The Dead Bodies of Men, Women, Children and Slaves (For such Ahadith about an act or issue of the five categories of deeds of the quality of Wujub (Obligatory), Hurmat (Prohibited), Istihbab (Preference), Kirahat (Detestability) or Ibahah (Permissibility) one must consult fatwas of one’s Mujtahid.)

“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about performing Salah (prayer) for the dead bodies of men and women. He (the Imam) said, ’The dead bodies of men are placed near men and those of women behind the (dead) men.”’

“I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of one who performs Salah (prayer) for one or two or three dead bodies, how is he to perform them. He (the Imam) said, ‘If there are three or two or ten or less or more, he performs one Salah (prayer) with five Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) just as it is done for one deceased, and in so doing one has performed Salah (prayer) for all of them. The body of one deceased man is placed on the ground, the other is placed parallel to the hips of the first one and the head of the third is placed parallel to the hips of the second one similar to a ladder, until all of them are in place. When this is done, he then stands up in the middle and says five Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) doing what is done for one deceased person.’ It then was asked, ‘How Salah (prayer) is performed if there are the dead bodies of both men and women. He (the Imam) said, ‘First, the bodies of men are arranged by placing the head of the second dead body parallel to the hips of the first one. When all the bodies of men are arranged in this way, then the head of the dead body of the first woman is placed parallel to the hips of the dead body of the last man, then the head of the other woman parallel to the hips of the first woman until all of them are arranged in this way. Then he stands in the middle, the middle of men, says Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) and performs Salah (prayer) for them just as performing Salah (prayer) for one deceased person.’ He (the Imam) was asked about the case of a dead body that was found after Salah (prayer) with his head in place of his leg. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is corrected and Salah (prayer) is performed again, even if the body is carried away but is not buried yet. Once the body is buried, time of Salah (prayer) is passed, and Salah (prayer) is not performed after burial.’”

“When abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), performed Salah (prayer) for a deceased man and a deceased woman, he (the Imam) would set forward woman, then the man. In the case of a slave and a free person, he (the Imam) would set forward the slave, then the free: and in the case of grown up and a minor, he set forward the minor then the grown up.”

“I once asked one of the two Imam, (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about the case of deceased men and women as to how Salah (prayer) is performed for them. He (the Imam) said, ‘Men are placed before women from the side of the Imam in a queue one after the other.’”

“About the case of the dead bodies of men, children and women, abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Women are placed first from the direction of al-Qiblah (al-Ka‘bah). Then the children, and then men are placed, and the Imam stands next to the dead bodied of men.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of the dead bodies of men and women collected together. He (the Imam) said, ‘The dead bodied of men are placed first, according to the book of Ali (a.s.).’”