What is the ruling on performing the funeral prayer for an absent, unknown person after every Maghrib prayer, as is done by the Sufis?

The questioner : The question regarding the permissibility of performing the funeral prayer for an absent, unknown person relates to the practice of some Sufis who have begun performing this prayer for an absent, unknown person after every Maghrib prayer, on the grounds that a Muslim or more than one Muslim has died in this world that day and no one has prayed over him.

The Shaykh : This is also among the religious innovations (bid'ah) that the scholars of the Muslims did not hear of except in this era. The prayer for the absent person is a matter on which the jurists disagreed within a very narrow scope, and not with the breadth you are mentioning now regarding some of them. If it is known that a man from among the Muslims has died in a country of the lands of Islam, is it prescribed to perform the prayer for the absent person over this deceased or not? There are two schools of thought: some say it is not prescribed, and some say it is prescribed absolutely, as long as his death is confirmed. And some took a middle path, which is a third, moderate school of thought. They said: if the deceased died in a country where it is most likely that there is no one there to perform the funeral prayer over him, [then it is prescribed]. Some Muslims performed the funeral prayer over him in some of the lands of Islam. Their evidence for this is what came in the two Sahihs and others regarding the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) over the Negus of Abyssinia, for he died in the land of the Christians and there was no one there to perform the funeral prayer over him. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged the people in a row behind him, and there was no corpse in front of him. So this middle school of thought is the correct school of thought because it agrees with the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the saying that the prayer for the absent person is not prescribed absolutely, it is in clear contradiction of this hadith. And as for the opposite saying, that the prayer for every absent deceased is prescribed, it contradicts what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon during his lifetime. How many deceased died in Makkah, in al-Madinah, in al-Ta'if, and so on, and it was not narrated from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prayed even once for an absent deceased. So what can be said about such an innovation that you have described regarding some of them? There is no doubt that it is an innovation of misguidance, because if it had been prescribed, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have preceded us to it first. Moreover, this cause they cling to—that there must be a deceased in every hour—this cause was present during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was more knowledgeable about it first, and then he was more worshipful of Allah than them second. So when it was not narrated from him that he performed this prayer for the absent person, nor anything less than it, except his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him) over the Negus, this indicates that this prayer they perform is an innovation. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and others.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware, now it is your turn, our companion is bankrupt.


The questioner : Regarding a person whose pieces of flesh, such as a thigh, are found in a desert, does one pray over him or not?

The Shaykh : The one over whom one prays is the person, but not over the piece of him.