Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualikum,

Dear brother I have one question which is regarding funeral prayers. Is there any authentic proof from quran and hadith for praying funeral prayer from far away, for whome unable to attend funerals. Why because one of my freind his staying in saudi arabia and he prayed there funerals for his father-in-law, who was died in india. So please let me know is this is right or wrong?

And I would like to know about praying funeral prayer in qabarstan.

Please ignore if u found any mistakes.

Jazakallah khair.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Funeral prayer ghayebana

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.406 Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) said, "Today a pious man from Ethiopia (i.e. An Najashi) has expired, come on to offer the funeral prayer." (Jabir said): "We lined up in rows and after that the Prophet (saws) led the funeral prayer and I was in the second row."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself led the funeral prayer in absentia in the city of Medina of An-Najashi, the King of Ehiopia, who had died in a distant and foreign land and was a believer. In light of the above authentic narration, it is absolutely permissible and legal in Shariah for the believers to offer a funeral prayer of their deceased loved one in absentia from a distant land.

Your Question: ….And I would like to know about praying funeral prayer in qabarstan.

Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi reported that the Prophet (saws) said: "Do not pray facing a grave and do not sit on one."

Related by Muslim and Ahmad.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 492 Narrated by Sa'id

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘The whole earth is a place of prayer (masjid) except public baths and graveyards.’

The Messenger of Allah (saws) guided and commanded the believers to make their mosques and their graveyards absolutely distinct from each other, and absolutely prohibited the believers from building a grave in a mosque, or a mosque in a graveyard. The Messenger of Allah (saws) also forbade the believers from offering their prayers in a graveyard, or offering prayers facing a grave.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan