What Is the Main Dua for the Deceased?
The Main Dua for the Deceased
At the third Takbir, this is the dua to say. It is the wording narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), joined together from the two sound reports it comes down in:
How to Muslim
The Janazah (Funeral) prayer is a collective obligation and a final act of love and respect for a deceased Muslim. It is a unique prayer performed entirely while standing, with no bowing or prostration.
"Whoever attends a funeral until the prayer is offered will have one qirāṭ, and whoever attends until the burial is completed will have two qirāṭs."
It was said: "What are the two qirāṭs, O Messenger of Allah?"
He said: "Like two great mountains."
The Janazah prayer consists of four Takbirs (saying Allahu Akbar). There is no Rukū‘ (bowing) and no Sujūd (prostration). You remain standing for the entire duration.
Say the first Takbir (“Allahu Akbar”). Seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan, say Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, and recite Surah Al-Fatihah.
Say the second Takbir (“Allahu Akbar”). Send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) (the Ibrahimiyyah prayer), exactly as you do at the end of a regular prayer ("Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad...").
Say the third Takbir (“Allahu Akbar”). This is the core of the Janazah prayer. Make sincere Dua (supplication) specifically for the deceased person.
The duas below are worded for a male. Change the pronouns to match: lahā instead of lahu for a woman, and lahum for more than one person. The meaning is what counts, so if the endings escape you in the moment, say it in English.
Join straight away and follow the imam. Whatever Takbir he is on becomes the start of your prayer, and you make up the ones you missed after he says the Taslim, keeping each part brief.
Say the fourth Takbir (“Allahu Akbar”). Pause for a little while, then conclude the prayer by saying one Taslim to the right: “Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah.”
At the third Takbir, this is the dua to say. It is the wording narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), joined together from the two sound reports it comes down in:
If you have not memorised the long one yet, this shorter dua is a complete narrated supplication on its own. It is the opening portion of the dua on the previous tab:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said this when Abu Salamah died. It is not part of the funeral-prayer dua above, but it is said for the deceased and is worth knowing:
“And make his grave spacious for him, and grant him light in it.”Sahih Muslim 920 · narrated by Umm Salamah
Nothing specific is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a child, so you may supplicate however you are able. This is the wording scholars commonly recommend:
“O Allah, make him a stored treasure for his parents, and a preceding reward and an answered intercessor. O Allah, make their scales weigh heavily by means of his loss, increase their reward through him, join him with the righteous believers who have gone on before, place him in the care of Ibrahim, and protect him by Your mercy from the torment of Hell.”Not narrated from the Prophet ﷺ · a fiqh formula cited across Hanbali manuals, not a fixed hadith — wording varies slightly between sources, and scholars hold any similar supplication suffices
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Where to take this further.
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islamic-library.org · FreeResearch-driven answers to the doubts and questions Muslims actually have.
yaqeeninstitute.org · Free