Earn a Massive Reward -- Participating in a Muslim Funeral Prayer and Procession

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Participation in a Muslim’s funeral procession and prayer for him brings a Muslim a great reward, regardless if you know the deceased/family or not – like the massiveness of a big mountain. And if he stays beside the grave till the burial takes place, the reward will become two-fold, that is, equaling the massiveness of two huge mountains.

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: He was sitting with ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) when Khabbaab (mar Allah be pleased with him) came and said: “O ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar, have you not heard what Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) is saying? (He says) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) say, ‘Whoever goes out with a funeral from the house (of the deceased) until he offers the funeral prayer, then he goes with it until (the deceased) is buried will have two qiraats of reward, each of which is like (Mount) Uhud. And whoever offers the funeral prayer then leaves will have reward like Uhud.’” Ibn ‘Umar sent Khabbaab to Aisha (mat Allah be pleased with her) to ask her about what Abu Hurayrah had said, then come back and tell him what she said. Ibn ‘Umar picked up a handful of pebbles from the masjid and turned them over in his hand until his messenger came back and said: “ Aisha said: Abu Hurayrah is speaking the truth.” Ibn ‘Umar threw the pebbles in his hand onto the floor and said: “We have missed out on many qiraats.”

A qiraat is a large amount of reward, which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) likened to the mountain of Uhud.

There are five categories of attending funerals:

1 – Attending from the time the deceased is brought out of his house, until the funeral prayer is offered for him and the burial is finished. This is the most complete category, for which there are two huge qiraats of reward.

2 – Attending from the time the deceased is brought out of his house, until the funeral prayer is offered for him. This brings one qiraat of reward.

3 – Offering the funeral prayer for him, even if one did not come with the deceased from the time he was brought out of his house. This brings one qiraat according to the view favored by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, but it is less than the reward of one who attended from time the deceased was brought out of his house, until the funeral prayer is offered for him.

4 – Attending the burial only, without offering the funeral prayer. The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that there is no qiraat in this case, but a person will be rewarded in accordance with his actions.

5 – Following the funeral procession for a while, then leaving, without attending the prayer or the burial. There is the hope that a person will be rewarded in accordance with his intention in this case.

اللهم اغفر لى ولوالدى وللمؤمنين والمؤمنات والمسلمين والمسلمات الاحياء منهم والاموات

O Allah, forgive me and my parents and the believing men and the believing women, the living and from the dead.

ِAmeen

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone grants success.

Wassalaam