No authentic report confirms that the Prophet ﷺ ever performed a funeral prayer in absentia for anyone other than al-Najashī. The reason is that he died among a Christian people and no one there could pray over him, for the Companions who had been living with him as emigrants had already left and re-emigrated to Madinah in the year of Khaybar.

Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, said:
“I related to ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr the narration of Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—on the authority of Umm Salamah—about the story of al-Najashī and his words to ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ:
‘By Allah, when Allah returned my kingdom to me He did not take a bribe from me, and the people did not obey me only that I should now obey them concerning him.’”

ʿUrwah said, “Do you know what that means?”
I replied, “No.”
He said, “ʿĀʾishah told me that his father had been the king of his people and had no child except al-Najashī. Al-Najashī, however, had an uncle with twelve sons, and they formed the royal household of Abyssinia.

“The Abyssinians said among themselves, ‘If we kill al-Najashī’s father and place his brother on the throne—since he has no heir but this boy while the brother has twelve sons—the kingdom will remain among his descendants after him and Abyssinia will endure for a long time.’

“So they attacked al-Najashī’s father, killed him, and enthroned his brother. Matters remained thus, and al-Najashī grew up with his uncle. He proved intelligent and resolute, came to dominate his uncle’s affairs, and was entrusted with every responsibility.

“When the Abyssinians saw the position he had with his uncle, they said among themselves, ‘By Allah, we fear that he will one day take the throne; and if he does, he will surely kill us all, for he knows that we are the ones who killed his father.’ So they went to…"