free to move; that is easier for the animal and allows the blood to drain more completely.

The point illustrated by this ḥadīth is the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “When you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well,” for such care is part of showing gentleness.

Take note: if a person is executed under a ḥadd penalty—stoned for adultery, for example—or put to death in qiṣāṣ (retaliation), the funeral prayer is still offered for him and supplication is made asking Allah to show him mercy and pardon, in hope that He will forgive and have mercy upon him like any other Muslim.

As for one who is killed as an apostate disbeliever, no prayer for mercy is made for him and he is not washed. An example is a person who abandons the prayer; he is killed as an apostate. Such a person is neither washed nor shrouded, no funeral prayer is held for him, he is not buried with the Muslims, and no supplication for mercy is made on his behalf. Whoever does pray for him commits a sin and follows a path other than that of the believers, for Allah the Exalted says: “It is not for the Prophet or those who believe to seek forgiveness for the polytheists—even if they are near of kin—after it has become clear to them that they are destined for the Fire” (9:113).