English
Malik ibn Hubayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'No Muslim dies and three rows of Muslims pray over him except that Paradise becomes obligatory for him.'" Malik, when the funeral attendees were few, would divide them into three rows based on this hadith. [Narrated by Abu Dawud]
In a narration by Tirmidhi: "Malik ibn Hubayrah, when praying over a funeral and finding the people few, would divide them into three parts. Then he said, 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Whoever is prayed over by three rows, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.'" Ibn Majah narrated something similar.
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sunan Abi Dawud 3166 (unverified) 98% confidence
- Candidate: Jami al-Tirmidhi 1028 (unverified) 96% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.