صحیح بخاری · Hadith 4671

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab: When `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul died, Allah's Messenger was called in order to offer the funeral prayer for him. When Allah's Messenger got up (to offer the prayer) I jumped towards him and said, "O Allah's Messenger ! Do you offer the prayer for Ibn Ubai although he said so-and-so on such-and-such-a day?" I went on mentioning his sayings. Allah's Messenger smiled and said, "Keep away from me, O `Umar!" But when I spoke too much to him, he said, "I have been given the choice, and I have chosen (this) ; and if I knew that if I asked forgiveness for him more than seventy times, he would be for given, I would ask it for more times than that." So Allah's Messenger offered the funeral prayer for him and then left, but he did not stay long before the two Verses of Surat-Bara'a were revealed, i.e.:-- 'And never (O Muhammad) pray for anyone of them that dies.... and died in a state of rebellion.' (9.84) Later I was astonished at my daring to speak like that to Allah's Messenger and Allah and His Apostle know best.

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020