Explanation of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said: (There is no Muslim man who dies and forty men stand over his funeral prayer...)

The Shaykh : The remaining hadiths in this chapter all follow this same direction. After this explanation, I do not think we are in need of much further commentary.
The second hadith, which is also authentic, states:
And from Kuraib, that Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: It was narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah.
This hadith contains the same as the previous hadith, but with something that differs from it on the surface. First is the number: there the number was one hundred, and here the number is forty. Is there a difference? The answer is no.
This kind of difference in number exists in many hadiths related to the chapter of encouraging a certain matter. The reason for the lack of contradiction is that the greater the number, the greater the favor of Allah the Exalted, and the one with the smaller number is what was established in the beginning. In other words, Allah Blessed and Exalted is He legislated for His servants in the beginning that whoever prays over the dead with one hundred people, these people will intercede for him. Regarding the forty, the number is narrowed here, but regarding the benefit for the deceased, it is narrowed because one hundred people may not be available. So Allah the Exalted increased His favor upon His servants by lowering the number to forty and did not make it a condition that the number be one hundred.
This is the reconciliation between the two numbers that appear to contradict each other at first glance. But in this hadith, there is a warning about an important matter that I mentioned earlier: to understand from some of the hadiths, as I mentioned, the necessity of sincerity in supplication for those who supplicate for the deceased.
But you are now facing a very important condition that suits the situation of Muslims today, in terms of their distance from understanding the reality of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). Here, it is conditioned that the number be forty who do not associate anything with Allah. Do you see if we can guarantee that forty or more of these Muslims whom we know today meet this condition of not associating anything with Allah? I hope, I hope that is the case, but not everything a person wishes for is attained. How so, when we are still today arguing with one another about many of the existing matters of shirk (associating partners with Allah), not only in Damascus or Aleppo or Syria, but in the entire Islamic world.
We have read in some magazines recently some surveys conducted by some people today in some Islamic countries. And they speak about the countries that the Soviets currently control, a large part of which were Islamic countries... And this surveyor speaks of how the graves there are standing on their feet and legs in terms of their exaltation, and vows made to them, and so on. So we say: why do people today be surprised that Muslims return to being humiliated, when they do not worship Allah Blessed and Exalted is He with the true tawhid? We complain about this here and there.
Who among us does not hear the general people, during their conversation, this one swearing by his father and that one swearing by his son because he is dear to him, and some people who had a distinguishing name... the Abadiyyah who swear by their mustaches, even though the mustaches have flown away now, meaning they are no longer there. These are all oaths for which Allah has not sent down any authority. But do people remember that all of this is shirk (associating partners with Allah)?
I believe that few have not heard the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) But it enters from here and exits from there, leaving no effect in the hearts of these listeners. Why? Because the disbelievers of Quraysh, for example, used to hear, but they did not hear. Therefore, they were compared to the dead: You do not hear the dead. The intended meaning here, and the speech continues, the intended meaning in the verse directly is the living among the polytheists, but they were compared to the actual dead in their graves, because these dead do not hear. So these living were compared to the dead in that they do not benefit from what they hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of admonitions. They were compared to the dead in their graves. We are, unfortunately, in many aspects like those dead: we hear the speech and are not affected by it at all. And this is the example: I do not think there is a very rare instance among the ignorant Muslims who has not heard this hadith. But nevertheless, the ignorant Muslims, and the cultured among them, and some of the shaykhs we know in some Islamic countries, swear by other than Allah and tell you, "This is a slip of the tongue with no value." But as we have always and forever established for you, the apparent is the title of the hidden: "Every vessel emits what is in it". So if this person who swears by other than Allah has filled his heart with love for Allah and exaltation of Him, how can it occur to him or run on his tongue to swear by other than Him Blessed and Exalted is He? This is absolutely impossible. But most of them do not understand and do not know.
So here is a very important condition regarding our distance from tawhid (the oneness of Allah), except for whom Allah wills, and they are few. He (peace be upon him) said: .