Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Is it permissible to pray janazah if the body isn’t present (ghai’b i believe is the term). some brothers in teh masjid wanted to do this, but a salafi raised an uproar sayin it’s only for kings and famous people if the body isn’t present.
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray this finds you in the best of health and spirits.
There is difference of opinion about this matter. In the Hanafi school, there is no funeral prayer if the body isn’t present (salat al-gha’ib). It is permitted in some other schools, including the Shafi`i school. [ Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Nawawi, al-Majmu` Sharh al-Muhadhdhab ]
Such matters of difference of opinion should be dealt with with wisdom and mutual respect in communities.
Please search for related answers in the SunniPath Answers (qa.SunniPath.com).
Faraz Rabbani