Sunan Ibn Majah
Chapters Regarding Funerals
كتاب الجنائز
Chapter 21
مَا جَاءَ فِي أَيْنَ يَقُومُ الإِمَامُ إِذَا صَلَّى عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Abu Usamah narrated to us; al-Husayn ibn Dhakwan told me, from Abdullah ibn Buraydah al-Aslami, from Samurah ibn Jundub al-Fazari: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for a woman who had died during postpartum bleeding, and he stood at the level of her middle.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The phrase في نفاسها refers to the woman dying during the postpartum bleeding period; the report places the Prophet beside the middle of her body.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Nasr ibn Ali al-Jahdami narrated to us; Sa‘id ibn Amir narrated to us, from Hammam, from Abu Ghalib, who said: ‘I saw Anas ibn Malik perform the funeral prayer for a man, standing level with his head. Then another funeral was brought, for a woman, and they said, “Abu Hamzah, perform the prayer for her.” He stood level with the middle of the bier. Al-Ala’ ibn Ziyad said to him, “Abu Hamzah, is this how you saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stand in relation to a man and a woman, as you have stood?” He said, “Yes.” Then he turned to us and said, “Remember this.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report contrasts Anas’s position at a man’s head and at a woman’s middle, and preserves the question, confirmation, and instruction to remember.
Chapter 22
مَا جَاءَ فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Mani narrated to us; Zayd ibn al-Hubab narrated to us; Ibrahim ibn Uthman narrated to us, from al-Hakam, from Miqsam, from Ibn Abbas: ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the Opening of the Book [Surah al-Fatihah] in the funeral prayer.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source says the Prophet recited the Opening of the Book during the funeral prayer.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Amr ibn Abi Asim al-Nabil and Ibrahim ibn al-Mustamir narrated to us; they said: Abu Asim narrated to us; Hammad ibn Ja‘far al-Abdi narrated to us; Shahr ibn Hawshab narrated to me; Umm Sharik al-Ansariyyah narrated to me, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to recite the Opening of the Book [Surah al-Fatihah] in the funeral prayer.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The full chain and the command to recite the Opening of the Book are included.
Chapter 23
مَا جَاءَ فِي الدُّعَاءِ فِي الصَّلاَةِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Ubayd Muhammad ibn Ubayd ibn Maymun al-Madani narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Harrani narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith al-Taymi, from Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘When you perform the prayer over the deceased, make your supplication for him sincere.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Suwayd ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; Ali ibn Mushir narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer, he would say: “O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whoever among us You keep alive, let him live in Islam; and whoever among us You cause to die, let him die in faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, and do not let us stray after him.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The supplication’s paired categories and repeated requests are all preserved.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim al-Dimashqi narrated to us; al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us; Marwan ibn Janah narrated to us; Yunus ibn Maysarah ibn Halbas narrated to me, from Wathilah ibn al-Asqa‘, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for a Muslim man, and I heard him say: “O Allah, so-and-so son of so-and-so is under Your covenant and protection. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire. You are worthy of fulfilling promises and are the Truth. So forgive him and have mercy on him; surely You are the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The placeholders ‘so-and-so son of so-and-so’ are present in the Arabic and are retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Yahya ibn Hakim narrated to us; Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi narrated to us; Faraj ibn al-Fadalah narrated to us; Ismah ibn Rashid narrated to me, from Habib ibn Ubayd, from Awf ibn Malik, who said: ‘I attended when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for a man from the Ansar, and I heard him say: “O Allah, bless him, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being, pardon him, and wash him with water, snow, and hail. Cleanse him of sins and misdeeds as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Give him a home better than his home and a family better than his family. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire.”’ Awf said: ‘At that moment, I found myself wishing I could be in that man’s place.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
All clauses of the supplication and Awf’s closing reaction are included. The washing with water, snow, and hail is translated as part of the supplication’s imagery.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abdullah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, from Hajjaj, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar gave us leeway in nothing as they did concerning the funeral prayer.’ That is, they did not set a fixed limit.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source’s concluding gloss is ‘they did not specify a fixed limit’; the wording does not state here whether this concerns a fixed number or another limit.
