Hadith Details

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ،‏.‏ وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ حَدَّثَنِي اللَّيْثُ، حَدَّثَنِي عُقَيْلٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَمَّا مَاتَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُبَىٍّ ابْنُ سَلُولَ دُعِيَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِيُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَثَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَتُصَلِّي عَلَى ابْنِ أُبَىٍّ وَقَدْ قَالَ يَوْمَ كَذَا كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ أُعَدِّدُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلَهُ، فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَخِّرْ عَنِّي يَا عُمَرُ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَلَمَّا أَكْثَرْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنِّي خُيِّرْتُ فَاخْتَرْتُ، لَوْ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي إِنْ زِدْتُ عَلَى السَّبْعِينَ يُغْفَرْ لَهُ لَزِدْتُ عَلَيْهَا ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ فَلَمْ يَمْكُثْ إِلاَّ يَسِيرًا حَتَّى نَزَلَتِ الآيَتَانِ مِنْ بَرَاءَةَ ‏ {‏وَلاَ تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا‏} ‏ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ ‏ {‏وَهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ‏} ‏ قَالَ فَعَجِبْتُ بَعْدُ مِنْ جُرْأَتِي عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ‏.‏

When `Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul died, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was called in order to offer the funeral prayer for him. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up (to offer the prayer) I jumped towards him and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you offer the prayer for Ibn Ubai although he said so-and-so on such-and-such-a day?" I went on mentioning his sayings. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) smiled and said, "Keep away from me, O `Umar!" But when I spoke too much to him, he said, "I have been given the choice, and I have chosen (this) ; and if I knew that if I asked forgiveness for him more than seventy times, he would be for given, I would ask it for more times than that." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) offered the funeral prayer for him and then left, but he did not stay long before the two Verses of Surat-Bara'a were revealed, i.e.:-- 'And never (O Muhammad) pray for anyone of them that dies.... and died in a state of rebellion.' (9.84) Later I was astonished at my daring to speak like that to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Allah and His Apostle know best.