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.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
bayhaqi:6927 – Abū al-Ḥusayn b. Bishrān> Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Miṣrī > Ibn Abū Maryam > al-Firyābī > Sufyān > Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī > Ḥumayd b. Hilāl > Hishām b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] When it was the day of Uhud, they complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about hunger. They said, "O Messenger of Allah, the pits are becoming severe on us for every person." He said, "Dig deeper, improve, and bury two or three in one grave." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, then who shall we bury first?" He said, "Most of them are Quran." So, my father was buried with two others in one grave. It was narrated from Sa'd bin Hisham from his father.  

البيهقي:٦٩٢٧ – أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ بْنُ بِشْرَانَ بِبَغْدَادَ أنبأ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمِصْرِيُّ ثنا ابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ ثنا الْفِرْيَابِيُّ ثنا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ السَّخْتِيَانِيِّ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلَالٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

لَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ أُحُدٍ شَكَوْا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ الْقَرْحَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ يَشْتَدُّ عَلَيْنَا الْحَفْرُ لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ قَالَ أَعْمِقُوا وَأَحْسِنُوا وَادْفِنُوا الِاثْنَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةَ فِي قَبْرٍ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ فَمَنْ نُقَدِّمُ قَالَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ قُرْآنًا قَالَ فَدُفِنَ أَبِي ثَالِثَ ثَلَاثَةٍ فِي قَبْرٍ وَقَدْ قِيلَ عَنْهُ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Ṭabarānī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
nasai:2010 – Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Isḥāq b. Yūsuf > Sufyān > Ayyūb > Ḥumayd b. Hilāl > Hishām b. ʿĀmir

"We complained to the Messenger of Allah on the day of Uhud, saying: 'O Messneger of Allah, it is too difficult for us to dig a grave for each person.' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Dig graves and make them good and deep, and bury two or three in one grave.' They said: 'Who should we put in first, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Put in first the one who knew more Qur'an."' He said: "My father was the third of three in one grave."  

النسائي:٢٠١٠ – أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلاَلٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

شَكَوْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْحَفْرُ عَلَيْنَا لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ شَدِيدٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ احْفِرُوا وَأَعْمِقُوا وَأَحْسِنُوا وَادْفِنُوا الاِثْنَيْنِ وَالثَّلاَثَةَ فِي قَبْرٍ وَاحِدٍ قَالُوا فَمَنْ نُقَدِّمُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ قَدِّمُوا أَكْثَرَهُمْ قُرْآنًا قَالَ فَكَانَ أَبِي ثَالِثَ ثَلاَثَةٍ فِي قَبْرٍ وَاحِدٍ  

tabarani:18741 – Muḥammad b. al-Naḍr al-Azdī > Muʿāwiyah b. ʿAmr > Abū Isḥāq al-Fazārī > Sufyān > Ayyūb > Ḥumayd b. Hilāl > Hishām b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] They complained to the Prophet ﷺ about wounds and dug holes for each person on the day of Uhud. He said, "Dig deeper, make it bigger, make it well, and bury two or three people in one grave." They asked, "Who should we bury first?" He said, "The one who knows the most Quran."  

الطبراني:١٨٧٤١ – حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ النَّضْرِ الْأَزْدِيُّ ثنا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الْفَزَارِيُّ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلَالٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

شَكَوْا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ الْقَرْحَ وَالْحَفْرَ لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ فَقَالَ «احْفِرُوا وَأَعْمِقُوا وَأَحْسِنُوا وَادْفِنُوا الِاثْنَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةَ فِي قَبْرٍ» قَالُوا فَمَنْ نُقَدِّمُ؟ قَالَ «أَكْثَرَهُمْ قُرْآنًا»  

nasai-kubra:2148 – Muḥammad b. Bashhār > Isḥāq b. Yūsuf > Sufyān > Ayyūb > Ḥumayd b. Hilāl > Hishām b. ʿĀmir

"We complained to the Messenger of Allah on the day of Uhud, saying: 'O Messneger of Allah, it is too difficult for us to dig a grave for each person.' The Messenger of Allah said: 'Dig graves and make them good and deep, and bury two or three in one grave.' They said: 'Who should we put in first, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Put in first the one who knew more Qur'an."' He said: "My father was the third of three in one grave." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2010)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢١٤٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ هِلَالٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ

شَكَوْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ الْحَفْرُ عَلَيْنَا لِكُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ شَدِيدٌ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «احْفِرُوا وَأَعْمِقُوا وَأَحْسِنُوا وَادْفِنُوا الِاثْنَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةِ فِي قَبْرٍ وَاحِدٍ» قَالُوا فَمَنْ نُقَدِّمُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟ قَالَ «قَدِّمُوا أَكْثَرَهُمْ قُرْآنًا» قَالَ فَكَانَ أَبِي ثَالِثَ ثَلَاثَةٍ فِي قَبْرٍ وَاحِدٍ