Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

The servant of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that Abdullah’s son passed away. He said to me: “Kuraib! Get up and go see if anyone has come for my son (for his funeral prayer)?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “Oh! May you perish, how many are they... are they forty?” I said: “They are more than forty.” He said: “Lift up my son’s body. I bear witness that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘If forty believers intercede for a believer (for forgiveness), Allah accepts their intercession for the deceased.’”