earlier, the funeral prayer is not prescribed for him. For that reason it is not sanctioned for us to offer the funeral prayer at the grave of the Prophet ﷺ, or at the graves of Abu Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, or any of the other Companions, scholars, or leading Imams.

Rather, the ruling applies only to someone who dies during your own lifetime. For example, if a person died thirty years ago and you are now thirty years old, you do not perform the funeral prayer for him, because he died before you were born and before you became legally responsible for the prayer. As for someone who died after you had already reached the age of obligation—whether he is a relative or simply someone you wish to pray for—there is no harm in doing so. Thus, if a man died a year or two ago and you would like to pray at his grave, and you had not prayed over him before, that is permissible.

Among the benefits of this ḥadith is the Prophet’s ﷺ excellent pastoral care for his community: he would check on them and inquire after them, never allowing major concerns to distract him from minor ones. Whatever affected the Muslims concerned him, peace and blessings be upon him.

Another benefit is that it is permissible to ask for something that ordinarily carries no sense of indebtedness. The Messenger ﷺ said, “Show me her grave” (dullūnī ʿalā qabrihā)—a request that imposes no burden on the one addressed. This contrasts with asking for money, which is prohibited; it is not permitted to say to someone, “Give me ten riyals” or “Give me a hundred riyals,” except in genuine necessity.

As for requesting things other than money—matters that usually entail no obligation—there is no problem in doing so. This may serve as a specific qualification to the pledge the Messenger ﷺ took from his Companions, when he pledged them not to ask people for anything at all.