and on the battlefield." Sa'id ibn Al-Musaib, Sa'id ibn Jubair, Al-Hasan, An-Nakh'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq did not like it when anyone from the rear of the funeral procession exhorted others to pray for forgiveness of the deceased. Al-Awza'i said: This is a bid'a (innovation in religion). Fuzhail ibn 'Amr said: "Once, while Ibn 'Umar was present at a funeral, he heard someone from behind saying: 'Pray for Allah's forgiveness for the deceased. May Allah forgive him.' Ibn 'Umar said: 'May Allah not forgive you'." An-Nawawi said: "You should know that the right manner of accompanying a funeral procession is to remain quiet, as the pious among the previous generations of Muslims did. One should not raise one's voice for recitation or for the remembrance of Allah, or for anything else. Keeping quiet is better and is helpful in concentrating one's attention on the funeral rites, which is needed at that time. This is the correct position, and the fact that a large number of people do otherwise does not change it. There is a consensus among scholars that the way ignorant people recite in the funeral processions, artificially prolonging sounds of various words and mixing them up, is forbidden. Mohammad 'Abduh said: "In reference to the raising of one's voice in a funeral procession for remembrance of Allah, we find in Al-Fath, under the chapter on "Funerals," that it is disliked for a person walking in front of a funeral procession to make such remembrance loudly. If one wants to make any remembrance, one may do it in one's heart. Loud remembrance is something quite new, and there is no precedent for it from the days of the Prophet and his Companions, or from the generation following them or their Successors. Such a practice must be discouraged and stopped.

Carrying torches or fire in a funeral procession These are forbidden as they are vestiges of Pre- Islam. Ibn Al-Munzhir said: "This practice is disliked by all men of knowledge and scholars on record. Al-Baihaqi said: 'Aishah, 'Ubadah ibn Al-Samit, Abu Hurairah, Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri, and Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr, all stated in their respective wills that their funeral processions should not include anyone carrying fire (or torches). According to Ibn Majah, Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, on his deathbed, directed his heirs, saying: "Do not follow my funeral procession carrying any censers (with fires in them to burn frankincense for its aromatic smoke and fragrance)." The people asked him: "Did you hear anything from the Prophet concerning this?" He said: "Yes, I heard the Prophet saying so. (Among the narrators of this hadith is a man called Abu Huraiz, the freed slave of Mu'awiyah, who is "unknown" amongst the narrators of hadith) If the burial takes place at night, however, fire or torches may be used for light. Tirmizhi has reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that once at night the Prophet entered a grave to bury a dead person, and a lantern was given to him and he took it.

Sitting down before those carrying the coffin put it down Bukhari said: "A person accompanying a funeral procession should not sit down until the coffin is placed on the ground, and if he sits he should be asked to stand up." He reports from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri that the Prophet said: "Stand up when you see a funeral procession, and he who accompanies it should not sit down until the coffin is placed on the ground." Bukhari also reports from Sa'id Al-Maqabari who narrated that his father said: "We were attending a funeral, and Abu Hurairah was holding Marwan's hand, and they both sat down before the coffin was placed on the ground. At this Abu Sa'id approached them, and taking Marwan by his hand said to him: 'Stand up! By Allah, this man (i.e., Abu Hurairah) knows that the Prophet has forbidden us (to sit).' Upon hearing this Abu Hurairah said: 'He is right.''

It is sunnah to Remain Seated When a Funeral Procession Passes by for this hadith abrogates the one to stand Ahmad has reported that Waqid ibn 'Amr ibn Sa'd ibn Mu'azh said: -I attended a funeral procession in the tribe of Banu Salimah. I stood up on seeing the funeral procession. Thereupon Naf'i ibn Jubair said to me: 'Sit down. I will give you the reason for this. Mas'ud ibn Al-Hakim Az-Zurrqi told me that he heard 'Ali ibn Abi Talib saying: -The Prophet commanded us to stand up upon seeing a funeral procession, but later on he would remain seated, and bade us to do the same.' ' Muslim has reported it in these words: "We saw the Prophet standing, so we stood. Then he sat down, and we too sat. Tirmizhi said: 'This hadith from 'Ali is sound, and it includes four of the successors of the Companions who related it successively. According to some people of knowledge this is the common practice.' This hadith abrogates the one cited previously which says: 'Stand up when you see a funeral procession.'

If something haram occurs during the funeral prayer what should one attending do? The author of Al-Mughni said: "If one sees or hears something that is forbidden while attending a funeral, and one is capable of countering and rectifying it, one should do so. If not, then one may do one of two things: voice his disapproval of it, and continue with the funeral which will free one from any responsibility of any such disapproved acts, without abandoning the good for the bad. The second course open to a person in such a case is to leave the funeral procession, especially when one is able to leave it, so that one's continued participation will not lead one to hear or see a forbidden thing." This is more reason as to why Muslim's should not attend non-muslim funerals for their funerals are filled with haram or forbidden actions and telling them not to perform such actions will not be accepted for – Our laws are for us

Tomorrow we will begin discussion of the Islamic Burial