Is it permissible to interrupt a voluntary prayer for the funeral prayer?

Question : A questioner asks: Is it permissible to interrupt a voluntary prayer for the funeral prayer?

Answer : The Prophet said The apparent meaning of this hadith is that a voluntary prayer is not interrupted except for the obligatory prayer only, whereas the funeral prayer does not warrant interrupting a voluntary prayer. However, if a person does interrupt it, there is no harm, because it is permissible to interrupt a voluntary prayer for a valid purpose. So, if this man, after finishing the obligatory prayer, stands up to perform a voluntary prayer and, after beginning it, a funeral arrives, he may interrupt the prayer and pray over the funeral, because interrupting it here is for a valid purpose. After the funeral prayer ends, he returns and starts the voluntary prayer anew. For this reason, we said: if a person is performing tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) and a funeral arrives while he is doing so, is it permissible to interrupt the tawaf, which is a voluntary act, to pray over the funeral and then return? Yes, it is permissible. But is this the best course of action, or is it better not to interrupt? It is better not to interrupt, based on the apparent meaning of the hadith I mentioned, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah . Now, if the iqamah (second call to prayer) is made for the obligatory prayer and you are in a voluntary prayer, do you interrupt it?
There is a difference of opinion on this. Some scholars said to interrupt it in all cases, while others said not to interrupt it unless the time remaining until the imam finishes the prayer is only the length of the opening takbir (saying Allahu akbar). However, the correct view is that if the iqamah is made and you have already stood up for the second rak'ah (unit of prayer), complete it briefly. If the iqamah is made and you are in the first rak'ah, interrupt it. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) . This man who prayed a complete rak'ah before the cause requiring interruption, which is the iqamah for the prayer, has caught the prayer at a time when it is permissible for him to perform this prayer, so let this permissibility continue. However, he should be brief in it, because a part of the obligatory prayer is better.