اَللَّهُمَّ اْجْعَلَهُ لَنَا فَرَطَاً اَللَّهُمَّ اْجْعَلَهُ لَنَا اَجْرَاً وَذُخْراً اَللَّهُمَّ اْجْعَلَهُ لَنَا شَافِعَاً مُشَفْعَاً

“Allahumma-j-alhu lana faratan wa j’alhu lana dhukhra, wa j’alhu lana shafi’ an wa mushaffa’a.”

“O God! Make him (or her) our fore-runner, and make him for us a reward and a treasure, and make him for us a pleader, and accept his pleading.”

The whole funeral prayer is offered in the standing position Whenever a funeral procession passes by, be it of a Muslim or otherwise, every Muslim should stand out of respect for the dead.

The grave should be built and marked in a simple way. The dead body should be covered with white cotton sheets of standard material. Any extravagance in building the grave or dressing up the body in fine suits or the like is non-Islamic. It is false vanity and a waste of assets that can be used in many useful ways.

The custom of some Muslims of offering a big and costly banquet upon burial of the deceased is also non-Islamic and an irresponsible waste of money and effort that can be of infinite benefit If used otherwise

General Remarks on Prayer

As already pointed out, the Muslim’s mind should always be occupied with the remembrance of God and his tongue be busied with utterances of praise and glory of Him. Besides the above mentioned forms of prayer, there are many other occasions where prayer is strongly recommended by Prophet Muhammad. Such occasions are like these:

1. The time of excessive rain;

2. The time of drought and shortage of rain;

3. The time of moon or sun’s eclipse.

In times like these the Muslim is advised to pray as many units and as long as he wishes.

There are other times where he utters certain expressions without resorting to the prescribed form of ordinary prayers. In such utterances he expresses gratitude God and appreciation of His favors, hope in Him and reliance upon His aid, remembrance of Him and prayer for His mercy. Among these times are: