The Ruling on the Prayer for the Absent
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The questioner:
May Allah reward you? Your honor, please clarify what happens if one is absent. Does it apply to the land and the ruler?
The Shaykh:
There is strong scholarly disagreement regarding the prayer for the absent person. The correct view, and the closest of the opinions, is that if the absent person has a standing in Islam—such as being a caller to Allah or a ruler, meaning he has virtue in Islam and benefit for the Muslims—then the prayer for the absent person is performed for him to increase his rank, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the Najashi, the King of Abyssinia, when he died, because of his virtues toward the Muslims when they emigrated to him and he treated them well, and because he displayed Islam through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and became a good role model. So, if the absent person has a standing in Islam, whether he is a scholar among the scholars who has efforts in calling to Allah and spreading knowledge, or a ruler who has efforts in supporting Islam and the Muslims, then the prayer for the absent person is performed for him to increase his good deeds.
As for the ordinary Muslim, the prayer for the absent is not performed for him. For the ordinary Muslim, it is sufficient that those who prayed for him at his funeral are enough. This is because the Companions used to die in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was absent, and it is not mentioned that he prayed for any one of them, because the prayer of the Muslims who are present for him is sufficient.
The presenter:
Abu Abdullah.
The Shaykh:
Before the question, to complete the matter, the scholars mentioned that if a Muslim dies in a place where there are no Muslims to pray for him, and no one has prayed for him, then the prayer for the absent is performed for him. If he dies in a land or a place where there are no Muslims and the funeral prayer is not performed for him, the prayer for the absent is performed for him. But if he is prayed for and he is an ordinary person from the general Muslims, then the prayer for him in his land is sufficient.
May Allah reward you? Your honor, please clarify what happens if one is absent. Does it apply to the land and the ruler?
The Shaykh:
There is strong scholarly disagreement regarding the prayer for the absent person. The correct view, and the closest of the opinions, is that if the absent person has a standing in Islam—such as being a caller to Allah or a ruler, meaning he has virtue in Islam and benefit for the Muslims—then the prayer for the absent person is performed for him to increase his rank, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for the Najashi, the King of Abyssinia, when he died, because of his virtues toward the Muslims when they emigrated to him and he treated them well, and because he displayed Islam through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and became a good role model. So, if the absent person has a standing in Islam, whether he is a scholar among the scholars who has efforts in calling to Allah and spreading knowledge, or a ruler who has efforts in supporting Islam and the Muslims, then the prayer for the absent person is performed for him to increase his good deeds.
As for the ordinary Muslim, the prayer for the absent is not performed for him. For the ordinary Muslim, it is sufficient that those who prayed for him at his funeral are enough. This is because the Companions used to die in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was absent, and it is not mentioned that he prayed for any one of them, because the prayer of the Muslims who are present for him is sufficient.
The presenter:
Abu Abdullah.
The Shaykh:
Before the question, to complete the matter, the scholars mentioned that if a Muslim dies in a place where there are no Muslims to pray for him, and no one has prayed for him, then the prayer for the absent is performed for him. If he dies in a land or a place where there are no Muslims and the funeral prayer is not performed for him, the prayer for the absent is performed for him. But if he is prayed for and he is an ordinary person from the general Muslims, then the prayer for him in his land is sufficient.
Source
شرح العقيدة الطحاوية [8] — alfawzan.live (19:17)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.