Dought & clear - Who is most entitled to lead the funeral prayer over the deceased?.

If the deceased appointed someone to lead the funeral prayer for him
after his death, does he take precedenceover the imam of the mosque in
that case?
Praise be to Allah.
The one who is most entitled to lead the funeral prayer over the
deceased is the imam of the mosque, whether or not the deceased left
instructions that a particular person lead the funeral prayer over
him. If the imam of the mosque gives up that right and allows the one
whom the deceased had named to lead the prayer, there is nothing wrong
with that. But if he holds onto his right, then he has the right to do
so, because of the hadeeth of Abu Mas'ood al-Ansaari (may Allah be
pleased with him), in which it says: "…No man should lead another
manin prayer in his place of authority, or sit in his place of honour
in his house, without his permission."
It was narrated that Saalim ibn Abi Hafsah said: I heard Abu Haazim
say: I was present on theday al-Hasan ibn 'Ali died, and I saw
al-Husayn ibn 'Ali pokingSa'eed ibn al-'Aas in the shoulder and
saying: Go forward (to lead the prayer); were it not that it is
Sunnah, you would not be asked to go forward."
Saalim is da'eef (i.e., a weak narrator), but a similar report was
narrated by an-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah with another isnaad from
AbuHaazim. Ibn al-Mundhir said in al-Awsat: There is no hadeeth of a
higher category concerning thismatter apart from this, because the
funeral of al-Hasan was attended by a large number of theSahaabah and
others.
End quote from Talkheesal-Habeer, 2/88 by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allah have mercy on him).
It says in Fath al-Qadeer (2/117): The one who is most entitled to
lead the funeral prayer for the deceased is the ruler, if he is
present, because giving anyone else precedence over him is akind of
disrespect towards him. If he is not present, then the qaadi (judge)
should lead the prayer, because he is in a position of authority. Ifhe
is not present then the imam of the neighbourhood should lead the
prayer, because the deceased accepted him (as imam) when he was alive.
Next in order of preference comes the next of kin… End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If the deceased had left instructions that a particular person should
offer the funeral prayer for him, does this persontake precedence over
the regular imam?
He replied: The regular imam is more entitled to offer the funeral
prayer than the one whom the deceased had requested,because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "No man
should lead another man in prayer in his place of authority", and the
imam of the mosque is the person of authority in his mosque.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 13/137
And Allah knows best.

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