Why did the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, offer the funeral prayer for ‘Abdullaah ibn Ubayy?
Dear Shaykh, there is no doubt that Abu Taalib died while he was non-Muslim. Allaah The Almighty ordered the Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, not to ask Allaah to forgive non-Muslims when he was about to ask Him to forgive his uncle. It is a well-known incident that took place in Makkah. However, when the chief of the hypocrites died and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was informed of that, he went to offer the funeral prayer for him. ‘Umar debated this issue with the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa allam, and mentioned the verse {Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muhammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them}. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "I have been given the choice. My question is: What about the Prohibition of Allaah The Almighty to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, concerning Abu Taalib? Both narrations are mentioned by Al-Albaani in his book Ahkaam Al-Janaa’iz. Could you clarify this contradiction? What is the meaning of "the one wh
Allaah The Almighty forbade His Messenger and the believers to seek forgiveness for non-Muslims in the verse in which Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): { This verse became clear-cut evidence that forbids seeking forgiveness for non-Muslims. As for offering the funeral prayer for Accordingly, there is no contradiction between the two issues as we have explained. Your second question is related to the issue of burying more than one person in the same grave. The exact wording of the Hadeeth is: “ This means putting the one who memorized more Quran first, which is proof of his merit. All the narrations of the Hadeeth have the same meaning that indicates putting those who memorized more of the Quran in front of others in a common grave. Allaah Knows best.