A man whose polytheist relative dies: does he attend him or not?

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When Abu Talib died, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, your misguided uncle has died. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and cover him (in the earth), and do not do anything until you come back to me." So I went and covered him, then I came back and there were traces of earth and dust on me. He (peace and blessings be upon him) made some supplications for me, which please me more than having all the things of the world.

Something similar is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: He ordered me to take a ritual bath (ghusl).

Al-Sha'bi said: Umm al-Harith bin Abi Rabi'ah, who was a Christian, died, and the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) attended her funeral.

Something similar is reported from Amir (al-Sha'bi).

Abu Wa'il said: My mother died, and she was a Christian. I came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him about it. He said: "Ride a mount and walk ahead of her."

Ata bin al-Sa'ib said: The mother of a man from Thaqif died, and she was a Christian. He asked Sayyiduna Ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) about it and said: I would like to attend her funeral but not follow behind it. He said: "Ride a mount and go ahead of her by a bowshot's distance (three to four hundred yards), for when you go ahead of her you are not counted as being with her."

Abdullah bin Shurayk said: I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) being asked by a man whose Christian mother had died whether he could go along with her funeral. He said: "He may go along with it, but he should walk ahead of her funeral."

Sa'id bin Jubayr said: A Christian man died, and he had a Muslim son who did not attend his funeral. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "It was proper for him to go along with his father's funeral, bury him, and seek forgiveness for him during his (the father's) lifetime."

Al-Sha'bi said: When Abu Talib died, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "Your disbelieving uncle has died; what is your view regarding him?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Wash him and bury him." And he ordered him (Ali) to take a ritual bath (afterwards).

Sa'id bin Jubayr said: A Christian man died, and his son handed him over to the people of his religion. When this was mentioned to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: "There would have been no harm on him if he had gone along with him, buried him, and sought forgiveness for him as long as he (the father) was alive." Then he recited this verse: "And Ibrahim's asking forgiveness for his father was not (except because of a promise he had made to him)" [al-Tawbah: 114].