Chapter 24
مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّكْبِيرِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ أَرْبَعًا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ya‘qub ibn Humayd ibn Kasib narrated to us; al-Mughirah ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us; Khalid ibn Ilyas narrated to us, from Isma‘il ibn Amr ibn Sa‘id ibn al-As, from Uthman ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hakam ibn al-Harith, from Uthman ibn Affan: ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for Uthman ibn Maz‘un and said four takbirs over him.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source specifies four takbirs in the funeral prayer.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Abd al-Rahman al-Muharibi narrated to us; al-Hajari said: ‘I prayed with Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa al-Aslami, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), over a funeral for one of his daughters. He said four takbirs over her, then paused briefly after the fourth. I heard the people in the rows making tasbih to draw his attention. He said the salams, then asked, “Did you think I was going to say a fifth takbir?” They said, “We feared that.” He replied, “I was not going to do that. I heard the Messenger of Allah say four takbirs, then pause for a while and say whatever Allah willed him to say, then say the salams.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report distinguishes the brief pause after the fourth takbir from the greeting that followed, and preserves the companions’ concern that a fifth might be said.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Hisham al-Rifa‘i, Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah, and Abu Bakr ibn Khallad narrated to us; they said: Yahya ibn al-Yaman narrated to us, from al-Minhal ibn Khalifah, from Hajjaj, from Ata’, from Ibn Abbas: ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said four takbirs.’
Chapter 25
مَا جَاءَ فِيمَنْ كَبَّرَ خَمْسًا
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; Shu‘bah narrated to us. And Yahya ibn Hakim narrated to us; Ibn Abi Adi and Abu Dawud narrated to us, from Shu‘bah, from Amr ibn Murrah, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, who said: ‘Zayd ibn Arqam used to say four takbirs over our funerals, but once he said five takbirs over a funeral. I asked him about it, and he said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source preserves two transmission routes converging at Shu‘bah and distinguishes Zayd’s usual four takbirs from the occasion when he said five.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir al-Hizami narrated to us; Ibrahim ibn Ali al-Rafi‘i narrated to us, from Kathir ibn Abdullah, from his father, from his grandfather: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said five takbirs.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source gives five takbirs; it does not specify a particular funeral in this wording.
Chapter 26
مَا جَاءَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ عَلَى الطِّفْلِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; Rawh ibn Ubadah narrated to us; Sa‘id ibn Ubaydullah ibn Jubayr ibn Hayyah narrated to us and said: My paternal uncle, Ziyad ibn Jubayr, narrated to me; my father, Jubayr ibn Hayyah, narrated to me that he heard al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The funeral prayer should be performed for a child.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The chain includes both Ziyad ibn Jubayr and his brother Jubayr ibn Hayyah; both links are preserved.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; al-Rabi‘ ibn Badr narrated to us; Abu al-Zubayr narrated to us, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘If a child cries at birth, the funeral prayer should be performed for him and he may be inherited from.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source’s condition is استهل الصبي, literally that the child cried out at birth; the inheritance clause is retained without adding details.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us; al-Bukhturi ibn Ubayd narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Perform the funeral prayer for your children, for they are your forerunners.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source calls the children ‘your forerunners’; the parenthetical explanation in the English witness is not present in the Arabic and is not added.
Chapter 27
مَا جَاءَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ عَلَى ابْنِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَذِكْرِ وَفَاتِهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Bishr narrated to us; Isma‘il ibn Abi Khalid narrated to us and said: ‘I asked Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, “Did you see Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” He replied, “He died when he was young. Had it been decreed that there would be a prophet after Muhammad, his son would have lived. But there is no prophet after him.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The statement is conditional and explicitly affirms that there is no prophet after Muhammad; both points are retained.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abd al-Quddus ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Dawud ibn Shabib al-Bahili narrated to us; Ibrahim ibn Uthman narrated to us; al-Hakam ibn Utaybah narrated to us, from Miqsam, from Ibn Abbas, who said: ‘When Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), died, the Messenger of Allah performed the prayer over him and said: “He has a wet nurse in Paradise. If he had lived, he would have been a ṣiddiq and a prophet. If he had lived, his maternal uncles, the Copts, would have been set free and no Copt would have been enslaved.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Ṣiddiq is retained as a religious term meaning a profoundly truthful or righteous person; the source pairs it with ‘a prophet.’ The reference to the Copts and enslavement is translated as stated.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abdullah ibn Imran narrated to us; Abu Dawud narrated to us; Hisham ibn Abi al-Walid narrated to us, from his mother, from Fatimah bint al-Husayn, from her father al-Husayn ibn Ali, who said: ‘When al-Qasim, the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), died, Khadijah said, “Messenger of Allah, al-Qasim’s mother’s milk has come in. If only Allah had let him live until he was weaned.” The Messenger of Allah said, “His nursing will be completed in Paradise.” She said, “If I had known that, Messenger of Allah, it would have made this easier for me to bear.” The Messenger of Allah said, “If you wish, I will ask Allah Most High to let you hear his voice.” She replied, “Messenger of Allah, rather, I affirm the truth of Allah and His Messenger.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report uses breastfeeding imagery throughout: the milk coming in, completion of nursing in Paradise, and the mother wishing he had lived until weaning.