And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The chapter on the recommendation of increasing the number of people praying over the funeral. It was narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

There is no one who dies and a community of Muslims numbering one hundred, all of whom intercede for him, but they will intercede for him

ما من ميت يصلي عليه أمة من المسلمين يبلغون مئة كلهم يشفعون له إلا شفعوا فيه

Narrated by Muslim. And it was narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

If any Muslim dies and forty men who associate nothing with Allah stand over his prayer (they offer prayer over him), Allah will accept them as intercessors for him.

ما من رجل مسلم يموت فيقوم على جنازته أربعون رجلًا لا يشركون بالله شيئًا إلا شفعهم الله فيه

Sahih Muslim 948

Narrated by Muslim. And it was narrated from Murthad ibn Abdullah al-Yazni that he said: Malik ibn Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), when he prayed over a funeral and the people were few over it, would divide them into three groups over it, and then he would say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

For whomever three rows perform Salat, then it is granted.

من صلى عليه ثلاثة صفوف فقد أوجب

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1028Da'if (Darussalam)

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who said: It is a good hadith".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The chapter on the recommendation of increasing the number of people praying over the deceased". Before we discuss this chapter, I would like to inform you that there will be a prayer for rain tomorrow, if Allah wills, at exactly six and a quarter. If the weather is clear, the prayer will be in the prayer area of the Eid prayer ground, as that is better. If it is raining, the prayer will be here, if Allah wills. Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned three hadiths: the hadith of Aisha, the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, and the hadith of Malik ibn Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). All of them indicate that the more people gather over the deceased, the better it is and the more hopeful for intercession. So in the hadith of Aisha: It is known that those who pray over the funeral intercede to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for this deceased, so they ask Allah for forgiveness and mercy for the deceased. In the funeral prayer, this is among the most obligatory things in the prayer; indeed, it is a pillar of the prayer, and the funeral prayer is not valid without it, except for the one who joins late. The hadith of Ibn Abbas indicates that if forty men who do not associate anything with Allah stand over his funeral, Allah will accept their intercession for him, meaning He will accept their intercession for him. This is glad tidings for the believer if the people gather over his funeral and intercede for him with Allah, that Allah the Exalted will accept their intercession for him. As for the hadith of Malik ibn Hubayrah, it contains the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): or he said: meaning that Paradise becomes obligatory for him. All these hadiths indicate that the more people gather, the better it is. For this reason, we find that some people, when they pray over a funeral in a mosque, notify the people of other mosques to attend the second mosque so that the gathering is larger. It is incumbent upon the imam, if he sees the people who came to witness the funeral prayer and sees that they have missed some of the prayer, i.e., the obligatory prayer, not to hasten in praying over the deceased until those who are making up their prayer finish, so that they can join the present ones in praying over the deceased, making the gathering larger. Perhaps the supplication of one of those who are making up the prayer is the one that is answered, and one does not know. And the fact that some people, as soon as they finish their prayer, stand up and pray over the funeral, even though they are making up a row or more behind them, is permissible, but it is better to wait until the people finish their prayers and pray over the funeral. This does not cause much delay; the most there is is ten minutes at most. And success is from Allah.