ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ
And do not pray [the funeral prayer, O Muhammad], over any of them who has died - ever - or stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger and died while they were defiantly disobedient.
Tafsir
Verse range: 9:84
Narrated: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to stand by the graves of the hypocrites and pray for them. When the head of hypocrisy, ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, fell ill, he sent for the Prophet (ﷺ). When the Prophet entered, he said, "The love of the Jews has ruined you." He replied, "O Messenger of Allah, I sent for you to seek forgiveness for me, not to rebuke me." He asked to be shrouded in the garment that touched his skin and for the Prophet to pray over him. When he died, his son, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdullah, invited the Prophet to the funeral. The Prophet asked his name, and he replied, "‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdullah." (The Prophet had previously renamed him ‘Abdullah, as "al-Hubab" was the name of a devil). When the Prophet intended to pray over him, ‘Umar said, "Will you pray over an enemy of Allah?" Then this verse was revealed. It is also said that the Prophet intended to pray, but Gabriel pulled him back.
If you ask: How was it permissible for him to honor a hypocrite and shroud him in his own shirt? I say: It was a reward for a previous deed. When al-‘Abbas (ra) was taken prisoner at Badr, they could not find a shirt for him because he was a tall man, so ‘Abdullah gave him his own shirt.
Furthermore, on the day of al-Hudaybiyah, the polytheists told him, "We do not grant permission to Muhammad, but we grant it to you." He replied, "No, I have a good example in the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) thanked him for this. He also answered his request because the Prophet (ﷺ) would never turn away a petitioner, he upheld the dictates of chivalry, acted according to the customs of the noble, and sought to honor the man’s righteous son. It is narrated that he asked the Prophet: "I ask you to shroud him in one of your shirts and stand by his grave, so that the enemies do not gloat over him." The Prophet knew that being shrouded in his shirt would not benefit him alongside his disbelief—there is no difference between it and other shrouds—but he did it as a kindness to others. It is narrated that when asked, "Why did you give him your shirt when he is a disbeliever?" he replied, "My shirt will not avail him anything against Allah, but I hope that many will enter Islam because of this." It is said that a thousand from the Khazraj accepted Islam when they saw him seeking healing through the garment of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Similarly, his seeking of mercy and forgiveness was a call to compassion and empathy; when people saw him showing mercy to one who displayed faith (even if his inner state was the opposite), it encouraged the Muslims to show compassion to those whose hearts matched their tongues, viewing it as an obligation upon them.
If you ask: How was the prayer over him permissible? I say: There was no prior prohibition against praying over them. They were treated as Muslims due to the outward appearance of their faith, for the sake of the benefit therein. Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) said: "I do not know what this prayer is, except that I know the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is not one to be deceived."
"Died" (مات): This is an adjective for someone. It is said "died" (past tense) while the meaning is future, based on the assumption of existence; because it is inevitable that it will happen.
"Because they disbelieved" (أنهم كفروا): This is the justification for the prohibition.
The statement "And do not let... amaze you" (ولا تعجبك) is repeated because the renewal of revelation has a purpose in establishing and confirming what was revealed. It ensures the matter remains in the mind of the addressee so they do not forget or neglect it, and so they believe that acting upon it is a matter of great importance requiring special care—especially if there is a delay between the two revelations. It resembles a matter that concerns its owner, so he returns to it during his speech and pivots toward it. This meaning is repeated due to its strength regarding what must be guarded against.
"And when a surah was revealed, 'Believe in Allah and fight with His Messenger,' those of wealth among them asked your permission and said, 'Leave us to be with those who remain.' They were satisfied to be with those who stay behind, and their hearts were sealed, so they do not understand. But the Messenger and those who believed with him fought with their wealth and their lives. And those will have the good things, and it is those who are the successful. Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally. That is the great attainment."
