I add: this qualification has no textual basis; it seems to be no more than an attempt to reconcile their imams’ statement, “There is no Qurʾanic recitation in the funeral prayer,” with the fact that such recitation is in fact established from the Prophet. Adhering to the Sunnah without any extraneous restriction is preferable, and following it is more fitting. It is one of the curiosities of some of our scholars that they affirmed the recitation of the opening supplication (duʿaʾ al-istiftah) in the funeral prayer by analogy with the normal prayers—despite the absence of any hadith for it—yet they denied the recitation of al-Fatiha and another surah and refused to draw the same analogy, even though that practice is soundly transmitted from the Prophet. Reflect on this impartially! What further invalidates their restriction is the established recitation of a surah after al-Fatiha; it is inconceivable to confine that surah by the same condition they imposed on al-Fatiha, for most surahs contain no supplication, such as Surah al-Ikhlas, for example. (1) The evidence is the hadith of Abu Umamah: “The Sunnah in the funeral prayer is to recite Umm al-Quran (al-Fatiha) quietly after the first takbir, then say three further takbirs, and give the salam after the last one.” Al-Nasai recorded it (1/281), and Ibn Hazm reproduced it in Al-Muhalla (5/129) through al-Nasai’s chain: al-Layth → Ibn Shihab → him. Al-Nawawi ruled the isnad sound according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim in Al-Majmuʿ (5/233) and observed, “This Abu Umamah is a Companion.” Ibn Hajar likewise graded it sahih in Fath al-Bari (3/158). Al-Tahawi also transmitted it (1/288) via Shuayb → al-Zuhri, who said: “Abu Umamah told me …”