The Sufficient (Vol 3) · Hadith 642 (#Ḥadīth #3)

3ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ مُفَضَّلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ الْسَّلام) قَالَ مَشَى النَّبِيُّ (صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) خَلْفَ جَنَازَةٍ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ الله مَا لَكَ تَمْشِي خَلْفَهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ أَرَاهُمْ يَمْشُونَ أَمَامَهَا وَنَحْنُ تَبَعٌ لَهُمْ.

3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from Mufaddal ibn Salih from Jabir who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far , has said, ‘The Holy Prophet once was walking behind the coffin of a deceased person and he was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, why do you walk behind the coffin?” He replied, “I see angels walk in front of the coffin and we just follow them.’””

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).