Recommended Acts of the Ṣalāt Al-Mayyit
Issue No.573- It is recommended that a person who offers the prayer for the dead individual, performs ghusl, wuḍū or tayammum. And, as a recommended precaution, one can only perform tayammum when it is not possible for him to do ghusl or wuḍū, or he fears that if he goes for ghusl or wuḍū he will miss the prayer. In addition to this, it is recommended to observe the following points in the prayer for the dead individual seeking the reward of almighty Allah (swt):1- If the deceased is a male, the imam or a person who is offering the prayer alone should stand before the middle part of the dead body and if the deceased is female, he should stand before the chest of the dead body.2- To pray barefooted.3- To raise one’s hands (up to the ears) while pronouncing every takbīr.4- The distance between the person performing prayer and the dead body should be so short in a way that, when the wind blows, his clothes would reach the body. 5- In congregational prayer, the imam should recite the takbīrs and the supplications loudly and others participating in the prayer should recite them in a low voice.6- The prayer-performer should persistently pray for the dead body as well as for all the believers.7- Saying the word “al-ṣalāh” three times before prayer.8- The prayer to be at a place where more people would go for the prayer for the dead individual.9- It is better not to perform the prayer for the dead individual in mosques, except in Masjid Al-haram.10- If a ḥā’iḍ (woman in her menses) participates in the congregational prayer, she should stand alone and not join the lines.
