11/24. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 961b — A Bier Passed Before Us
Standing for funerals
A Bier Passed Before Us: Was He Not a Soul Hadith
Sahih Muslim : 961b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 961b
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى، أَنَّ قَيْسَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ، وَسَهْلَ بْنَ حُنَيْفٍ، كَانَا بِالْقَادِسِيَّةِ فَمَرَّتْ بِهِمَا جَنَازَةٌ فَقَامَا فَقِيلَ لَهُمَا إِنَّهَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ . فَقَالاَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَرَّتْ بِهِ جَنَازَةٌ فَقَامَ فَقِيلَ إِنَّهُ يَهُودِيٌّ . فَقَالَ " أَلَيْسَتْ نَفْسًا " . وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ الْقَاسِمُ بْنُ زَكَرِيَّاءَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ شَيْبَانَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ وَفِيهِ فَقَالاَ كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمَرَّتْ عَلَيْنَا جَنَازَةٌ .
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abu Laila that while Qais b. Sa'd and Sahl b. Hunaif were both in Qadislyya a bier passed by them and they both stood up. They were told that it was the bier of one of the people of the land (non-Muslim). They said that a bier passed before the Prophet (ﷺ) and he stood up. He was told that he (the dead man) was a Jew. Upon this he remarked: Was he not a human being or did he not have a soul? And in the hadith narrated by 'Amr b. Murra with the same chain of transmitters, (the words) are:" There passed a bier before us."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 961a, 961bIn-book reference : Book 11, Hadith 103USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 2098
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 961b
This narration carries the same core report about standing for a funeral bier. Qais b. Sa'd and Sahl b. Hunaif stood when a bier passed by them in Qadisiyya. When they were told it belonged to one of the people of the land, they mentioned the Prophet’s example. A bier had passed before the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and he stood. When told the deceased was a Jew, he replied, “Was he not a soul?” Another wording says, “There passed a bier before us.” The hadith is searched under was he not a soul hadith, Jewish bier hadith, and standing for funeral procession hadith. Its focus is the Prophet’s response to death and the presence of a soul.
What we learn from this hadith
- The companions stood for a passing bier.
- They used the Prophet’s action as their reason.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) answered by pointing to the deceased as a soul.
- The narration teaches care in how people respond when a funeral passes.
