Funeral Of Prophet (saws)-Imams

“Bismillahir Rahmannir Raheem”Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salaatu was- Salaamu ‘Alaa Sayidinaa Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Asabihi Ajma ‘een (tauheed- risalat- ahkirat and islam-iman-ihsan)

Funeral prayer and burial of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Imam al Shafi’i (ra) said (with respect to greatness) …. for the [companions] striving amidst each other

[to ensure]

that no person be given the position of imam of the prayer upon him.” [al-Shafi’i, Kitab al-Umm]

Imam al-Ramli says al-Shafi’i’s statement about the “striving” not to have an Imam can be explained by the opinion that since the Prophet (ﷺ) did not specify an imam in his lifetime, the Companions were keen to ensure that there would not be one appointed. [al-Ramli, Nihayah al-Muhtaj ‘ala al-Minhaj]

However, there was a small minority of scholars who held that the prayer was not the formal funeral prayer, rather individual “blessings” from each person (i.e. asking Allah to increase His reward, with a raising of station).

Imam al-Suyuti mentions in his work on the rulings and qualities which were unique to the Prophet (ﷺ), his funeral prayer was prayed without an imam, and it did not include the well-known supplication for the deceased, nor any of the verses of Qur’an. [al-Suyuti, Khasa’is al-Kubra] But other narrations mention the opening invocations (takbirs) as well, which are only done in a formal prayer.

Imam Nawawi is quoted as saying:“The matter was differed upon: was he (ﷺ) prayed over? Some said, ‘No one prayed over him in actuality, and the people simply entered in groups, supplicated, and left.’ And those who claim this differed amongst themselves as to the reason why: some said, ‘It was because of his supreme excellence, so he was free of the need for a prayer to be read over him.’ However, that [line of reasoning] breaks by the [fact that] he was also given a ritual bath [so why is one applied and not the other, when he is not in need of either of the two?]… And some said, ‘Rather, because there was no Imam (so there was no funeral prayer),’ but this is erroneous, because the Imamate for the obligatory prayers (with Abu Bakr) was never cancelled, and the oath of fealty to Abu Bakr (from the Ummah) was before the burial (so there was an Imam present, if that was the requirement for Janazah)…” [Sharh Ibn Majah, al-Suyuti and other commentators]

Ibn al-’Arabi said…. “Oh Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad until the Day of Judgement.”, and [doing so] is actually a benefit for us (and thus does not take away from the greatness of the Prophet, ﷺ).” [al-Qurtubi, al-Jami’ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an]

Imam al-Baji, who according to al-Zurqani, said, “…(The Prophet, ﷺ) is better than every martyr (al-shahid), and the excellence of the martyr frees that martyr from need of a funeral prayer to be prayed upon him [so a fortiori, the Prophet (ﷺ) shouldn’t have needed a funeral prayer]…”

Al-Zurqani then responded by saying: “The objective behind the funeral prayer upon him is actually an honor returning back upon the Muslims, along with the fact that [, although he is not in need of our prayers, ﷺ] something that is perfect can accept an increase in its perfection…

[Qadi] ‘Iyad has said: ‘The correct position that the majority of scholars are upon is that the funeral prayer upon the Prophet (ﷺ) was an actual ritual prayer, not just a supplication only.’” [al-Zurqani, Sharh Muwatta; al-Kandahlawi, Awjaz al Masalik]

When I want to talk to allah I say prayers and when I want that he talk to me I recite quran- Hazrath Ali(ra)

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