Sunan Abi Dawud

Funerals (Kitab Al-Jana'iz)

كتاب الجنائز

Chapter 45: The Virtue Of Performing The Funeral Prayer And Accompanying The Janazah

Sunan Abi Dawud 3168
Narrated Abu Hurairah

If anyone attends the funeral and prays over (the dead), he will get the reward of one qirat, and if anyone attends the funeral until the completion (of the burial), he will get the reward of two qirats, the smaller of them being equivalent of Uhud, or one of them being equivalent to Uhud.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3169
Dawud b. 'Amir b. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas said that his father 'Amir b. Sa'd was with Ibn 'Umar b. al-Khattab when Khabbab, the owner of the closet (maqsurah), came and said

'Abd Allah b.'Umar dont you hear what Abu Hurairah says ? He heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If anyone goes out of his house, accompanies bier and prays over it.... He then mentioned the rest of the tradition as narrated by Sufyan. Thereupon Ibn 'Umar sent someone to 'Aishah (asking her about it). She replied: Abu Hurairah spoke the truth.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3170
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: If any Muslim dies and forty men associate nothing with Allah stand over his bier. Allah will accept them as intercessors for him.

Chapter 46: Carrying Fire With The Janazah

Sunan Abi Dawud 3171
Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Prophet (said) said: A bier should not be followed by a loud voice (of wailing) or fire.

Abu Dawud said: Harun (one of the narrators) added: "And it should not be preceded (with those) either."

Chapter 47: Standing Up For A Funeral

Sunan Abi Dawud 3172
Narrated 'Amir b. Rabi'ah

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: When you see a funeral, stand up for it till it leaves you behind or it is placed (on the ground).

Sunan Abi Dawud 3173
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al Khudri

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by al-Thawri (i.e. Sufyan) from Suhail, from his father on the authority of Abu Hurairah. This version has: until it (the bier) is placed on the ground. It has also been narrated by Abu Mu'wiyah from Suhail. This has: Until it is placed in the grave.

Abu Dawud said: Sufyan's version is more guarded than that of Abu Mu'awiyah.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3174
Narrated Jabir

We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) when a funeral passed hi and he stood up for it. When we went to carry it, we found that it was a funeral of a Jew. We, therefore said: Messenger of Allah, this is the funeral of a Jew. He said: Death is fearful event, so when you see a funeral, stand up.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3175
Narrated 'Ali bin Abi Talib

The Prophet (ﷺ) stood up for a funeral (to show respect) and thereafter he sat down.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3176
Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to stand up for a funeral until the corpse was placed in the grave. A learned Jew (once) passed him and said: This is how we do. The Prophet (ﷺ) sat down and said: Sit down and act differently from them.

Chapter 48: Riding During A Funeral

Sunan Abi Dawud 3177
Narrated Thawban

An animal was brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was going with a funeral. He refused to ride on it. When the funeral was away, the animal was brought to him and he rode on it. He was asked about it. He said: The angels were on their feet. I was not to ride while they were walking. When they went away, I rode.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3178
Narrated Jabir b. Samurah

The Prophet (ﷺ) offered funeral prayer over Ibn al-Dahdah while we were present. He was then brought a horse, and it was tied until he rode it. It then began to gallop and we were running around it.

Chapter 49: Walking In Front Of The Janazah

Sunan Abi Dawud 3179
Salim reported on the authority of his father

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr and Umar walking before the funeral.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3180
Narrated Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah

(I think that the people of Ziyad informed me that he reported on the authority of the Prophet (ﷺ): A rider should go behind the bier, and those on foot should walk behind it, in front of it, on its right and on its left keeping near it. Prayer should be offered over an abortion and forgiveness and mercy supplicated for its parents.

Chapter 50: Hastening With The Janazah

Sunan Abi Dawud 3181
Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: Walk quickly with a funeral, for if the dead person was good it is a good condition to which you are sending him on, but it he was otherwise it is an evil of which you are riding yourselves.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3182
Uyaynah ibn AbdurRahman reported on the authority of his father that he attended the funeral of Uthman ibn Abul'As. He said

We were walking slowly. AbuBakrah then joined us and he raised his flog at us and said: You have seen us when we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We were walking quickly.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3183
Uyaynah also reported the aforementioned tradition (No. 3176) through a different chain of transmitters. This version goes

We attended the funeral of AbdurRahman ibn Samurah and he said: He (AbuBakrah) made his mule run quickly and pointed with the flog.

Sunan Abi Dawud 3184
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

We asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about walking with the funeral. He replied: Not running (but walking quickly). If he (the dead person) was good, send him to it quickly; if he was otherwise, keep away the people of Hell. The bier should be followed and should not follow. Those who go in front of it are not accompanying it.

Abu Dawud said: The narrator Yahya b. 'Abd Allah is weak. He is Yahya al-Jabir

Abu Dawud said: This is from Kufah, and Abu Majidah is from Basrah.

Abu Dawud said: Abu Majidah is obscure.

Chapter 51: The Ruler Should Not Perform The Funeral Prayer For One Who Killed Himself

Sunan Abi Dawud 3185
Narrated Jabir ibn Samurah

A man fell ill and a cry was raised (for his death). So his neighbour came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said to him: He has died. He asked: Who told you? He said: I have seen him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He has not died. He then returned.

A cry was again raised (for his death). He came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: He has died. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He has not died. He then returned.

A cry was again raised over him. His wife said: Go to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and inform him. The man said: O Allah, curse him.

He said: The man then went and saw that he had killed himself with an arrowhead. So he went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him that he had died.

He asked: Who told you? He replied: I myself saw that he had killed himself with arrowheads. He asked: Have you seen him? He replied: Yes. He then said: Then I shall not pray over him.

Chapter 52: Funeral Prayer For The One Who Was Executed As A Legal Punishment

Sunan Abi Dawud 3186
Narrated AbuBarzah al-Aslami

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pray over Ma'iz ibn Malik, and he did not prohibit to pray over him.

Chapter 53: Funeral Prayer For A Child

Sunan Abi Dawud 3187
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet (ﷺ), died when he was eighteen months old. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not pray over him.