Who leads the prayer when multiple funerals are present and their guardians dispute leadership?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Funerals

Book 7 · Issue 1 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

When the guardians of multiple deceased individuals dispute who should lead the funeral prayer, the guardian whose deceased merits the imam who is the foremost in leading obligatory prayers shall be prioritized. Alternatively, the one whose deceased preceded the others in death is given precedence, according to Al-Qadi. The justification for prioritizing the guardian of the deceased whose designated imam is foremost in obligatory prayers is based on the principle that the guardians are equal in standing, similar to when guardians are of equal rank, coupled with the Prophet's saying: "The one most learned in the Book of Allah shall lead the people in prayer." It is permissible for each guardian to pray separately for their own deceased.