If only one man is present with the imam, he does not stand beside him, as is the sunnah in the other prayers; rather, he stands behind the imam.
The evidence for this is the report of Abdullah ibn Abī Talhah that, when Umayr ibn Abī Talhah died, Abū Talhah asked the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—to come. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—came to them and offered the funeral prayer over him in their home. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—stood at the front, Abū Talhah stood behind him, and Umm Sulaym stood behind Abū Talhah. No one else was with them.” Reported by al-Hākim and al-Bayhaqī. (1)
When several funeral biers of men and women are assembled, a single funeral prayer is offered over them all. The male bodies—even those of young boys—are placed nearest the imam, and the female bodies nearest the qiblah.
The evidence for this is the report of Nāfi: “Ibn Umar offered the funeral prayer over nine funeral biers at once. He placed the men nearest the imam and the women nearest the qiblah, arranging them all in a single row. The bier of Umm Kulthūm bint Ali, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattāb, and that of a son of hers named Zayd were placed together. The imam that day was Saīd ibn al-Ās, and among those present were Ibn Umar, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Saīd, and Abū Qatādah. The boy was placed nearest the imam. A man said: I found that objectionable, so I looked at Ibn Abbas, Abū Hurayrah, Abū Saīd, and Abū Qatādah and asked, ‘What is this?!’ They replied, ‘It is the