Question: Is there reward in attending the funeral procession of someone that commits acts of shirk and innovation? Response: Do not attend a funeral procession of someone that commits clear acts of shirk. However, if the person has committed some sins or innovations that do not remove him from the fold of Islam, then attend his funeral. At the same time, it is okay for the imam and dignitaries to abstain from attending, but the rest of the Muslims should pray over him.
[Shaykh Saalih as-Suhaymee]
Q: What is the ruling on not offering the Funeral Prayer for Ahlul Bid’ah (those who practice innovations in religion)? A: If this is done by scholars out of discouraging people from practicing Bida’, this is fine in case their Bida’ does not render them Kafirs (disbelievers). However, if they commit Bida’ that render them Kafirs, such as Khawarij, Mu’tazilah and Jahmiyyah, no one should offer the Funeral Prayer for them. Q: If scholars refrain from offering the Funeral Prayer for those who practice Bida’, will they not be a role model for the people to follow so that they refrain from it as well? A: Offering the Funeral Prayer for a Muslim is obligatory, even if they used to practice Bida’. If their Bida’ did not take them out of Islam, some people may offer the Funeral Prayer for them. However, if they used to practice Bida’ that renders them Kafirs, no one should offer the Funeral Prayer for them or ask Allah to forgive them, such as Jahmiyyah, Mu’tazilah and Rafidah who invoke ‘Aly (may Allah be pleased with him) and seek his help in addition to Ahl-ul-Bayt. Allah (may He be Glorified) says about the hypocrites and their likes, And never (O Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allâh and His Messenger, and died while they were Fâsiqûn (rebellious, – disobedient to Allâh and His Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)).
Funeral Prayer offered for those practicing Bid`ah
Q: What is the ruling on not offering the Funeral Prayer for those practicing Bida` (innovations in religion)?
A: If this is done by scholars out of discouraging people from practicing Bida`, this is fine in case their Bida` does not render them Kafirs (disbelievers). However, if they commit Bida` that render them Kafirs, such as Al-Khawarij (separatist group that believes committing a major sin amounts to disbelief), Al-Mu`tazilah (a deviant Islamic sect claiming that those who commit major sins are in a state between belief and disbelief), and Al-Jahmiyyah (a deviant Islamic sect denying some Attributes of Allah, claiming they are ascribed to people and cannot be ascribed to Allah), no one should offer the Funeral Prayer for them.
Q: If scholars refrain from offering the Funeral Prayer for those practicing Bida`, will they not be followed by the people so that they refrain from it as well?
A: Offering the Funeral Prayer for a Muslim is obligatory, even if they used to practice Bida`. If their Bida` did not take them out of Islam, some people may offer the Funeral Prayer for them. However, if they used to practice Bida` that render them Kafirs, no one should offer the Funeral Prayer for them or ask Allah to forgive them, such as Al-Jahmiyyah, Al-Mu`tazilah, and Al-Rafidah (a Shi`ah group denying the caliphates of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and `Umar ibn Al-Khattab and making accusations against them and many other Companions of the Prophet) who invoke `Aly (may Allah be pleased with him) and seek his help in addition to Ahl-ul-Bayt (members of the Prophet’s extended Muslim family). Allah (Glorified be He) says about the hypocrites and their likes, And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allâh and His Messenger, and died while they were Fâsiqûn (rebellious, – disobedient to Allâh and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم).
According to the Madh-hab (School of Jurisprudence) of Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah (those adhering to the Sunnah and the Muslim community) amongst the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him) and the Salaf (righteous predecessors) who followed them, those who commit a major sin such as murder or suicide are not Kafirs (disbelievers) and thus, the Funeral Prayer is to be offered for them. Proof of this is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Muslims to offer the Funeral Prayer on someone who misappropriated booty in the path of Allah (Exalted be He). It is related in the Musnad (Book of Hadith compilation) of
(Part No. 8; Page No. 396)
Imam Ahmad on the authority of Zayd ibn Khalid Al-Juhany (may Allah be pleased with him): A Muslim man died on the Day of Khaybar. They mentioned the matter to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he said: Offer the Funeral prayer for your companion. When the faces of the people looked perplexed, he said: Your companion misappropriated booty in the path of Allah (Exalted be He). We searched his belongings and found some Jewish beads not worth two dirhams. However, the Hadith mentioned above signifies that the Muslims’ Imam (ruler) should not offer a Funeral Prayer for such persons.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’
Fatwas of Ibn Baz>Volume 13>Book on funerals>Funeral Prayer>Ruling on offering Funeral Prayer over a hypocrite
Ruling on offering Funeral Prayer over a hypocrite Q: If it is known that the deceased was a hypocrite, should people offer Funeral Prayer over them? A: They should not, for Allah (Exalted be He) says: And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies. This is if their hypocrisy was well known, but if this was just an accusation, you should offer the Prayer over the deceased as the basic rule is the obligation of offering Funeral Prayer over a deceased person.
