Upon whom must we offer the funeral prayer? And is it permissible to offer it on a martyr?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.

It is permissible to offer the funeral prayer on an absentee (i.e. a Muslim who died in another country). Hence, the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the Companions offered the prayer upon An-Najaashi when he died in Abyssinia. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The absentee funeral prayer is to be offered on every Muslim who deserves the normal funeral prayer (i.e. every deceased Muslim) whether male or female, young or old as is according to the agreement of jurists.

However, it is not permissible to offer either the normal funeral prayer or the absentee funeral prayer on a martyr (whom the infidels killed in the battlefield) according to the opinion of some jurists because of the Hadeeth where the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered the Companions to bury the martyrs of Uhud stained with their blood. Moreover, he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not order the Companions to wash them or offer the funeral prayer on them. [Al-Bukhari and others].

Some scholars choose to offer the funeral prayer on a martyr based on the Hadeeth where the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, offered the funeral prayer on the martyrs of Uhud (i.e. whereas they were buried in their graves) eight years after the battle, as if he farewells the living and deceased Muslims. [Al-Bukhari]

Also, there is a Mursal (i.e. weak) Hadeeth narrated by Al-Bayhaqi that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, offered the funeral prayer on the martyrs of Uhud before burying them.

We recommend the opinion of Ibn Hazm that it is permissible to offer or skip the funeral prayer for a martyr so as to apply the relevant texts.

Allaah Knows best.