Whose Funeral Salah Was Offered First By The Beloved Prophet صلی اللہ تعالی علیہ وسلم ?

The funeral Ṣalāĥ was first initiated in the era of Sayyidunā Ādam عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَعَـلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوةُ وَالسَّلَام, angels recited four ‘Takbīrāt’ in the blessed funeral prayer of Sayyidunā Ādam عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام In Islam, the order for the funeral Ṣalāĥ becoming mandatory (Wājib) was revealed in Madīnaĥ Munawwaraĥ زَادَھَـا الـلّٰـهُ شَـرَفًـا وَّ تَـعۡـظِیۡـمًا. Sayyidunā As’ad Bin Zurāraĥ رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ passed away at the end of the ninth month after Ḥijraĥ and he رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ was the first companion whose funeral Ṣalāĥ was performed by the Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.

(Derived from: Fatāwā Razawiyyaĥ - referenced, vol. 5, pp. 375-376)

What To Recite On Seeing A Funeral!

After the death of Sayyidunā Mālik Bin Anas رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُمَا, someone saw him in a dream and asked, ‘How did Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ treat you?’ He رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ replied, ‘I was blessed with forgiveness just because of a sentence which Sayyidunā ‘Ušmān-e-Ghanī رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَنْهُ used to say on seeing a funeral: سُبۡحٰنَ الۡحَيِّ الَّذِيۡ لَا يَمُوۡتُ [Pure is He (from all defects/limitations) who is alive and will never die]. Hence, I also used to recite the same sentence on seeing a funeral; Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ forgave me because of reciting it.’ 

(Derived from: Iḥyā-ul-‘Ulūm, vol. 5, pp. 266)

Excellence Of Giving Ritual Bath To The Corpse

Sayyidunā ‘Alī-ul-Murtaḍā کَـرَّمَ الـلّٰـهُ تَـعَـالٰی وَجۡـھَـهُ الۡـکَـرِیۡم reported that the Noble Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘The one who gives bath to a deceased person, shrouds him, applies fragrance, lifts the bier, offers the Ṣalāĥ and hides the unpleasant thing that appears, he will be as cleansed of his sins as the day his mother gave birth to him.’ 

(Sunan Ibn Mājaĥ, vol. 2, pp. 201, Ḥadīš 1462)

The Funeral Salah Has Admonition

Sayyidunā Abū Żar Ghifārī رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَنْهُ narrated that the Beloved and Blessed Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to me, ‘Visit the graves, it will remind you of the Hereafter and bathe the deceased as touching the mortal body (dead body) is a great lesson and offer the funeral Ṣalāĥ so that it makes you sorrowful, for a sorrowful person is under the shadow of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and does pious deeds.’ 

(Al-Mustadrak lil-Ḥākim, vol. 1, pp. 711, Hadis 1435)

Sawab Equivalent To Mount Uhud

Sayyidunā Abū Ĥurayraĥ رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَنْهُ reports that the Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of the Ummaĥ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘The one who left home to accompany a funeral (considering it as a duty of believers and with the intention to earn Šawāb), offered the funeral Ṣalāĥ and accompanied the funeral till its burial, Šawāb of two Qīrāṭ is written for him. Each Qīrāṭ is equivalent to the mount Uḥud. There is one Qīrāṭ Šawāb for the person who returns after the funeral Ṣalāĥ (without participation in the burial).’ 

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, pp. 472, Ḥadīš 945)

The Funeral Of A Heavenly Person

The Greatest and Holiest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, ‘When a Heavenly person passes away, Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ feels shy (befitting His status) in punishing those who carried the bier of that person and those who followed the funeral procession and those who offered his funeral Ṣalāĥ.’ 

(Al-Firdaus bimā Šaur-ul-Khaṭṭāb, vol. 1, pp. 282)

Šawāb of accompanying the funeral

Sayyidunā Dāwūd عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَعَـلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوةُ وَالسَّلَام humbly asked Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, ‘Yā Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ! What is the Šawāb of accompanying the funeral merely for Your pleasure?’ Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ replied, ‘The day when he dies, the angels will accompany his funeral procession and I will forgive him.’ 

(Sharḥ-uṣ-Ṣudūr, pp. 97)

First Gift In The Grave

Someone asked the Prophet of Raḥmaĥ, the Intercessor of Ummaĥ, the Owner of Jannaĥ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, ‘What is the very first gift that is awarded to a true believer when he enters his grave?’ The Merciful Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم answered, ‘All the participants of his funeral Ṣalāĥ are forgiven.’

(Shu’ab-ul-Īmān, vol. 7, pp. 8, Ḥadīš 9257)