4. Allah, exalted is He, protected His Prophet ﷺ from having any act of shirk committed at his grave; He inspired the Companions and those who came after them to safeguard it.
5. This warning was among the last pieces of counsel he left for his community in the closing days of his life so that it would be preserved.

Hadith 5
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever accompanies a funeral until the prayer is performed for it receives one qirāṭ, and whoever stays with it until it is buried receives two qirāṭs.”
They asked, “What are the two qirāṭs?” He replied, “Like two immense mountains.” Muslim’s wording adds: “The smaller of the two is like Mount Uhud.”

Overall meaning
Allah, the Most Kind, wishes to open for His servants every avenue to forgiveness, especially at the moment they leave the world of deeds for the realm where their record is closed. For that reason He encouraged offering the funeral prayer and attending the burial, for such attendance is an intercession that becomes a cause for mercy.
Thus, whoever performs the funeral prayer is granted one qirāṭ of reward, and whoever remains until burial is granted an additional qirāṭ. This is an immense recompense whose exact measure is known only to Allah. When its magnitude was unclear to the Companions, the Prophet ﷺ brought it closer to their understanding by likening each qirāṭ to a great mountain.

Takeaways from the ḥadith

1. Enormous merit lies in praying over the deceased and escorting the funeral until burial. The majority of scholars hold that walking in front of the bier is preferable. Ibn al-Mundhir stated that it is established that the Prophet ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them) would walk in front of the funeral procession.
2. Both the one who performs the prayer and the one who escorts the funeral until burial receive a reward whose true extent is known only to Allah.
3. Praying for the deceased and accompanying his funeral is a kindness extended both to the dead and to the one who prays and escorts.
4. Allah’s bounty toward the deceased is evident in His encouraging many intercessors to plead for him, while granting those intercessors reward from Himself.
5. The reward is proportionate to the deeds performed: one qirāṭ for the person who merely prays, and two qirāṭs for the one who both prays and escorts the burial.