When the funeral is placed and men carry it on their shoulders, if it was righteous, it says: Take me forward,

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that when the deceased is placed on the bier and carried by men on their shoulders, if the deceased was righteous, it would say: Take me forward, because of the bliss it sees ahead. But if the deceased was not righteous, it would cry out in a terrible voice: Woe to it! Where are they taking it?! Due to the torment it sees ahead. Everything hears its voice except man, and if he could hear it, he would be unconscious from the intensity of what he hears.

Lessons

• The righteous deceased sees the good tidings before being buried, while the disbeliever is distressed and sees the opposite.
• Some sounds are heard by creatures other than humans, but humans cannot hear them.
• The Sunnah is to carry the funeral bier on the shoulders of men, not women, due to the Prophet's prohibition of women following the funeral procession.