Madani Pearls In Relation To Funeral Salah

• So-and-so must be the Imām of my funeral Ṣalāĥ’ the Shar’ī ruling about such a will

The deceased person had made a will that his funeral Ṣalāĥ should be led by so-and-so Imām or so-and-so would give him the ritual bath. This will is Bāṭil, i.e., this will is not going to waive the right of his Walī (the guardian of the deceased person). Indeed, the guardian has the authority not to lead the funeral Ṣalāĥ himself as Imām and allow the designated person to lead the funeral Ṣalāĥ. 

Reference:

• Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 837; 
• Ālamgīrī, vol. 1 pp. 163, etc.

If the will is for a pious person or an Islamic scholar, the heirs should then act upon it.

• The Imām should stand before the chest of the corpse

It is Mustaḥab (preferable) for the Imām to stand in front of the chest of the corpse; he should not be far whether the corpse is of a male or a female, an adult or a minor. This is valid when there is only one corpse for the funeral Ṣalāĥ and if there are more than one, then the Imām should stand near in front of the chest of one corpse. 

Reference:

(Durr-e-Mukhtār, Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp. 134)

• What if burial occurs without offering funeral Ṣalāĥ?

If the dead body is buried and even the handful of earth is thrown, now the funeral Ṣalāĥ should be offered in front of his/her grave till the dead body is not likely to be decayed, if the soil is yet to be given, then the dead body should be taken out for funeral Ṣalāĥ and buried again. There is no specific number of days for offering the funeral Ṣalāĥ in front of the grave. The variation in duration depends on various factors, such as weather, type of soil, type/condition of the dead body and its disease. The body decays quickly in summer and in winter it takes longer, quickly in wet or salty soil, and slowly in dried or unsalted soil. Similarly an obese body decays faster than the skinny one. 

Reference:

(Durr-e-Mukhtār, Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp.134)

• Funeral Ṣalāĥ of someone buried under the rubble

If a person died after falling into a well, or a house/building collapsed on him and the body cannot be recovered, his funeral Ṣalāĥ should be offered at the same place where he was deemed to be and if one is drowned in a river and his body could not be recovered then his funeral Ṣalāĥ cannot be offered as it is unknown whether the Muṣallī (Ṣalāĥ offering person is in front of him (the dead body) or not. 

Reference:

(Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp. 147)

• Delaying the funeral Ṣalāĥ, to increase attendees

If a person dies on the day of Jumu’aĥ, his funeral procession should be finished before Ṣalāt-ul-Jumu’aĥ if it is possible to do so. Delaying the funeral Ṣalāĥ just to have more participants after Jumu’aĥ is Makrūĥ.

Reference:

• (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 830; Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp. 173, etc.)