Is it permissible to perform the funeral prayer for sinners, such as those who abandon the prayer and those who abandon fasting in Ramadan?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Is the funeral prayer permissible for sinners if one of them dies while persisting in sins, such as abandoning the prayer or the fasting of the month of Ramadan? I ask for your guidance.
The Shaykh : Yes. The prayer for sinners is permissible; in fact, they are more deserving of it than others, because the prayer for the deceased is an intercession for him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Ibn Hibban 11:194 Therefore, the people of sins are in need of someone to intercede for them with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through supplication. Those who pray over the dead supplicate for them for forgiveness and mercy. The one who supplicates says in his supplication: Mishkat al-Masabih 1655 This is a supplication that, if it is answered, brings much good to the deceased.
As for the questioner’s example of the one who abandons the prayer and the one who abandons fasting, his example of the one who abandons fasting is correct, for the one who abandons fasting is a sinner among the sinners and is not one who has exited the religion.
As for the one who abandons the prayer, the stronger opinion among the views of the scholars of knowledge is that he is a disbeliever, an apostate, and one who has exited the religion, and it is not permissible for any Muslim who knows his state to pray over him, because Allah the Exalted said to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the hypocrites:[At-Tawbah 9:84].
And because the prayer over the deceased is a supplication and seeking forgiveness for him, and Allah Mighty and Majestic said:[At-Tawbah 9:113] And the apostate whose apostasy is established by the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah, it has become clear to those who know this that he is among the companions of the Hellfire. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us regarding the one who does not preserve the prayers that he will be gathered with Pharaoh, Haman, Qarun, and Abu Jahl, the leaders of disbelief, and may Allah protect us from that.
And based on this, the comparison of the one who abandons prayer to a sinner is not correct according to the stronger opinion. Rather, we say that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever and an apostate, and it is not permissible to pray over him for one who knows his state. It is also not permissible for his family, who know that he does not pray, to present him to the Muslims to pray over him, because they are deceiving the Muslims by doing so. It is also not permissible for his family to supplicate for him with forgiveness and mercy, as he died in this state. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide our brothers who have been afflicted with abandoning prayer, even though they boast of their affiliation to Islam. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide them and return them to Islam.
The questioner : Amen.
The Shaykh : And to help them against their souls and against what their devils dictate to them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
The Shaykh : Yes. The prayer for sinners is permissible; in fact, they are more deserving of it than others, because the prayer for the deceased is an intercession for him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
There is no Muslim who dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allah stand over his funeral, except that Allah will grant them intercession for him.
ما من مسلم يموت فيقوم على جنازته أربعون رجلاً لا يُشركون بالله شيئاً إلا شفّعهم الله فيهO God, forgive him, show him mercy, grant him security, pardon him, grant him a noble provision and a spacious lodging, wash him with water, snow and ice, purify him from sins as Thou hast purified the white garment from filth, give him a better abode in place of his present one, a better family in place of his present one, and a better spouse in place of his present one, cause him to enter paradise and preserve him from the trial in the grave and the punishment in hell
اللهم اغفر له وارحمه وعافه واعف عنه وأكرم نزله ووسّع مدخله واغسله بالماء والثلج والبرد ونقّه من الخطايا كما يُنقى الثوب الأبيض من الدنس، اللهم أبدله داراً خيراً من داره وأهلاً خيراً من أهله وزوجاً خيراً من زوجه وأدخله الجنة وأعذه من عذاب القبر وعذاب النار وافسح له في قبره ونوّر له فيهAs for the questioner’s example of the one who abandons the prayer and the one who abandons fasting, his example of the one who abandons fasting is correct, for the one who abandons fasting is a sinner among the sinners and is not one who has exited the religion.
As for the one who abandons the prayer, the stronger opinion among the views of the scholars of knowledge is that he is a disbeliever, an apostate, and one who has exited the religion, and it is not permissible for any Muslim who knows his state to pray over him, because Allah the Exalted said to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the hypocrites:
And do not pray [the funeral prayer, O Muhammad], over any of them who has died - ever - or stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger and died while they were defiantly disobedient.
وَلا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَداً وَلا تَقُمْ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ فَاسِقُونَAnd because the prayer over the deceased is a supplication and seeking forgiveness for him, and Allah Mighty and Majestic said:
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ ءامَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُوْلِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِAnd based on this, the comparison of the one who abandons prayer to a sinner is not correct according to the stronger opinion. Rather, we say that the one who abandons prayer is a disbeliever and an apostate, and it is not permissible to pray over him for one who knows his state. It is also not permissible for his family, who know that he does not pray, to present him to the Muslims to pray over him, because they are deceiving the Muslims by doing so. It is also not permissible for his family to supplicate for him with forgiveness and mercy, as he died in this state. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide our brothers who have been afflicted with abandoning prayer, even though they boast of their affiliation to Islam. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide them and return them to Islam.
The questioner : Amen.
The Shaykh : And to help them against their souls and against what their devils dictate to them.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.