Others said: This is a cause, but in his case there is an impediment to its effect—namely, faith.

Others said: It is to be understood according to its apparent meaning: whoever does this will be brought to an evil end. Yet if he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. This is supported by the Prophet’s saying: “A man remains within the broad scope of his religion so long as he does not shed unlawful blood.” (1) This answer and the one before it are the best of the answers.

Issue: If part of a deceased person is found, should it be washed, shrouded, and prayed over?

The answer: If what is found constitutes most of the body—for example, if we find a man without his limbs—then it should be washed, shrouded, and prayed over. But if what is found is one of the limbs, then, if the funeral prayer has already been offered over the body as a whole, no prayer is to be offered over it. If no funeral prayer has been offered over it, then the funeral prayer should be offered over this part that was found.

There is no harm in offering the funeral prayer over him in the mosque.

His statement, “There is no harm in offering the funeral prayer over him in the mosque,” means that there is no harm in offering the funeral prayer over the deceased in the mosque. He said, “There is no harm,” in response to those who maintain that offering the funeral prayer over the dead in mosques is disliked, arguing that mosques were built only for prayer, recitation of the Quran, and remembrance of Allah—not for funerals to be brought into them so that the prayer may be offered over them there. They also argue that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, designated a special prayer-place for funerals, and that the deceased may perhaps soil the mosque with something discharged from him, or there may be an unpleasant odor, or the like.

The correct view is that there is no harm in doing so.