Waqid bin Amr says: I attended a funeral of Banu Salamah and (upon seeing the funeral) I stood up. Nafi’ bin Jubair said to me: Sit down, I will narrate to you a hadith about this issue from a trustworthy man. Mas’ud bin Hakam Zarqi narrated to me that he heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in the courtyard of the mosque of Kufa saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had commanded us to stand upon seeing a funeral, but after that, he would remain seated and ordered us to remain seated as well.

Muhammad bin Sirin says: I was informed that when a funeral passed by Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up upon seeing it, but Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) remained seated. Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): Did you not see the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when a funeral passed by him, he stood up? He replied: Yes, but then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat down. Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) did not object to his statement.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that a funeral passed by him. Upon seeing it, the people stood up, but he remained seated. Then Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, asked: What is this that you have done? The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, only stood up because of the discomfort caused by the stench of a Jewish corpse.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), or from one of them, that a Jewish funeral passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and said: "Its stench has caused me distress."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that people passed by with a funeral, and the people spoke good words about the deceased. Upon hearing this, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become obligatory, it has become obligatory, it has become obligatory." Then people passed by with another funeral, and the people spoke ill of the deceased. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It has become obligatory, it has become obligatory, it has become obligatory." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May my parents be sacrificed for you! When one funeral passed by and people spoke words of praise about him, you (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'It has become obligatory, it has become obligatory, it has become obligatory.' And when another funeral passed by and people spoke ill of him, you (peace and blessings be upon him) again said: 'It has become obligatory, it has become obligatory, it has become obligatory.'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (explaining) said: "For the one about whom you spoke good words, Paradise has become obligatory for him, and for the one about whom you spoke bad words, Hell has become obligatory for him. In reality, you are Allah's witnesses on earth, you are Allah's witnesses on earth, you are Allah's witnesses on earth."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated a similar hadith from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), except that in it: People mentioned the good qualities of one (funeral), and the bad qualities of the other (funeral), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It has become obligatory. Then he said: Indeed, you are Allah’s witnesses on the earth.

Abdullah bin Buraidah says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting at a place where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to sit, and people would pass by there with funeral processions. (On this occasion too) people passed by with a funeral, and the people spoke words of praise about the deceased. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It has become obligatory." After that, people passed by with another funeral, and people also spoke good words about that deceased. He said: "It has become obligatory." Then people passed by with another funeral, and it was also praised, so he said: "It has become obligatory." After that, people again passed by with a funeral, and the people said: "He was the most dishonest man." Upon hearing this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The person who is the most dishonest among people is also the one who lies the most against Allah, and the one who is less dishonest is the one who lies against the soul within his own body." People asked: "What is your opinion if four people testify?" He said: "It will become obligatory." People asked: "If three people testify?" He said: "Even then it will become obligatory." People asked: "If two people testify?" He said: "Even then it will become obligatory. And if I had asked about the testimony of one person, then that matter would have been more beloved to me than red camels." Someone asked Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "Are you saying all this from your own opinion or did you hear it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: "No, I heard all these things from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)."

Abu al-Aswad says: I came to Madinah Munawwarah, at that time a plague had spread there and people were dying rapidly. I was sitting with Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when a funeral passed by, and people spoke words of goodness about the deceased. He said: It has become obligatory. After that, another funeral passed by, and praiseworthy words were also spoken about that one, so he said: It has become obligatory. Then a third funeral passed by, and it was criticized, but even then he said: It has become obligatory. Abu al-Aswad said: O Commander of the Faithful! What has become obligatory? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I only spoke as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had said, that if four people testify to the goodness of a Muslim, Allah admits him to Paradise. We asked: And three people? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Even three. We asked: And two people? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Even two. Then we could not ask about the testimony of one person.

Sayyiduna Abu Zuhair Thaqafi رضي الله عنه says: I heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم saying at the place of Naba’ah or Nabawah near Ta’if: O people! You can recognize the people of Paradise among the people of Hell, or the righteous among the wicked. A man asked: O Messenger of Allah! How is that? He صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم replied: By bad or good praise; in reality, you are Allah’s witnesses for one another on earth.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) relates from Allah Almighty: If a Muslim man passes away and three household members from among his close neighbors bear witness to his goodness, then Allah Almighty says: My servants have borne witness according to their knowledge, I have accepted their testimony and I have forgiven those (sins) which I know.