Salat - The Muslim Prayer Book — Page 100
100 S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book white cloth. The shroud for men consists of three pieces of cloth; a top sheet to cover the top part of the body, a bottom sheet to cover the lower part and a large sheet to cover the whole body from head to feet. For a female, however, two additional pieces of cloth are used, one for her chest and the other for her head. Islam instructs that one should arrange the burial with utmost simplicity. A martyr does not need either bathing or the shroud to wrap his body. He should be buried in the clothes he was wearing at the time of death. After bathing and wrapping the body in a shroud, the body should be carried on shoulders to the place where the Funeral Prayer is to be performed. The Funeral Prayer is held in the open or in a place built for that purpose called Jan a zah G a h. Those present for the funeral service should arrange themselves in rows behind the Im a m. The number of rows should be odd. The Im a m should occupy a position ahead of the first row and in the middle, with the body of the deceased resting in front of him. The position of the dead body should be such that the right side of the body should be towards the Ka‘bah. The Im a m commences the Prayer by saying All a hu Akbar , i. e. Allah is the Greatest, loudly. The followers say the same in a low tone. The Im a m then recites Than a ’ and S u rah Al-F a ti h ah silently. He then says All a hu Akbar without raising his hand. The followers say All a hu Akbar too, but in a low tone.