When Someone Passes Away: A Hanafi Guide for the Family
What to do in the first hours, how the ghusl, kafan, Janazah and burial are done, and what comes after, in one calm, printable guide.
Updated 25 October 2026
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About 15 minutes to readtime it takesWhen someone we love passes away, the family has to act quickly while grieving. This guide sets out, in order, what Islam asks of us: what to say and do in the first hours, how the body is washed and shrouded, how the Janazah prayer is prayed, how the burial is done, and how to look after the family and the deceased's affairs in the days that follow. It follows the Hanafi school, with every du'a in Arabic copied from the Qur'an and hadith, with transliteration and meaning. Keep a copy at home: it is the guide no one looks for until the day they need it.
Step by step
- 1The first hours: the kalimah, closing the eyes, and caring for the body
- 2Ghusl of the deceased, step by step
- 3The kafan: three pieces for men, five for women
- 4Salat al-Janazah: the four takbirs with their du'as
- 5Burial: lowering the body and the three handfuls of soil
- 6After the burial: ta'ziyah, mourning, debts and inheritance
Paperwork in India
Get the doctor's death certificate from the hospital or family doctor; the qabristan committee usually asks for it before the burial. Then register the death with your municipal office within 21 days to get the official death certificate, which you will need for bank accounts, property and pensions.
How to use it
Print it and keep it where the family can find it. On the day, page 1 tells you what to do first. Pass pages 2 and 3 to whoever is arranging the ghusl and kafan, and keep page 4 for those praying the Janazah.
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Frequently asked questions
What should we say when someone dies?
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (We belong to Allah and to Him we return), and the du'a Allahumma'jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha, both given in the guide.
Who should wash the body?
Men wash men and women wash women. A wife may wash her husband. In the Hanafi school a husband does not wash his wife's body; women of the family do it.
How many pieces of cloth are in the kafan?
The sunnah kafan has three pieces for a man (lifafah, izar and qamis) and five for a woman (adding the orhni and sinaband).
Can the burial be delayed for relatives to arrive?
The Prophet ﷺ told us to hurry with the funeral, so the burial should not be delayed except for a short wait.
Is this a fatwa?
No. It follows the general Hanafi rulings. For anything unusual, ask a mufti.
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