Carrying the bier to the grave
How the bier is carried, who may walk where in the procession, and why women do not take part in it.
Carrying the body to the graveyard is itself a good deed, and it is the Prophet's way (a Sunnah) to do it in a particular manner.
Carrying the body to be buried is an act of worship and a Sunnah.
How the bier is carried
- The body is laid on a bier (a simple stretcher-like cot), and four people carry it, one at each corner.
- It is recommended that each carrier take a turn at all four corners, walking at least ten steps at each one: ten at the front-right, ten at the right side, ten at the left side, and ten at the back-left, forty steps in all.
- The head of the person who has died is kept at the front while walking.
- It is good to walk quite briskly, but not so fast that the body wobbles or is jostled.
Carrying the deceased to the burial site is itself an act of worship, and its method is a Sunnah with its own etiquette.
Carrying the body to the burial site is an act of worship and a Sunnah.
The recommended method
- The body is laid on a bier or cot, and four people carry it, each holding one corner, lifting by the edges with the cloth or poles resting on their shoulders.
- Carriers take turns in succession, four at a time.
- It is preferred that each carrier take a turn at all four corners, walking at least ten steps at each: beginning at the right side of the head, then the right side, then the left side, then the left corner at the foot, forty steps in total.
- The head of the deceased is kept at the front while walking.
- Walking briskly is recommended, short of a pace that unsettles or jostles the body.
Carrying the body on one's back, or on an animal, is disliked.
| Position | Ruling |
|---|---|
| On foot, behind the bier | Recommended |
| Walking ahead | Permitted, but disliked if too far ahead, or if everyone does it |
| Riding ahead of the bier | Disliked |
| Riding behind the bier | Permitted |
| Walking alongside, at the sides | Not recommended |
Women are not permitted to accompany the funeral procession.
Carrying the bier (janāzah, in the sense of the bier itself here) is an act of worship in its own right, with an etiquette that is sunnah rather than obligatory, alongside one clear prohibition.
Carrying the body to the burial site is an act of worship and a Sunnah.
The recommended method
- The body is laid on a bier, and four people carry it, each at one corner, lifting by the edges, the cloth or poles resting on their shoulders; carriers succeed one another in groups of four.
- It is preferred that each carrier take a turn at all four corners in sequence, walking at least ten steps at each: the right corner of the head, then the right side, then the left side, then the left corner of the bier, forty steps altogether.
- The head of the deceased is kept foremost while walking.
- A brisk pace is recommended, short of one that unsettles or jostles the body.
Carrying the body on one's back, or on the back of an animal, is disliked (makrūh).
| Position | Ruling |
|---|---|
| On foot, behind the bier | Recommended (mustaḥabb) |
| Walking ahead of the bier | Permitted; disliked where one walks far ahead, or where everyone walks ahead rather than behind |
| Riding ahead of the bier | Disliked (makrūh) |
| Riding behind the bier | Permitted |
| Walking alongside, at either side | Not recommended |
Women are not permitted to accompany the funeral procession.
Related
- Miscellaneous rules of death and burial Seeing the deceased's face, a spouse's rights, handling a non-Muslim relative's body, visiting graves, and how long mourning lasts.
- The funeral prayer: ruling and conditions Why the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is fard kifayah, its conditions, who has the right to lead it, and when it may not be prayed.
- The grave and burial How a grave is dug and shaped, how the body is lowered facing the qiblah, who may enter the grave, and what is said while filling it.
- Immediately after death The first practical things to do for the body right after death, before the ghusl: positioning, closing the eyes, and what to avoid.