Authored by: Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani حفظ اللہ
Question:
Please explain the legal status of funeral prayer in absentia (Salat al-Janazah al-Gha'ib) so that I may act accordingly.
Answer:
Funeral prayer in absentia (Salat al-Janazah al-Gha'ib) is valid. This is proven by the following Hadith:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ that:
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم informed of the death of Najashi on the very day he died, and he led them out to the prayer place, arranged their rows, and said four Takbirs over him.”
[Bukhari, Book of Funerals: Chapter on Saying Four Takbirs over the Funeral 1333]
This Hadith establishes the practice of performing the funeral prayer in absentia. If the funeral prayer can be offered when the deceased is present, it can also be performed in their absence. The legitimacy of the funeral prayer for martyrs has already been discussed earlier.
Some people entirely reject the concept of funeral prayer in absentia, claiming that it was specific only to Najashi because in the Hadith it is mentioned that the earth’s coverings were removed for the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and he saw Najashi’s body in front of him.
However, this claim is not correct. Imam Nawawi رحمہ اللہ says:
“This narration is from the realm of misconceptions and fancies (meaning it has no basis).”
[al-Majmuʿ 5/253]
As for the assertion that this was specific to Najashi, this is incorrect because the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم’s actions are a model for the entire Ummah—unless he himself clarified that an action was exclusive to him, which he did not in this case.
Some scholars argue that funeral prayer in absentia is only valid for a person whose funeral prayer was not offered in the region where he died. They base this on a version of the Hadith which says:
“Your brother has died outside your land.”
These scholars argue that the funeral prayer for Najashi was not offered there. However, to our knowledge, the Hadith does not clearly state that no one offered Najashi’s funeral prayer in his land. Dying outside one’s land does not necessarily mean no Muslim was present or that no one prayed over him. The justification for offering funeral prayer in absentia can be that it is difficult for us to reach that place.
Question:
Please explain the legal status of funeral prayer in absentia (Salat al-Janazah al-Gha'ib) so that I may act accordingly.
Answer:
Funeral prayer in absentia (Salat al-Janazah al-Gha'ib) is valid. This is proven by the following Hadith:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ that:
“The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم informed of the death of Najashi on the very day he died, and he led them out to the prayer place, arranged their rows, and said four Takbirs over him.”
[Bukhari, Book of Funerals: Chapter on Saying Four Takbirs over the Funeral 1333]
This Hadith establishes the practice of performing the funeral prayer in absentia. If the funeral prayer can be offered when the deceased is present, it can also be performed in their absence. The legitimacy of the funeral prayer for martyrs has already been discussed earlier.
Some people entirely reject the concept of funeral prayer in absentia, claiming that it was specific only to Najashi because in the Hadith it is mentioned that the earth’s coverings were removed for the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and he saw Najashi’s body in front of him.
However, this claim is not correct. Imam Nawawi رحمہ اللہ says:
“This narration is from the realm of misconceptions and fancies (meaning it has no basis).”
[al-Majmuʿ 5/253]
As for the assertion that this was specific to Najashi, this is incorrect because the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم’s actions are a model for the entire Ummah—unless he himself clarified that an action was exclusive to him, which he did not in this case.
Some scholars argue that funeral prayer in absentia is only valid for a person whose funeral prayer was not offered in the region where he died. They base this on a version of the Hadith which says:
“Your brother has died outside your land.”
These scholars argue that the funeral prayer for Najashi was not offered there. However, to our knowledge, the Hadith does not clearly state that no one offered Najashi’s funeral prayer in his land. Dying outside one’s land does not necessarily mean no Muslim was present or that no one prayed over him. The justification for offering funeral prayer in absentia can be that it is difficult for us to reach that place.
