THE CHAPTER OF THE DEAD • 75 – PRAYING OVER THE GRAVE OF A DECEASED SOME TIME AFTER BURIAL
Uqba ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) went out of his home one day to the graves of the martyrs of Uhud and performed a prayer over them as he performs for a funeral. Then he returned. [122]
**Explanation:**
Funeral prayers can be offered for those who have been buried without a funeral prayer being performed, as long as their bodies have not decomposed. According to the Hanafi school of thought, if they have decomposed, then it is not permissible to offer the prayer. However, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) did perform the funeral prayer over the martyrs. The reason for not referring to them as deceased may be due to their special life and being in a state of living. It is also recorded that the opinion exists that because the martyrs are newly deceased and have not decomposed, it is permissible to offer a funeral prayer over them, distinguishing them from other deceased individuals, and this is the view held by the Hanafi school. (‘Awn al-Mabud, vol. 9, p. 44)
Yezid ibn Abu Habib narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the funeral prayer for the martyrs of Uhud as if bidding farewell to both the deceased and the living, after a full eight years.