Ibn 'Umar, do you hear what Abu Huraira says that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say:" He who goes out with the bier when taken out from its residence and offers prayer for it and he then follows it till it is buried, he would have two qirats of reward, each qirat being equivalent to Uhud; and he who, after having offered prayer, (directly) came back would have his reward (as great) as Uhud"? Ibn 'Umar sent Khabbab to 'A'isha in order to ask her about the words of Abu Huraira (and also told him) to come back to him (Ibn 'Umar) and inform him what 'A'isha said. (In the meanwhile) Ibn 'Umar took up a handful of pebbles and turned them over in his hand till the messenger (Khabbab) came back to him and told (him) that 'A'isha testified (the statement of) Abu Huraira. Ibn 'Umar threw the pebbles he had in his hand on the ground and then said: We missed a large number of qirats.
The Book of Prayer - Funerals
Sahih Muslim 945 g
Hadith Commentary
This narration from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, establishes the immense reward for accompanying the funeral procession from beginning to end. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ specified two distinct rewards: one qirat for praying over the deceased and another for following the bier until burial completion.
The qirat mentioned here is not the small weight measurement, but rather a massive mountain-like measure of reward - equivalent to Mount Uhud in magnitude. This demonstrates Allah's boundless generosity in rewarding even simple acts of kindness toward fellow Muslims.
Ibn 'Umar's careful verification through Lady 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, exemplifies the scholarly methodology of the Companions in preserving authentic traditions. His subsequent regret - "We missed a large number of qirats" - reveals the practical application of knowledge and the Companions' keenness to attain every possible reward.
This teaches us the importance of complete participation in funeral rites, not merely the prayer. The full reward requires accompanying the deceased until their final resting place, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of Islamic brotherhood and the dignity afforded to every Muslim in death.