سُوْرَةُ التَّوْبَةِ
Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 84
وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَىٰٓ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُم مَّاتَ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَىٰ قَبْرِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ ﴿84﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allâh and His Messenger, and died while they were Fâsiqûn (rebellious, - disobedient to Allâh and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And not
تُصَلِّ
tuṣalli
you pray
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
for
أَحَدٍۢ
aḥadin
any
مِّنْهُم
min'hum
of them
مَّاتَ
māta
who dies
أَبَدًۭا
abadan
ever
وَلَا
walā
and not
تَقُمْ
taqum
you stand
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
by
قَبْرِهِۦٓ ۖ
qabrihi
his grave
إِنَّهُمْ
innahum
Indeed, they
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieved
بِٱللَّهِ
bil-lahi
in Allah
وَرَسُولِهِۦ
warasūlihi
and His Messenger
وَمَاتُوا۟
wamātū
and died
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they were
فَـٰسِقُونَ
fāsiqūna
defiantly disobedient
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
84. And never offer the funeral prayer for any of them who dies, nor stand by his grave (to pray for him), for they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger [99], and died while they were defiantly disobedient.
[99]
Forgiveness is Futile for the Hypocrites:
This verse is connected to verse number 80 of this same surah. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the funeral prayer for Abdullah bin Ubayy, it was because, although the hypocrites were disbelievers at heart, the outward legal rulings applied to them just as they did to true believers. And it is clear from the above-mentioned hadith that, especially regarding performing the funeral prayer and seeking forgiveness, the opinion of Sayyiduna Umar was different from the Prophet's ﷺ opinion, to the extent that Sayyiduna Umar even argued with him, and Allah Almighty revealed a revelation in accordance with Sayyiduna Umar’s opinion. One reason for this was that the period of adopting a lenient policy towards the hypocrites had passed, and adopting a strict attitude towards them was exactly in accordance with the divine will. Incidentally, from these verses it is understood that seeking forgiveness on behalf of a sinner by the Prophet ﷺ can result in his forgiveness. But there is no way for the forgiveness of those with corrupt beliefs, no matter how many times the Prophet ﷺ seeks forgiveness for them.
The Funeral Prayer for the Hypocrites:
Accordingly, after this command, the Prophet ﷺ stopped performing the funeral prayer for the hypocrites or seeking forgiveness for them. However, after the Prophet's ﷺ life, it is a very difficult task to declare anyone a hypocrite, because only Allah knows the conditions of hearts. And Sayyiduna Umar ؓ in his time used to observe whether Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Yaman ؓ participated in the funeral prayer or not. If he participated, then he would also participate, and this meant that the deceased was a believer, not a hypocrite, because Sayyiduna Hudhayfah ؓ had been informed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the identity of the hypocrites, and he was the “keeper of the Prophet’s secrets.”
[99]
Forgiveness is Futile for the Hypocrites:
This verse is connected to verse number 80 of this same surah. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the funeral prayer for Abdullah bin Ubayy, it was because, although the hypocrites were disbelievers at heart, the outward legal rulings applied to them just as they did to true believers. And it is clear from the above-mentioned hadith that, especially regarding performing the funeral prayer and seeking forgiveness, the opinion of Sayyiduna Umar was different from the Prophet's ﷺ opinion, to the extent that Sayyiduna Umar even argued with him, and Allah Almighty revealed a revelation in accordance with Sayyiduna Umar’s opinion. One reason for this was that the period of adopting a lenient policy towards the hypocrites had passed, and adopting a strict attitude towards them was exactly in accordance with the divine will. Incidentally, from these verses it is understood that seeking forgiveness on behalf of a sinner by the Prophet ﷺ can result in his forgiveness. But there is no way for the forgiveness of those with corrupt beliefs, no matter how many times the Prophet ﷺ seeks forgiveness for them.
The Funeral Prayer for the Hypocrites:
Accordingly, after this command, the Prophet ﷺ stopped performing the funeral prayer for the hypocrites or seeking forgiveness for them. However, after the Prophet's ﷺ life, it is a very difficult task to declare anyone a hypocrite, because only Allah knows the conditions of hearts. And Sayyiduna Umar ؓ in his time used to observe whether Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Yaman ؓ participated in the funeral prayer or not. If he participated, then he would also participate, and this meant that the deceased was a believer, not a hypocrite, because Sayyiduna Hudhayfah ؓ had been informed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the identity of the hypocrites, and he was the “keeper of the Prophet’s secrets.”
