Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for Najashi. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said four takbirs over him. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed the funeral prayer for Najashi, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was present in his own area, was that Najashi’s land was near the direction of the qiblah. The reason for this is: When a person stands in Madinah Munawwarah, the city of Abyssinia is on the other side of the Ka’bah, and the Ka’bah is between Madinah Munawwarah and the land of Abyssinia. So, when a deceased person passes away and is buried, and then someone in another city learns of his death, and the city of the buried person is between the person’s city and the Ka’bah—that is, on the other side of the Ka’bah—then it is permissible for the person to perform the funeral prayer for him. But when a person dies and is buried in a city, and the one performing the prayer wants to offer the funeral prayer while remaining in his own city, and the city of the deceased is behind him, then it is not possible to perform the funeral prayer for him.