Arabic (Original)
قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ عَنْ مَرْثَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْيَزَنِيِّ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ هُبَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مِنْ مُؤْمِنٍ يَمُوتُ فَيُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةٌ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَلَغُوا أَنْ يَكُونُوا ثَلَاثَةَ صُفُوفٍ إِلَّا غُفِرَ لَهُ قَالَ فَكَانَ مَالِكُ بْنُ هُبَيْرَةَ يَتَحَرَّى إِذَا قَلَّ أَهْلُ جَنَازَةٍ أَنْ يَجْعَلَهُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ صُفُوفٍ.
English Translation
He said: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us, he said: Hammad ibn Zayd informed us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, from Marthad ibn 'Abdullah al-Yazani, from Malik ibn Hubayrah, who said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There is no believer who dies and a group of Muslims prays over him, numbering three rows, but he will be forgiven." He said: So Malik ibn Hubayrah used to make a point, when the mourners at a funeral were few, of arranging them into three rows.