THE DEAD CHAPTER 50 – BURYING THE BODY IN A HURRY
Abu Hurayrah related that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Hasten with the funeral procession. If it is a righteous person, you have done well for him; if it is not a righteous person, then he is an evildoer, and you have cast him off from your shoulders.” [95]
COMMENTARY
It is not permissible to hasten with the funeral procession in a manner that distresses it. Rather, it should be slightly faster than normal walking pace.
From ‘Uyayna’s father, Abdurrahman, may Allah be pleased with him, the following has been narrated: He was present at the funeral of Osman ibn Abu al-As and recounts that we were walking slowly. Then Abu Bakr came up from behind and joined us. He raised his whip and said, “I saw the Messenger of God hastening us while carrying (the bodies) before.”
It is narrated from Uyayna that the preceding hadith was related, and in this narration, Khalid bin Haris and Isa bin Yunus said they were present at the funeral of Abdurrahman bin Samura. The father of Uyayna, Abdurrahman, said: Abu Bakr extended his whip and drove his she-camel upon them.
Sa'd ibn Muadh, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
We asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about walking alongside a funeral procession. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Walk at a pace slightly slower than running. If it is something good, you have hastened to goodness. And if it is not something good, then may Allah’s mercy be distant from the people of the fire, [and] you accompany the funeral procession. One does not precede the funeral procession."