Source: Excerpt taken from the book Ahkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani
Imām Mālik رحمه الله narrates the following ḥadīth:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توفي يوم الاثنين ودفن وصلى الناس عليه أفرادا
Translation:
“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away on Monday, and he was buried on Tuesday, and the people performed the funeral prayer over him individually.”
Shaykh Salīm al-Hilālī رحمه الله declared this narration authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) in his verification and referencing of Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.
Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله states:
هذا الحديث لا أعلمه يروى على هذا النسق بوجه من الوجوه غير بلاغ مالك هذا ولكنه صحيح من وجوه مختلفة
Translation:
“I do not know of this ḥadīth being narrated in this exact manner through any chain other than this report of Mālik, but it is authentically established through different routes.”
He further writes:
وأما صلاة الناس عليه أفرادا فمجتمع عليه عند أهل السير وجماعة أهل النقل لا يختلفون فيه
Translation:
“As for the people performing the funeral prayer over him individually, this is unanimously agreed upon by the scholars of sīrah and a group of scholars of narration; they do not differ regarding this matter.”
✔ All the Anṣār and Muhājirīn, meaning all the Companions رضي الله عنهم, performed the funeral prayer over him.
✔ The funeral prayer was offered individually, not in congregation.
Question:
Was the Funeral Prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ Performed?Answer:
The funeral prayer of the Noble Prophet ﷺ was indeed performed.Imām Mālik رحمه الله narrates the following ḥadīth:
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم توفي يوم الاثنين ودفن وصلى الناس عليه أفرادا
Reference: Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī Dafn al-Mayyit: 549
Translation:
“Indeed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away on Monday, and he was buried on Tuesday, and the people performed the funeral prayer over him individually.”
Shaykh Salīm al-Hilālī رحمه الله declared this narration authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) in his verification and referencing of Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.
Reference: Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ bi-Riwāyāt al-Thamāniyah: 2/203
Imām Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr رحمه الله states:
هذا الحديث لا أعلمه يروى على هذا النسق بوجه من الوجوه غير بلاغ مالك هذا ولكنه صحيح من وجوه مختلفة
Reference: Al-Tamhīd: 24/394
Translation:
“I do not know of this ḥadīth being narrated in this exact manner through any chain other than this report of Mālik, but it is authentically established through different routes.”
He further writes:
وأما صلاة الناس عليه أفرادا فمجتمع عليه عند أهل السير وجماعة أهل النقل لا يختلفون فيه
Reference: Al-Tamhīd: 24/397
Translation:
“As for the people performing the funeral prayer over him individually, this is unanimously agreed upon by the scholars of sīrah and a group of scholars of narration; they do not differ regarding this matter.”
Conclusion:
✔ It is an established and unanimously agreed upon fact that the funeral prayer of the Prophet ﷺ was performed.✔ All the Anṣār and Muhājirīn, meaning all the Companions رضي الله عنهم, performed the funeral prayer over him.
✔ The funeral prayer was offered individually, not in congregation.
