Original review by Syihabudin Ahmad
This page was translated automatically from the approved Malay review. Consult the original if wording differs.
Short answer
This account is authentic. The Prophet SAW performed the funeral prayer for Abdullah bin Ubay before the specific prohibition in Surah al-Tawbah, verse 84, was revealed. The sequence of events needs to be clarified.
Arabic wording
قَالَ: إِنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ. فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا وَلَا تَقُمْ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ﴾.
Translation
He said: “Indeed, he is a hypocrite.” The Messenger of Allah SAW then performed the funeral prayer for him. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed: “And never pray over any of them who dies, ever, and do not stand at his grave.”
Narrator
Abdullah bin Umar RA
Sources and scholars
Imam al-Bukhari; Imam Muslim
Scholarly commentary
1. Imam al-Bukhari narrated this incident in Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, no. 4670. Its Arabic chain of transmission is from Nafi‘, from Ibn Umar RA.
2. Imam Muslim narrated it in Sahih Muslim, Kitab Sifat al-Munafiqin wa Ahkamihim, no. 2774a, also from Ibn Umar RA. Both narrations state that the prohibition in verse 84 was revealed after that prayer.
Explanation
1. Did the Prophet SAW truly perform the funeral prayer for him?
Yes. This incident is authentically narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. The wording above is an excerpt from the closing part of Muslim’s narration, not the entire hadith.
2. Why did the Prophet SAW perform it?
The son of Abdullah bin Ubay requested the Prophet’s SAW garment to shroud his father and asked him to perform the funeral prayer. When Umar RA objected, he explained his understanding of the option given in verse 80 of Surah al-Tawbah.
3. When was the specific prohibition revealed?
The narration states that verse 84 was revealed after he had performed that prayer. Therefore, this account does not mean that he continued performing the funeral prayer for that group after the specific prohibition was revealed.
4. Were the father and the son the same person?
No. Abdullah bin Ubay bin Salul was the father. The son who came to make the request was Abdullah bin Abdullah. The two names must be distinguished so that the account is not misunderstood.
Conclusion
Status: Sahih. The funeral prayer for Abdullah bin Ubay took place before the specific prohibition in Surah al-Tawbah, verse 84, was revealed.
Have another hadith you would like to check?
Subscribe to HadithXpert to ask questions, receive initial AI answers, follow expert review progress and view your question history.
Guests can try one free question. A 3-day trial is available with the monthly plan.