the battlefield. ‘Ata’, al-Nakha‘i, and al-Shafi‘i said: The Imam and others shall pray over every Muslim, because of the saying of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "Pray over whoever says: There is no god but Allah." Narrated by al-Khallal with his chain of transmission (6). Our argument is what Jabir ibn Samura reported, that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was brought a man who had killed himself with iron arrowheads (7), and he did not pray over him. Narrated by Muslim (8). Abu Dawud (9) narrated that a man went to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and informed him about a man who had died. He asked: "And what makes you think so?" He replied: I saw him slaughtering himself with iron arrowheads (10). He said: "You saw him?" (11) He replied: Yes. He said: "Then I will not pray over him." Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani reported that a man from Juhaynah died on the day of Khaybar, and this was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so he said: "Pray over your companion." The faces of the people changed, and when he saw their condition, he said: "Your companion misappropriated from the war booty" (12). Ahmad used this as an argument. This abstention is specific to the Imam; for when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) abstained from praying over the misappropriator, he said: "Pray over your companion." It is also reported that he ordered prayer over the one who killed himself, and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the Imam; thus, whoever matches him in that status is joined to him, and it does not follow from the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) refraining from prayer that others should refrain from prayer, for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was in...
(5) Omitted from the original manuscript. (6) Its verification was provided earlier on page 357. (7) Al-mishqas: an arrow with a wide blade. (8) In: Chapter on refraining from praying over one who kills himself, from the Book of Funerals, Sahih Muslim 2/672. It was also narrated by al-Nasa’i in: Chapter on refraining from praying over one who kills himself, from the Book of Funerals, al-Mujtaba 4/53; and Imam Ahmad in: al-Musnad 5/87, 94, 97, 107. (9) In: Chapter on the Imam not praying over one who kills himself, from the Book of Funerals, Sunan Abi Dawud 2/184. (10) Omitted from M. (11) In the original manuscript there is an addition: "slaughtering himself with iron arrowheads," which is not in Sunan Abi Dawud. (12) In A there is an addition: "Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Nasa’i." It was also narrated by Abu Dawud in: Chapter on the gravity of misappropriation, from the Book of Jihad, Sunan Abi Dawud 2/62; al-Nasa’i in: Chapter on prayer over one who misappropriates, from the Book of Funerals, al-Mujtaba 4/52; Ibn Majah in: Chapter on misappropriation, from the Book of Jihad, Sunan Ibn Majah 2/950; and Imam Ahmad in: al-Musnad 4/114.
