Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

A man had a slave who ran away and then returned. Upon returning, the slave concealed his knife and killed himself. Does his master bear any sin? Is it permissible to offer the funeral prayer for him?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. He had no right to kill himself, even if his master had wronged and mistreated him. Rather, if he could not protect himself from that injustice, he was obliged to endure patiently until Allah granted relief. If his master had wronged him to the point that he did this—for example, by providing inadequately for his upkeep, overworking him, beating him unjustly, seeking to commit an indecent act with him, or the like—then his master bears a burden of sin proportionate to the wrongdoing attributable to him.

“The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not offer the funeral prayer for someone who had killed himself, but told his Companions, ‘Offer the prayer for him.’”

Thus, it is permissible for people generally to offer the funeral prayer for him. As for religious leaders whose example is followed, if they refrain from offering the prayer for him to deter others, following the Prophet’s example, peace and blessings be upon him, then this is right. And Allah knows best.