“A funeral procession passed before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they spoke well of the deceased. He said: ‘It has become due.’ Then another passed, and they spoke ill of the deceased. He said: ‘It has become due.’ Then he went on to mention it.”

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. ʿĀmir ibn Saʿd—who was al-Bajalī—was included by Ibn Ḥibbān in Trustworthy Narrators (5/186), and Muslim narrated from him in his Ṣaḥīḥ. A number of trustworthy narrators also transmitted from him, and his report has corroboration, as will follow. Ibrāhīm ibn ʿĀmir, namely Ibn Masʿūd ibn Umayyah ibn Khalaf al-Qurashī al-Kūfī, is trustworthy without disagreement.

Aḥmad also transmitted it (2/261, 498, and 528), as did Ibn Mājah (1492) and Ibn Ḥibbān (748), through various chains from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr, from Abū Salamah, from Abū Hurayrah, with similar wording. This is a good chain of transmission. The hadith also has an authentic supporting narration from Anas with similar wording. It was transmitted by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, as well as others, through various chains from him. It is cited in The Rulings on Funerals (pp. 44–45).

2601 — “The last person to enter Paradise will be a man: at one point he will walk, at another he will stumble, and at another the Fire will scorch him. Once he has passed beyond it, he will turn toward it and say: ‘Blessed is He who has saved me from you! Allah has given me something that He has given to none of the former or latter generations.’

“Then a tree will be raised up before him, and he will say: ‘My Lord, bring me near to this tree so that I may shelter in its shade and drink from its water.’ Allah, Exalted is He, will say: ‘O son of Adam, perhaps if I grant it to you, you will ask Me for something else?’ He will say: ‘No, my Lord,’ and will pledge to Him that he will ask for nothing else. Yet his Lord will excuse him, for He sees what the man cannot bear to be without. So He will bring him near to it, and he will shelter in its shade and drink from its water.

“Then a tree, more beautiful than the first, will be raised up before him. He will say: ‘My Lord, bring me near to this one, so that I may drink from its water and shelter in its shade. I will ask You for nothing else.’ He will say: ‘O son of Adam, did you not pledge to Me that you would ask Me for nothing else? If I bring you near to it, perhaps you will ask Me for something else.’ So he will pledge to Him that he will ask for nothing else. Yet his Lord will excuse him, for He sees what the man cannot bear to be without. So He will bring him near to it, and he will shelter in its shade and drink from its water.

“Then a tree by the gate of Paradise, more beautiful than