If you have just lost someone: the masjid will help you. Ring them and they will walk you through the washing, the shroud and the burial — most have people who do this regularly. What follows is so that you know what is coming and can take part rather than stand aside.
In the first hours
Close their eyes, and say the duʿā
Gently close the eyes and make the duʿā below. Cover the body with a clean sheet. There is no need to rush anyone out of the room — but the burial itself is not delayed in Islam.
Tell the family, and ring the masjid
The local masjid or an Islamic burial service will arrange the ghusl, the shroud, and a burial plot. In the UK most can register the death with you and handle the paperwork. Burial is normally within a day or two.
See to their debts quickly
The Prophet ﷺ said the soul of the believer is suspended by their debt until it is settled on their behalf. (Tirmidhī 1078) If the person owed money, settling it is a priority — before distributing anything they left.
Ghusl and kafan
The body is washed and wrapped in a plain white shroud. This is done by people of the same gender — a spouse may do it for their spouse. If you would like to take part, say so; you do not have to, and no one will think less of you if you cannot.
The janāzah prayer
Prayed over the body, usually at the masjid or the graveside. It is farḍ kifāyah — a duty on the community as a whole, discharged once enough people pray it. The sequence is below.
Burial
The body is placed in the grave on its right side, facing the Qibla. Those present help fill the grave. Afterwards, stand a moment and ask forgiveness for them — the Prophet ﷺ said: “Ask forgiveness for your brother and ask that he be made firm, for he is being questioned now.” (Abū Dāwūd 3221)
What to say
The funeral prayer, step by step
Four takbīrs, standing throughout. There is no rukūʿ and no sujūd, and everything is recited silently. It takes about two minutes. Stand in the rows behind the imam as you would for any prayer, make the intention, and follow him.
Raise your hands to your ears, say Allāhu Akbar, then fold your hands and recite the Thanāʾ — with the extra line wa jalla thanāʾuk.
Say Allāhu Akbar without raising your hands, then recite the Durūd — the same one you say in every prayer.
Say Allāhu Akbar, then make duʿā for the person. This is the heart of the prayer — the whole reason it is prayed.
Say Allāhu Akbar, pause briefly, then give the salām to the right and to the left. The prayer is complete.
A note on the schools: the sequence above is the Ḥanafī one, which is what the rest of this site follows. In the Shāfiʿī, Mālikī and Ḥanbalī schools, Sūrat al-Fātiḥah is recited after the first takbīr rather than the Thanāʾ, and the hands are raised at every takbīr. Both are well established — pray as your local masjid does.
Offering condolences
Say little. Sit with them. The Prophet ﷺ told the Companions when Jaʿfar was killed: “Prepare food for the family of Jaʿfar, for something has come upon them that preoccupies them.” (Abū Dāwūd 3132) Cooking for a grieving household is sunnah, and more use than most words.
What actually reaches them
Duʿā for them
The most direct thing, and the one the whole janāzah prayer is built around. Keep making it long after the funeral — it does not expire.
Ṣadaqah given on their behalf
A man told the Prophet ﷺ his mother had died suddenly and he thought she would have given in charity — “Would she be rewarded if I gave on her behalf?” He said: “Yes.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1388)
Debts, fasts and Ḥajj completed for them
Outstanding fasts may be made up on their behalf (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1952), and Ḥajj may be performed for someone who could not perform it themselves (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1513).
What they left behind
“When a person dies, their deeds come to an end except three: a continuing charity, knowledge that benefits others, and a righteous child who prays for them.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1631)