Prayer of Burial Night

From Death to Resurection

Simultaneous Events with Death Ihtidar Soul-taking Hardships of the Death

Obligations towards the Dead Ghusl of the Dead Hanut Shroud Funeral Procession Funeral Prayer Burial Talqin Prayer of Burial Night Ghusl for Touching the Dead

After Burying in the Grave Burial Night Questions in the Grave Punishment in the Grave Pressure of the Grave Barzakh Life in Barzakh Body in Barzakh

Resurrection Resurrection Blowing the Trumpet Judgment day/Day of Separation/Hereafter/Day of Encounter Stations of Qiyama Mizan Embodiment of Actions Shafa'a (Intercession) Al-Sirat Heaven or Hell Afterlife Bodies Eternity Others

Related Concepts 'Izra'il Record of Actions Raqib and 'Atid People of the Right Hand People of the Left Hand Visiting Graves Tawassul to the Dead Idda of Death Al-A'wad

Ṣalāt Laylat al-Dafn (Arabic:صَلاة لیلة الدّفن) (the Burial Night Prayer) or Ṣalāt al-Hadīyya (Arabic:صَلاة الهَدیّة) (the Gift Prayer) or Ṣalāt al-Waḥsha (Arabic:صَلاة الوَحشَة) (the Loneliness or Alienation Prayer) is one of the recommended prayers, which is performed for a dead person at his/her first night after the burial. The best time for performing this prayer is after 'Isha' Prayer.

Names

This prayer is called Salat Laylat al-Dafn (the Burial Night Prayer) or Salat al-Hadiyya (the Gift Prayer) or Salat al-Wahsha (the Loneliness or Alienation Prayer).

How to Perform

According to jurisprudential sources, there are two ways of performing this prayer:

1. In the first rak'a after the Qur'an 1, recite the Qur'an 112 twice and in the second rak'a after the Qur'an 1, recite the Qur'an 102 ten times and after the Salam of the prayer say: Allahumm-a sall-i 'Ala Muhammad-in wa Al-i Muhammad, wa b'ath thawab-a-ha ila qabr-i (mention the name of the deceased person). (O, Allah salute Muhammad (s) and his household (a), and send the reward of this [prayer] to the grave of (the name of the deceased person).
2. In the first rak'a after the QUr'an 1, recite Ayat al-Kursi (the verse of the Chair, 2:255) and in the second rak'a after the Qur'an 1, recite the Qur'an 97 ten times and after the Salam of the prayer say: Allahumm-a sall-i 'ala Muhammad-in wa al-i Muhammad, wa b'ath thawab-a-ha ila qabr-i (mention the name of the deceased person.) (O, Allah salute Muhammad (s) and his household (a), and send the reward of this [prayer] to the grave of (the name of the deceased person).

Rulings

• It is better to perform the prayer in both ways.
• The prayer could be performed anytime from Maghrib (a time just after sunset) to morning of the first night after burial, but it is better to be performed at early night after Isha' prayer.
• The prayer must be performed at the first night after burial, so if the burial is postponed, performing the prayer should be postponed as well.
• One can perform this prayer for several times, for the same deceased.
• If the prayer was performed in a different way than the above-mentioned ways unintentionally, it must be repeated, even if the mistake was forgetting to recite one Sura al-Qadr.
• Hiring people and to receive money to performe Salat al-Wahsha is permissible, but the precaution is that the money should be given as present or gift to the performer of the prayer and the performer should perform the Salat without the intention of taking money.

Reward

About the reward of this prayer, Prophet Muhammad (s) said:

No time passes on the deceased more difficult than the first night in grave. So have pity on your dead ones and give alms in their behalf and if you cannot, perform two rak'as of prayer for them. On that moment God will send to his grave thousand angels, each of whom carries an outfit [for the deceased], and broaden the narrowness of the grave till the day of Blowing the Trumpet and give the performer of the prayer as many good [deeds] as the things the Sun shines upon and raise him 40 levels.

Effect

In his book Dar al-Salam ,Muhaddith al-Nuri narrated form his teacher Mulla Fath 'Ali Sultan Abadi that Salat al-Wahsha is effective in removal of the punishment and pressure of the grave from the deceased.