QUESTION:

What do the scholars of the Din and muftis of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: Can only women offer a janaza (funeral) prayer? Can they pray it along with men?

Questioner: Uthman from UK

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

Offering of the janaza prayer by women is permissible without any dislike, if men are not present. Offering the janaza prayer in congregation exclusively by women, is not makruh (disliked).

It is stated in Radd al-muhtar:

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ جَمَاعَتَهُنَّ لَا تُكْرَهُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْجِنَازَةِ لِأَنَّهَا فَرِيضَةٌ

Translation: “Know! Offering the janaza prayer in congregation exclusively by women, is not makruh, as the janaza prayer is fard (obligatory).” [Durr al-mukhtar ma’ radd al-muhtar, vol. 1, pg. 565]

The obligation is fulfilled even if one woman offers the janaza prayer alone.

It is stated in Bahar-e Shari’at: “If a woman leads a janaza prayer and a man follows her, then the prayer is not to be repeated. Even though men following women is not correct, the woman’s prayer is valid, which is sufficient. [Bahar-e Shari’at, vol. 1, part 4, pg. 826]

Women joining men in a congregation of the funeral prayer is absolutely disliked.

It is mentioned in Tanwir al-absar ma’ durr al-mukhtar:

وَيُكْرَهُ حُضُورُهُنَّ الْجَمَاعَةَمُطْلَقًا

Translation: “Women joining men in a congregational prayer is absolutely disliked.” [Tanwir al-absar ma’ durr al-mukhtar, vol. 1, pg. 566]

واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری

Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by the SeekersPath team

Read the original answer in Urdu here – [Q-ID0399] Can women offer the janaza prayer? Can they pray it along with men?

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