Nasai

Hadith Commentary: The fact that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stood up even for the funeral of a Jew demonstrates how much love he had in his blessed heart for every human being, purely on the basis of the bond of humanity.

Several reasons have been mentioned for standing upon seeing the funeral of a Jew. Something similar is mentioned in the following hadith as well. There, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself answered this question. "Alaisat nafsan"—that is, in terms of the soul, a Muslim and a non-Muslim are equal. Both life and death befall everyone.

There is further detail in the narration of Jabir (radi Allahu anhu): "A funeral passed by, so the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stood up for it, and we stood up with him. We said: O Messenger of Allah, it was a Jewish funeral. He said: Indeed, death is a terrifying thing, so when you see a funeral, stand up." (Agreed upon)

That is, a funeral passed by, upon which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and all of us following him stood up. Later, we said: O Messenger, it was the funeral of a Jewess. He replied: Whatever the case, indeed death is something that causes great distress. Whoever's death it may be, seeing it should cause one to feel alarm, so whenever you see a funeral, stand up.

In the narrations of al-Nasa'i and al-Hakim, in the hadith of Anas (radi Allahu anhu), it is stated: "We stood up only for the angels." And in Ahmad, there is a similar narration from Abu Musa (radi Allahu anhu).

Thus, the summary is that upon seeing a funeral, regardless of religion, one should stand up to take a lesson, to remember death, and to honor the angels. The correspondence between the hadith and the chapter is evident.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Allah, the Exalted, granted the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the ability to see behind him while leading prayer, just as He has granted ordinary people the ability to see in front of them. And this seeing was real in actuality; there is no need for any interpretation in this regard. However, to deduce from this narration that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to see in all six directions at all times, and that he is still seeing, is incorrect, because these ahadith pertain only to prayer, not to seeing in front or behind at all times. And the congregation was led by you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) during your worldly life; now your connection with this world has ended, and you have attained the life of barzakh. To use this as evidence for your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) being a "martyr" and that you will bear witness regarding the ummah on the Day of Judgment is not correct, because your ummah will also bear witness—so does that mean they are also seeing?

﴿وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۗ﴾ "And the Messenger will be a witness over you," before this it is stated: ﴿لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ﴾ "So that you may be witnesses over mankind." And addressing the hypocrites, it is said: ﴿وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ﷭ (at-Tawbah) "And say: Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers." So, are the believers also seeing the outward and inward of the hypocrites? And has Allah granted the believers this blessing of seeing? And if He grants a blessing, He does not take it back; His blessings are everlasting. Then, are the believers also seeing everywhere?

In Surah al-Hajj, it is stated: ﴿لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا﴾ (So that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) may be a witness over you). Your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) testimony is for your ummah, and the testimony of the ummah is for all people. So, does that mean the ummah is seeing the deeds of all people?

The real truth is what Allamah Saeedi, after unnecessary philosophizing, has quoted from Shaykh Abdul Haq, whose final sentence is: "Thus, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) does not know except that which his Lord, Tabaraka wa Ta'ala, informs him—whether in the state of prayer or otherwise." So, whether it is the state of prayer or otherwise, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) does not have knowledge of anything except what Allah, the Exalted, informs him. (Sharh Sahih Muslim Urdu, Allamah Saeedi: 1/1226)

Then, regarding ﴿وَمَا أَدْرِي مَا يُفْعَلُ بِي وَلَا بِكُمْ ۖ﴾, he has given a strange and odd answer, that in this hadith, only the negation of "dirayah" (personal discernment) is intended. There is no negation of knowledge ('ilm) or sight (basar); the meaning of "dirayah" is to know something by one's own intellect. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) knows matters of the unseen (umoor ghaybiyyah) through Allah's teaching, not by himself. (Sharh Sahih Muslim: 1/1225)

Whatever Allah, the Exalted, has informed you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) of, which believer in you can deny that knowledge? The real issue is to establish that Allah, the Exalted, has given you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) knowledge of everything, and for this, according to the Hanafi principles of jurisprudence, a definitive (qat'i) proof is required.

In the Noble Qur'an, addressing the polytheists, it is stated: ﴿قُلْ لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلا أَدْرَاكُمْ بِهِ﴾ "Say: If Allah had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you." So, did the polytheists come to know by their own intellects?

Benefits and Issues:
In this hadith, there is an instruction to stand.
However, in the subsequent narration, it is explicitly mentioned
that later the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) began to sit.
Therefore, the command to stand is abrogated,
or else, both actions are permissible.

1923. Commentary: For details, see Hadith number 1915.