What Should Be Done If One Recites Takbirs More Or Less Than The Required Number In The Funeral Prayer?

What should be done if one recites takbirs more or less than the required number in the funeral prayer?

Funeral prayer is a prayer without ruku and prostration; its pillars are qiyam and takbir. There are four takbirs in funeral prayer including takbir al-iftitah. Giving salam is wajib. Its sunnah acts are: offering praise and thanks to Allah, salat and salam to Prophet Muhammad (saw), and making dua both for the deceased person and Muslims.

If the imam recites more than four takbirs, the congregation should not follow him and wait for him to give salam in order to give salam with him. But if the imam recites less takbir than needed out of forgetfulness and gives salam, prayer will not be valid as the imam’s prayer is invalidated, even if the congregation recites the fourth takbir on its own. In this situation, the prayer needs to be established again.

In the event that the prayer is performed with less takbirs than the required but it is understood after the burial of the corpse, the prayer is established by the grave again if the person is not buried a long time ago (Kasani, Bada’i, I, 313-315).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA