Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
What is meant by hastening with the funeral is not running, but rather walking faster than usual. According to the scholars, doing so is recommended (mustahabb); rather, one should proceed quickly in a dignified manner. Running fast may lead to unexpected accidents. It can also mean that after death, the burial (takfeen) should be expedited.

(2)
However, in the case of someone who died from plague, paralysis, or after falling unconscious, one should not hasten until it is certain that death has occurred. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has written that one should wait at least one day and one night. (Fath al-Bari: 3/236) However, the aforementioned specification of waiting is questionable. It is only necessary to be certain that death has occurred, even if that certainty comes after a few hours. In any case, it is not correct to keep the deceased for a long time after death, and it is recommended (mustahabb) to walk quickly when carrying the funeral. There is consensus among the scholars of the Ummah on this. And Allah knows best.

1911. Commentary: There can be two meanings to hastening with the funeral:

➊ Do not keep the funeral at home for too long; rather, expedite the shrouding (takfeen) and preparation (tajheez).

➋ After lifting the funeral bier, walk briskly. A person carrying a burden naturally walks quickly, but do not walk so fast that the deceased is jolted.

1912. Commentary: "You are removing from the necks"—according to the first meaning, this implies that you are freeing yourself from your responsibility; the second meaning is apparent.

Hadith Commentary:
Benefits and Issues:
Whether the deceased was righteous or wicked, in every case the funeral procession should be carried out swiftly.
This is so that the deceased may quickly reach their final destination,
and so that we may fulfill our obligation. For this reason, it is unanimously recommended (mustahabb) to hasten the funeral procession.
According to Ibn Hazm rahimahullah, it is obligatory (fard).
According to the majority (jumhur), what is meant is to proceed at a pace faster than normal walking, but running is not permissible. However, according to the Hanafi scholars (Ahnaf), a greater degree of swiftness is intended,
meaning it should be done very quickly, and nowadays there is a tendency to neglect this matter.
May Allah grant us the ability to follow the Sunnah.

Commentary: 1؎ :
According to the majority, the command is for recommendation (istihbab).
Ibn Hazm says that it is for obligation (wujub).

Benefits and Issues:
After death, one should hasten to bury the deceased.
Gathering distant relatives and friends and delaying burial while waiting for their arrival is an un-Islamic and inappropriate practice.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
It is not correct to delay the shrouding (kafan) of the deceased without a valid reason after giving the ritual bath (ghusl).

➋
Some people delay the burial because some close relatives of the deceased will come from another city or country, and only then will the burial take place. This custom is incorrect. Those who arrive later should go to the grave and make supplication (dua) for the deceased, and if they wish, they may perform the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) at the grave. The evidence for this is the following narration from Sahih al-Bukhari: There was a woman who used to clean the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid al-Nabawi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). One night, she passed away. The noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma‘in) did not consider it appropriate to trouble the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), so they performed her funeral prayer and buried her. When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) learned of her death, he went to her grave and performed the funeral prayer. See: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Funerals, Chapter: Performing the Funeral Prayer at the Grave after Burial, Hadith: 1337)

➌
One wisdom in hastening the burial is that a righteous believer quickly reaches his destination, for in the Hereafter there is nothing but good for him, and as for an evil person, the sooner he leaves the house, the better, so that those burying him may quickly be relieved of their obligation.

Lexical Explanation:
«اَسْرِعُوا» means to hasten in walking, or it means that after the certainty of death has occurred, one should hasten in the preparation and shrouding of the deceased.
«تَضَعُونَهُ» is derived from "wada‘", which means to put down or lay aside. It is used in contrast to "haml", which means to lift or carry. And it is figuratively used in the sense of "removing from oneself".

Benefit:
From this hadith, it is understood that after death has occurred, one should hasten in burying the deceased. Delaying for the purpose of gathering distant relatives and friends and waiting for their arrival is contrary to the Sunnah. Similarly, if a person passes away far from home, in another place or another country, then instead of bringing him back to his own country, he should be buried in the country where he passed away. For example: if a person goes to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah and dies there, then there is no need to bring him back to Pakistan; rather, burying him there is closer to the Sunnah.

Benefit:
From this hadith, it is understood that when the death of someone is confirmed with certainty, there should be no delay in burying them; rather, they should be buried immediately. It is only necessary to inform enough people so that some may come to dig the grave, some may begin to perform the ritual bath (ghusl) for the deceased, and some may carry the body to the graveyard.

Furthermore, this hadith also establishes that the deceased speaks, but we do not know the manner (kayfiyyah) of this.

O Lord of the worlds, include the writer, his teachers, and his family among the servants of hadith on the Day of Judgment. Ameen.