Ruling on the prayer for the absent one for martyrs in battles

Q: The brother M.M. from Zagreb in Croatia says in his question: I prayed in one of the mosques on Friday, and after the prayer the imam stood up and performed the prayer for the absent one for the martyrs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Is this action in accordance with the Sunnah? And are there conditions for performing the prayer for the absent one?

A: The martyrs who die in battle are not prescribed to be prayed over in any way, nor are they washed; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not pray over the martyrs of Uhud and did not wash them. Al-Bukhari narrated this in his Sahih from Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both).
As for the prayer for the absent one, there is scholarly disagreement among the people of knowledge, and the correct view is that it is permissible if the absent deceased has a status in Islam and a great, well-known deed beyond that of the rest of the people; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over the Negus when he died in Abyssinia, due to his great stance with the Muslims, his sheltering of them when they emigrated to him, and his protection of them from their enemies. It is not recorded that he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over an absent one other than him. For this reason, some of the people of knowledge held that the prayer for the absent one is specific to the Negus, while others held that there is no harm in praying over someone else if he has a status in Islam and a great deed that benefits the Muslims, as the Negus did. And Allah is the possessor of success.