The ruling on leading funeral prayers of shia and agha khani
The ruling on leading funeral prayers of shia and agha khani:
Question: What do the esteemed Islamic scholars and Muftis of Shariah say regarding the following issue? A khateeb in the army is assigned the duty of leading funeral prayers for soldiers who die in battle. Regardless of their sect, he is expected to lead their funeral prayers. Some of the deceased soldiers are Shia or from the Agha Khani sect. If he refuses to lead their funeral prayers, it creates an issue with his official duty, but if he leads them, they are not considered Muslims. Kindly clarify the correct course of action according to Shariah.
Answer: One of the conditions for offering the funeral prayer is that the deceased must be a Muslim. Therefore, it is not permissible to lead the funeral prayer for members of the Agha Khani sect or Shia.
وشرطها اسلام الميت:
(Durr-e-Mukhtar, Vol. 1, p. 121)
فنقول لا يصلي على الكافر لان الصلاة على الميت دعاء واستغفار له والاستغفار للكافر حرام:
(Irshad ul-Mufteen, Vol. 1, p. 489)