What do the respected Ulama of the Noble Sharī’ah say regarding offering the funeral prayer of an individual from the Shī’ah?
Questioner: Uthman from London
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
If this Shī’ah individual was a denier of matters that are known by necessity in the Dīn (Darūrīyāt al-Dīn) such as him having the false belief that the Qur’ān is missing some āyahs or sūrahs or that Sayyidūna ‘Alī (may Allāh increase him further in honour) or other pure Imāms of the Prophetic Household are greater than any of the Prophets (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon them all), then he is a disbeliever, an apostate, and offering his funeral prayer is a definite harām and a severe sin.
Allāh (Most Transcendent is He) says:
{وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلٰۤی اَحَدٍ مِّنْہُمۡ مَّاتَ اَبَدًا وَّلَاتَقُمْ عَلٰی قَبْرِہٖ ؕ اِنَّہُمْ کَفَرُوۡا بِاللہِ وَرَسُوۡلِہٖ وَمَاتُوۡا وَہُمْ فٰسِقُوۡنَ}
{And never perform (funeral) Salāh for anyone of their dead nor stand by their grave; indeed they disbelieved in Allāh and His Messenger, and they died in the state of disobedience}
[Sūrah al-Tawbah, verse 84]
If someone knowing the state of such a disbelieving Shī’ah and aware of his matters of disbelief considered him worthy of forgiveness and thus offered funeral prayer over him then such a person must renew his Islām, recite the Declaration of Faith and renew his marriage contract with his wife. Just as it is mentioned in ‘Halbah’,
“الدعاء بالمغفرة للکافر کفر لطلبہ تکذیب اﷲ تعالٰی فیما اخبربہ”
“Supplication of forgiveness for a disbeliever is kufr as it is seeking denial of that which Allāh has informed of.”
[Halbah al-Mujallī Sharh Munyah al-Musallī]
If this Shī’ah was not a denier of Darūriyāt al-Dīn but he was Tabarrā’ī (he abuses and curses the Noble Prophetic Companions [may Allāh be pleased with them]), then according to the vast majority of the Imāms and Jurists the offering of his funeral prayer is harām. Repentance and seeking forgiveness from Allāh is necessary upon the one who offered such a prayer, although renewal of his Islām is not, as is mentioned in Khulāsah, Fath al-Qadīr, Tanwīr al-Absār, al-Durr al-Mukhtār and al-Fatāwā al-Ridawiyyah.
If the individual was a Tafdīlī and not more (one who believes Sayyidunā ‘Alī [may Allāh increase him further in honour] to be superior to Sayyidunā Abū Bakr [may Allāh be pleased with him]) then funeral prayer over him should also not be offered because it has been mentioned in numerous Hadīths about the heretical deviants that,
“ولاتصلواعلیہم”
“Do not offer [funeral] prayer over them.”
[Kanz al-‘Ummāl, Hadīth 32529]
The Shī’ah of our time are indeed at least Tabarrā’ī (those who abuse and curse the Noble Prophetic Companions [may Allāh be pleased with them]) therefore anyone who offers funeral prayer over a Shī’ah is committing harām; repentance and seeking forgiveness from Allāh is necessary upon such person.
واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Mawlana Ibrar Shafi
