that ʿIkrimah reported from Ibn ʿAbbās: “When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, the men were ushered in and performed the funeral prayer over him without an imam, entering in groups one after another until they had finished. Then the women were admitted and prayed over him, followed by the boys, and finally the slaves; no one led any of them.

Al-Wāqidī said: Mūsā ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Taymī related to me—I found it in my father’s own handwriting—that when the Messenger of Allah was shrouded and placed upon his bier, Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and a number of the Emigrants and Helpers entered. They said, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,” and the Emigrants and the Helpers offered the same greeting. They then formed rows, with no one acting as imam. Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, standing in the first row, prayed:

“O Allah, we bear witness that he conveyed what was revealed to him, advised his community, and strove in Your path until You exalted Your religion and perfected Your word. We believe in You alone, without partner. So, our God, make us among those who follow the revelation sent down with him, and gather us together with him so that he may recognise us and we may recognise him—for he was, toward the believers, most kind and merciful. We will never seek a substitute for faith, nor ever barter it for any gain.”

The people would respond, “Āmīn, Āmīn,” then depart while others entered, until the men had prayed over him, followed by the women and then the children. (A mursal report whose chain is weak, yet whose wording is sound.)

Salamah ibn Nabīṭ ibn Sharīṭ narrated—on the authority of his father, from Sālim ibn ʿUbayd, who had been one of the Companions of the Bench—that they asked, “Shall we bury the Messenger of Allah, and where shall we bury him?” Abū Bakr replied, “In the very spot where Allah took him, for no soul is taken except in a blessed place.” They understood that it was as he had said.

Some transmitters, after mentioning Salamah, also name Nuʿaym ibn Abī Hind.

Yūnus ibn Bukayr reported from Ibn Isḥāq: Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to me, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said, “When they wished to dig for the Messenger…”