Abu Bakkar Al-Hakam bin Farrukh said:"Abu Al-Malih led us in offering the funeral prayer and we thought that he had said the Takbir, but he turned to us and said: 'Make you rows straight and intercede properly.' Abu Al-Malih said: Abdullah - meaning Ibn Salit-narrated to me that one of the Mothers of the believes, Maimunah the wife of the Prophet, said: The Prophet told me: There is no deceased person for whom a group of people offers the funeral prayer, but their intercession for him will be accepted.' I asked Abu Al-Malih about the (number of that) group and he said: 'Forty."'
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَوَاءٍ أَبُو الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكَّارٍ الْحَكَمُ بْنُ فَرُّوخٍ، قَالَ صَلَّى بِنَا أَبُو الْمَلِيحِ عَلَى جَنَازَةٍ فَظَنَنَّا أَنَّهُ قَدْ كَبَّرَ فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا بِوَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ أَقِيمُوا صُفُوفَكُمْ وَلْتَحْسُنْ شَفَاعَتُكُمْ قَالَ أَبُو الْمَلِيحِ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ - وَهُوَ ابْنُ سَلِيطٍ - عَنْ إِحْدَى أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَهِيَ مَيْمُونَةُ زَوْجُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَتْ أَخْبَرَنِي النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَا مِنْ مَيِّتٍ يُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ شُفِّعُوا فِيهِ " . فَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْمَلِيحِ عَنِ الأُمَّةِ فَقَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ .
Nesai
The Book of Funerals • Hadith 1993