Funeral Prayer

Email with question:

Is the funeral prayer lawful and allowed by Allah? please send me the Quranic answer specifically with reference to 9:84, wasalaam.

Reply:

The Quranic command to observe the Salat for the sole reason of commemorating God is clear and unambiguous:

"I am God; there is no other god beside Me. You shall worship Me alone, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to commemorate Me alone" 20:14

"Say, "My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to God alone, the Lord of the universe." 6:162

Now let us first read 9:84

"And do not support "la tusalli ala" any one of them who died, nor shall you stand at his grave. They have disbelieved in God and His messenger, and died in a state of wickedness" 9:84

The word Al-Salaat is used in the Quran to mean the prayer, however every time the word Salaat is followed by the word ALA, and this case it always means "support". The words in 9:84 say "la tussalli ala" (do not support).

We can see the other examples in the Quran where the word ALA is used after the word salat and in every case it means support and not salat:

"God and His angels ‘Yu'salloon ala al-Nabi’ (support the prophet). O you believers you shall ‘Salloo alayhee’ (support him) and ‘Sallemoo tasleema’ (believe in him)." 33:56

Here God and the angels yussalloon ALA al-nabi. Obviously God does not conduct a prayer for the prophet! But God and the angels SUPPORT the prophet and in the same verse we are asked to do the same (support the prophet). This ayat has been corrupted by the traditional muslims and the result is that they go around uttering (sali ala al nabi) like parrots all day long not knowing what it really means!

The command in 33:56 was to support the prophet while he was alive, now he is dead we cannot support a dead man.

"He is the one who ‘Yu'salli alaikum’ (supports you) and His angels, to deliver you out of darkness into the light" 33:43

Once again in this ayat God supports the believers and not conduct a prayer for them.

The same meaning is found in:

"These (the believers) have deserved ‘Salawat’ (support) from their Lord and mercy, they are the guided ones." 2:157

and finally in:

"Take from their money a charity to purify them and sanctify them, and ‘Salli alaihum’ for your ‘Salawat’ reassures them. God is Hearer, Omniscient." 9:103

Once again the same meaning.