Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:13039ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Maʿmar > Thābit > Anas

[Machine] I passed by a funeral procession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , and he said, "Praise him." They said, "He used to love Allah and His Messenger, and they used to praise him well." He said, "It is obligatory." Then, he passed by another funeral, and he said, "Praise him." They said, "He was a bad person in the religion of Allah." He said, "You are witnesses of Allah on earth."  

أحمد:١٣٠٣٩حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ

مُرَّ بِجِنَازَةٍ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَثْنُوا عَلَيْهَا فَقَالُوا كَانَ مَا عَلِمْنَا يُحِبُّ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهِ خَيْرًا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ أُخْرَى فَقَالَ أَثْنُوا عَلَيْهَا فَقَالُوا بِئْسَ الْمَرْءُ كَانَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ أَنْتُمْ شُهُودُ اللهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī
nasai:1933Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik > Shuʿbah > Ibrāhīm b. ʿĀmir And Jadduh Umayyah b. Khalaf > ʿĀmir b. Saʿd > Abū Hurayrah

"A funeral passed by the Prophet and they praised (the deceased). The Prophet said: 'It is granted.' Then another funeral passed by and they criticized (the deceased). The Prophet said: 'It is granted.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, you said in both cases, 'It is granted?' The Prophet said: 'The angels are the witnesses of Allah in heaven, and you are the witnesses of Allah on Earth."'  

النسائي:١٩٣٣أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ وَجَدُّهُ أُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَامِرَ بْنَ سَعْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

مَرُّوا بِجَنَازَةٍ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مَرُّوا بِجَنَازَةٍ أُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَوْلُكَ الأُولَى وَالأُخْرَى وَجَبَتْ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَأَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ  

ibnmajah:1491Aḥmad b. ʿAbdah > Ḥammād b. Zayd > Thābit > Anas b. Mālik

“A funeral (procession) passed by the Prophet ﷺ and they praised (the deceased) and spoke well of him. He said: ‘(Paradise is) guaranteed for him.’ Then another funeral passed by and they spoke badly of him, and he (the Prophet ﷺ) said: ‘(Hell is) guaranteed for him.’ It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, you said that (Paradise was) guaranteed for this one and that (Hell was) guaranteed for the other one.’ He said: ‘It is the testimony of the people, and the believers are the witnesses of Allah on earth.’”  

ابن ماجة:١٤٩١حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

مُرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قُلْتَ لِهَذِهِ وَجَبَتْ وَلِهَذِهِ وَجَبَتْ فَقَالَ شَهَادَةُ الْقَوْمِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ شُهُودُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ  

ibnmajah:1492Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > ʿAlī b. Mushir > Muḥammad b. ʿAmr > Abū Salamah > Abū Hurayrah

“A funeral passed by the Prophet ﷺ and they praised (the deceased) and spoke well of him and mentioned his good characteristics. He said: ‘(Paradise is) guaranteed for him.’ Then another funeral passed by and they spoke badly of him and mentioned his bad characteristics, and he the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘(Hell is) guaranteed for him. You are the witnesses of Allah on earth.’”  

ابن ماجة:١٤٩٢حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

مُرَّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فِي مَنَاقِبِ الْخَيْرِ فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مَرُّوا عَلَيْهِ بِأُخْرَى فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فِي مَنَاقِبِ الشَّرِّ فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ إِنَّكُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ  

ahmad:13572ʿAffān > Ḥammād > Thābit > Anas b. Mālik

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , passed by a funeral, so they praised it. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said, "It is now obligatory." Then he passed by another funeral, and they spoke ill of it. The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , said, "It is now obligatory." Then he said, "You are the witnesses of Allah on Earth."  

أحمد:١٣٥٧٢حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ مَرَّتْ عَلَيْهِ جَنَازَةٌ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ أُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ  

ahmad:10471Yazīd > Muḥammad > Abū Salamah > Abū Hurayrah

“A funeral passed by the Prophet ﷺ and they praised (the deceased) and spoke well of him and mentioned his good characteristics. He said: ‘(Paradise is) guaranteed for him.’ Then another funeral passed by and they spoke badly of him and mentioned his bad characteristics, and he the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘(Hell is) guaranteed for him. You are the witnesses of Allah on earth.’” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 1492)   

أحمد:١٠٤٧١حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

مَرُّوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فِي مَنَاقِبِ الْخَيْرِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مَرُّوا عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ أُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فِي مَنَاقِبِ الشَّرِّ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ إِنَّكُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ  

ذِكْرُ الْإِخْبَارِ بِإِيجَابِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَلَا لِلْمَيِّتِ مَا أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ مِنْ خَيْرٍ أَوْ شَرٍّ

ibnhibban:3023al-Faḍl b. al-Ḥubāb al-Jumaḥī > Sulaymān b. Ḥarb > Shuʿbah > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Ṣuhayb > Anas b. Mālik

[Machine] "They passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during a funeral procession and spoke ill of it, so he said ﷺ, 'It is deserved.' They passed by another funeral procession and spoke well of it, so he said ﷺ, 'It is deserved.' Umar said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is deserved?' He said, 'If they pass by this one and speak ill of it, then the Fire is deserved. And if they pass by this one and speak well of it, then Paradise is deserved. And you are the witnesses of Allah on earth.'"  

ابن حبّان:٣٠٢٣أَخْبَرَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ الْحُبَابِ الْجُمَحِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ صُهَيْبٍ عَنِ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

مَرُّوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ ﷺ «وَجَبَتْ» وَمَرُّوا بِأُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ ﷺ «وَجَبَتْ» فَقَالَ عُمَرُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا وَجَبَتْ؟ قَالَ «مَرُّوا بِتِلْكَ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَوَجَبَتِ النَّارُ وَمَرُّوا بِهَذِهِ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَوَجَبَتِ الْجَنَّةُ وَأَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ»  

bayhaqi:7185Abū al-Ḥusayn b. Bishrān > Ismāʿīl b. Muḥammad al-Ṣaffār > Aḥmad b. Manṣūr > ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Maʿmar > Thābit al-Bunānī > Anas

[Machine] Passed by a funeral on the Prophet ﷺ , and he said, "Praise him." So they replied, "He was, as we knew, one who loved Allah and His Messenger and praised him well." He said, "Indeed, it is obligatory." He passed by another funeral and said, "Praise him." So they replied, "What a bad person he was in the religion of Allah!" He said, "You are witnesses for Allah on the earth."  

البيهقي:٧١٨٥أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ بْنُ بِشْرَانَ أنبأ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّفَّارُ ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ ثنا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أنبأ مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ الْبُنَانِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسٍ ؓ قَالَ

مُرَّ بِجِنَازَةٍ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ أَثْنُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا كَانَ فِيمَا عَلِمْنَا يُحِبُّ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهِ خَيْرًا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ قَالَ ثُمَّ مُرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَقَالَ أَثْنُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا بِئْسَ الْمَرْءُ كَانَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