Question:
Mufti Waseem Khan!
Assalamualaikum
Mufti Sahib kindly guide me as to whether in Hanafite Maslak can Muslims say the Nimaz e janaza of more than one person simultaneously? Suppose one makes a niyyah of one person’s (dead) nimaz e janaza, not making niyyah of the other dead bodies’ nimaz e jannaza, is his nimaz for the rest of the dead persons valid? Kindly guide me. If collective nimaz e janaza is allowed, then how should we make niyyah if the dead bodies include children, and adults because we have different words of Salat for both adults and children?
Answer:
Wa Alaikum as Salaam,
The best is that the Janaza of each be performed separately, but it is also permissible in the Hanafi Mazhab to perform the Salaah (of Janaza) of more than one person at one and the same time. One should make niyyah for all the bodies. However, if he made the niyyah for one person in a general manner, like he said ‘I intend to perform Janaza for the deceased’, or this is what he had in his heart, then his salaah of Janazah for everyone will be valid. Niyyah is the act of the heart, and as soon as a person sees that there are a few bodies before him, he knows immediately that the Janaza he is going to perform will be for all the bodies, and this is sufficient.
While performing one Janaza for all the bodies, the Imam should have the intention in his heart that he is performing the Janaza for the bodies, males and females, adults and children. Then with respect to the duas, the Imam should recite the dua of the adults first and then that of the children (Fatawa Mahmoodiya vol. 8 pg.586; Kitabul Fatawa vol.3 pg.179; Fatawa Haqqaniya vol.3 pg.440; Raddul Muhtaar vol.2 pgs.218,219).
And Allah knows best,
Mufti Waseem Khan
2/1/2013