(Part No. 13; Page No. 161)
Accordingly, a Muslim should not leave an obligation for a doubt.
Fatwas of Ibn Baz>Volume 13>Book on funerals>Washing the dead>Whoever abandons Prayer should not be washed, no Funeral Prayer should be offered for him, and should not be buried in the Muslim graveyard
(Part No. 13; Page No. 103)
Washing the dead
(Part No. 13; Page No. 104)
(Part No. 13; Page No. 105 Whoever abandons Prayer should not be washed, no Funeral Prayer should be offered for him, and should not be buried in the Muslim graveyard Q: Brother M.S.A. from Mu`an in Jordan says: What is the ruling on a person who dies while abandoning Prayer, taking into consideration that his parents are Muslims? How should we deal with him regarding washing, shrouding, offering Funeral Prayer for him, burying him, and supplicating Allah to forgive him? A: If a Mukallaf (a person meeting the conditions to be held legally accountable for his actions) abandons Prayer, he is considered a disbeliever and should not be washed, no Funeral Prayer should be offered for him, and should not be buried in the Muslim graveyard. He should not be inherited by his relatives as indicated by the most correct opinions of scholars. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in an authentic Hadith: What makes one a disbeliever and a polytheist is abandoning Prayers. (Reported by Muslim in his Sahih) The Prophet (peace be upon him) also says: What differentiates between us
(Part No. 13; Page No. 106)
and them is offering Prayer. Any one who abandons it is a disbeliever. (Related by Imam Ahmad and Ahl-ul-Sunan [authors of Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes] through authentic Isnad [chain of narrators] as narrated in the Hadith of Burayda [may Allah be pleased with him]) Also, `Abdullah ibn Shaqiq Al-`Uqaily, an honorable figure among the Tabi`un (Followers, the generation after the Companions of the Prophet), (may Allah forgive him) said: The Prophet’s Companions believed that abandoning nothing leads to disbelief but Prayer. There are many Hadiths and Athar (narrations from the Companions) in this regard. They refer to those who abandon it out of laziness and do not deny that it is obligatory on them, but those who deny that it is obligatory, they are renegade disbelievers as indicated by most scholars. May Allah improve the Muslims’ conditions and guide them to His Right Path. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearer, Responsive.
Fatwas of the Permanent Committee>Group 1>Volume 8: Salah 3>Funerals>The Funeral Prayer>Ruling on a deceased person who used to abandon Salah
Fatwa no. 2560
Q: A disagreement arose among religious scholars of the Congo Republic over the final destiny of a Muslim who dies while never performing Salah (Prayer) all his life and only
(Part No. 8; Page No. 411)
believing that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Some scholars, myself included, are of the view that the body of this person has to be washed, covered with a shroud and buried, but no Funeral Prayer should be offered for him as he used to abandon the most important pillar of Islam next to Shahadah (Testimony of Faith).
Other scholars maintain the view that whoever professes that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah can not be branded as a Kafir (disbeliever) even if he dies while it is known to have abandoned Salah all his life. He falls under the category of those who die while committing one of the major sins. They quote the following Qur’anic Ayah (verse) in support of their view: Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills They also cite the Hadith in which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Verily he who died among my Ummah (Community) without associating anything with Allah would enter Paradise’. It was said: ‘Even if he commits adultery and theft’? He (peace be upon him) said: ‘(Yes), even if he commits adultery and theft’. What is the correct view?
A: Texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) indicate that a person who abandons Salah out of negligence is considered a Kafir (disbeliever) even if they profess the Shahadah and believe Salah to be an obligatory duty. This is the most appropriate of the two views held by scholars. Accordingly, they should not be treated as Muslims in terms of preparing their burial which includes washing their bodies after death, covering them with a shroud or offering a Funeral Prayer for them. They are to be buried in the same way that rotten carrion is buried only to prevent a foul odor. It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered `Aly (may Allah be pleased with him), whose father Abu Talib died while following the religion of his people, to bury his body in the ground. He did not order him to wash his body or to cover him with a shroud nor did the Prophet (peace be upon him) offer the Funeral Prayer for him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) only said to `Aly: Go and bury him. When `Aly (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Your old and astray uncle has died. Narrated by Imam
(Part No. 8; Page No. 412)
Ahmad and others.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’
Member Member Deputy Chairman Chairman
`Abdullah ibn Qa`ud `Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan `Abdul-Razzaq `Afify `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz
And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allâh and His Messenger, and died while they were Fâsiqûn (rebellious, – disobedient to Allâh and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم).
However, the Hadith mentioned above signifies that the Muslims’ Imam (ruler) should not offer a 
