Question:
She asks about the number of salams in the funeral prayer (Janazah prayer). Some hadith mention giving two salams, while in Makkah the Janazah prayer is often concluded with only one salam. So she asks two things: which method is correct, and if the imam gives only one salam, can we follow him?
Answer:
There is a narration reported in Tabarani in which Ibn Mas‘ud mentions that the Prophetﷺ ﷺ used to perform certain practices that later people abandoned. Among those practices was giving salams in the Janazah prayer just like in regular prayers. Since regular prayers end with two salams—one to the right and one to the left—this narration suggests the same pattern for the funeral prayer.
However, there are also narrations mentioning a single salam. One such report states that the Prophetﷺ led a funeral prayer, said four takbirs, and ended with one salam. But this narration is considered weak because its chain includes unreliable narrators.
Another narration in Hakim mentions that companions reported the procedure of the Janazah prayer and stated that the imam gives one salam. The chain of this report is stronger, but the wording shows that it is the statement of companions rather than a direct statement from the Prophetﷺ . Because of that, some scholars accept it as evidence while others prefer narrations directly attributed to the Prophetﷺ .
This difference explains why some scholars say one salam is sufficient while others say two are preferable.
So, what should a person do if he prays behind an imam who gives only one salam? There is no problem. You may follow the imam, and after he finishes you may add another salam yourself. Since the second salam comes at the end anyway, it does not disturb the prayer.
