that particular prayer in his statement, “When he prays sitting,” because the mischief for which the earlier ruling was given is no longer present. Moreover, it is more fitting to let the latter part of the prayer follow its beginning than to attach it to whatever posture the imām happens to be in. Other considerations of this sort are discussed elsewhere.
ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—followed a funeral, he would not sit down until the bier was laid in the grave-niche. A Jewish scholar once met him and said, ‘This is exactly how we do it, O Muhammad.’ The Messenger of Allah immediately sat down and said, ‘Oppose them.’” Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah.
(1) The word al-salat (the prayer) is absent from manuscripts Aj and D.
(2) The Companion in question is the distinguished Ubadah ibn al-Samit ibn Qays ibn Asram ibn Fihr al-Khazraji al-Ansari, kunya Abu al-Walid. He was one of the twelve naqibs of the Ansar, fought at Badr, Uhud, and every subsequent campaign with the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet appointed him over certain charitable collections, and he was among those who compiled the Quran during the Prophet’s lifetime and taught it to the Ahl al-Suffa. ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab later dispatched him with other Companions to Syria to teach the Quran and impart legal understanding; he resided in Hims, then in Palestine, and later returned to Medina during a dispute with Muʿawiya, after which ʿUmar sent him back to Syria saying to Muʿawiya, “You have no authority over him.” He died, may Allah be pleased with him, at Ramla—some say in Bayt al-Maqdis—in 34 AH/654 CE at the age of seventy-two. See: Ibn al-Athir, Usd al-ghaba 3:106–107.
(3) The printed edition reads: fa-taʿarraDa (“then he stepped forward”).
(4) That is, a Jew; linguistically, hibr denotes a scholar. See: al-Qamus al-muhit, root ḥ-b-r.
(5) See: Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Funerals, chapter “Standing for the bier,” hadith 3176 (3/520). Its wording is close to the present narration, with the additional phrase: “Sit down; differ from them.”
(6) See: Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Funerals, chapter “Standing for the bier,” hadith 1545 (1/493). The editor comments after the hadith: “Al-Sindi said: its chain is deemed weak.”