A questioner (Abdullah) from Indonesia asked, in an audio message: his paternal uncle had passed away, and he was unable to attend the funeral in person, so he joined the funeral prayer from afar by video call / live streaming. What is the Shariah status of this prayer? And what was the correct Shariah course for him?

Wa 'alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, dear Abdullah! May Allah the Exalted reward you abundantly; we offer you our heartfelt condolences on the death of your uncle — may Allah forgive him, fill his grave with light, and grant you beautiful patience.

In your audio you asked about the issue of offering the funeral prayer by video call. The detailed and satisfying Shariah ruling on it, in the light of the Qur'an, the authentic hadiths and the preponderant view of the jurist-hadith scholars, is as follows:

Offering the funeral prayer from afar by watching a video call, live streaming or a TV broadcast is not valid in the Shariah; this prayer does not count as performed, because the basic conditions of following an imam (iqtida) are simply not found here:

(a) Unity of place is a condition: For the validity of congregational prayer — whether an obligatory prayer or the funeral prayer — it is a condition that the imam and the followers be present in one and the same place and that the rows be joined to one another in continuity. This is why the Permanent Committee for Ifta (al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah) declared it impermissible to follow the mosque's imam from home by loudspeaker or broadcast (Fatawa al-Lajnah ad-Da'imah: 9/218; and Fatwa no. 6744 — that following from home is not permissible even if the broadcast can be heard). Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "It is not permissible for anyone to follow the imam by radio or television, because congregational prayer means gathering together in one place; so the prayer must be in a single place and the rows joined to one another. Praying by radio or television is not permissible because these conditions are absent in them; and if this were allowed, every person would pray the five prayers — even Jumu'ah — sitting at home." (Majmu' Fatawa Ibn 'Uthaymin: 15/213) Following by watching a screen from hundreds or thousands of miles away falls under this very prohibition.

(b) For the funeral prayer of a present deceased, the body must be before the imam: The (present) funeral prayer is the prayer in which the deceased is actually present in front of the imam; the deceased was not present before you at all, so the prayer you offered does not count as a funeral prayer.

However, since you did this act in ignorance, with good intention and out of love for your uncle, then, Allah willing, there is no sin upon you — Allah knows the intentions; but that prayer was not performed as a Shariah funeral prayer.

(a) Individual supplication and seeking forgiveness: For a person who cannot attend the funeral, the easiest and firmest course in the Shariah is to sit where he is and sincerely pray for the deceased — forgiveness, elevation of ranks and mercy — and to give charity according to his ability. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ»

"When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, or a righteous child who prays for him." (Sahih Muslim: 1631)

(b) The actual ruling on the funeral prayer in absentia: In this issue the only incident from the Prophet ﷺ is that of al-Najashi (the Negus, king of Abyssinia): he ﷺ announced his death, made the Companions stand in rows and offered his funeral prayer in absentia — with four takbirs (Sahih al-Bukhari: 1333; Sahih Muslim: 951). On the basis of this incident, the statements of the scholars are detailed as follows:

• The funeral prayer in absentia is prescribed for the deceased whose funeral prayer was never offered at his place of death — as when he dies in a land of disbelief and there is no one there to pray over him. This is the view adopted by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on them: they said that if the absent one dies in a town where his funeral prayer was not offered, the prayer in absentia will be offered for him, just as the Prophet ﷺ prayed for al-Najashi, because he died among the disbelievers and his funeral prayer had not been offered; but if his funeral prayer has already been offered at his place of death, the prayer in absentia will not be offered, because the obligation has been discharged by the Muslims' prayer (Zad al-Ma'ad; Majmu' al-Fatawa). The preponderant view of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, is also this: "If you become certain that a person's (funeral) prayer has not been offered, then pray for him, because it is an obligation of sufficiency (fard kifayah)" (Majmu' Fatawa Ibn 'Uthaymin: 17/149); and Shaykh al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him, applied this same condition: "Whoever dies in a town where there is no one to offer the present funeral prayer over him, a group of Muslims will offer the funeral prayer in absentia for him" (Talkhis Ahkam al-Jana'iz).
• The Permanent Committee's fatwa (Fatwa no. 5394, question 11 — Fatawa al-Lajnah: 8/418) is that the prayer in absentia is permissible and is not specific to the Prophet ﷺ; however, it is for a person who holds a special standing in Islam (such as a great scholar or one who benefited the Muslims), not for everyone.
• According to Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on them, the prayer in absentia is not prescribed at all; in their view the incident of al-Najashi was among the special characteristics of the Prophet ﷺ.

Applying this to your uncle's case: His funeral prayer was duly offered by the Muslims in his own town, so according to the preponderant detail set out above, the prayer in absentia was not prescribed for him again. The original Sunnah course for you was — and remains for the future — to pray abundantly for his forgiveness and to give charity as much as you are able; this is the act that certainly reaches him.

Your video-call prayer was not performed as a Shariah funeral prayer, but no sin occurred either, because it was done in ignorance. Keep supplicating and seeking forgiveness for your uncle, and keep giving charity — this is the most beneficial and most Sunnah act in his favour. May Allah forgive him and grant you patience and reward in this grief.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.