A funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet ﷺ said, "It has been affirmed to him." Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased. The Prophet ﷺ said, "It has been affirmed to him". ʿUmar bin Al-Khattab asked (Messenger of Allah ﷺ ), "What has been affirmed?" He replied, "You praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to him; and you spoke badly of this, so Hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allah's witnesses on earth."  

النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مَرُّوا بِأُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ مَا وَجَبَتْ قَالَ هَذَا أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ خَيْرًا فَوَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ وَهَذَا أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ شَرًّا فَوَجَبَتْ لَهُ النَّارُ أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الأَرْضِ  

I came to Medina when an epidemic had broken out. While I was sitting with ʿUmar bin Al-Khattab a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed to him." And another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed to him." A third (funeral procession) passed by and the people spoke badly of the deceased. He said, "It has been affirmed to him." I (Abu Al-Aswad) asked, "O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed?" He replied, "I said the same as the Prophet ﷺ had said, that is: if four persons testify the piety of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise." We asked, "If three persons testify his piety?" He (the Prophet) replied, "Even three." Then we asked, "If two?" He replied, "Even two." We did not ask him regarding one witness.  

عُمَرُ ؓ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِأُخْرَى فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا خَيْرًا فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ؓ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِالثَّالِثَةِ فَأُثْنِيَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ فَقَالَ أَبُو الأَسْوَدِ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا وَجَبَتْ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ قُلْتُ كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَيُّمَا مُسْلِمٍ شَهِدَ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ بِخَيْرٍ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ فَقُلْنَا وَثَلاَثَةٌ قَالَ وَثَلاَثَةٌ فَقُلْنَا وَاثْنَانِ قَالَ وَاثْنَانِ ثُمَّ لَمْ نَسْأَلْهُ عَنِ الْوَاحِدِ  

Once I went to Medina where there was an outbreak of disease and the people were dying rapidly. I was sitting with ʿUmar and a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed" (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed." (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed (Paradise)." Then a third funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. ʿUmar said, "It has been affirmed (Hell)." I asked ʿUmar, "O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed?" He said, "I have said what the Prophet ﷺ said. He said, 'Allah will admit into paradise any Muslim whose good character is attested by four persons.' We asked the Prophet, 'If there were three witnesses only?' He said, 'Even three.' We asked, 'If there were two only?' He said, 'Even two.' But we did not ask him about one witness."  

أَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ وَقَدْ وَقَعَ بِهَا مَرَضٌ وَهُمْ يَمُوتُونَ مَوْتًا ذَرِيعًا فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَى عُمَرَ ؓ فَمَرَّتْ جِنَازَةٌ فَأُثْنِيَ خَيْرٌ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِأُخْرَى فَأُثْنِيَ خَيْرًا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِالثَّالِثَةِ فَأُثْنِيَ شَرًّا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ فَقُلْتُ مَا وَجَبَتْ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ قُلْتُ كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَيُّمَا مُسْلِمٍ شَهِدَ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ بِخَيْرٍ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ قُلْنَا وَثَلاَثَةٌ قَالَ وَثَلاَثَةٌ قُلْتُ وَاثْنَانِ قَالَ وَاثْنَانِ ثُمَّ لَمْ نَسْأَلْهُ عَنِ الْوَاحِدِ