Can I Perform the Funeral Prayer without Wudu?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
Can I perform the funeral prayer without performing ritual ablutions?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
It is not permissible to pray the funeral prayer in a state of ritual impurity because, even though the funeral prayer is not a prayer per se (as it is supplications), it is nonetheless called “prayer” and thus purification is required for its validity. [Hashiyat At-Tahtawi ‘ala Maraqi Al-Falah]
Praying the funeral prayer without wudu
If:
(1) you are not in a state of ritual of purity,
(2) you are not designated to lead the funeral prayer,
(3) you fear that you won’t be able to catch at least one takbir of the funeral prayer were you to perform a proper ritual bath or ablutions,
then:
it is permissible for you to perform dry ablutions (tayammum) instead of ritual ablutions.
This applies also to the guardian of the deceased if he is not going to lead the prayer.
The reason for this ruling is that the funeral prayer if missed, cannot be made up. As for prayers that can be made up the fear of missing them will never be an excuse to perform dry ablutions.
As for the person appointed to lead the funeral prayer, there is no fear of him missing the funeral prayer. Thus he cannot pray the funeral prayer by performing dry ablutions only. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi Al-Falah; Hashiya At-Tahtawi ‘ala Maraqi Ala-Falah]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
