Which row is the most virtuous in the funeral prayer?

Question

Regarding the funeral prayer, some people hold that the reward of the first row in it goes to those in the last row, and as proof of this they cite [the words] “the first of the rows is the last” (أول الصفوف آخرها). It is not known whether this is a hadith or someone’s saying. Some people say that this is a muddled issue and that it causes discord.

Answer

This issue is stated in the same way in al-Kabiri as well (p. 585): [ar]أفضل صفوف الرجال في الجنازة آخرها، وفي غيرها أولها، إظهارًا للتواضع، لتكون شفاعته أدعى للقبول[/ar] “The best of the men’s rows in the funeral [prayer] is the last, and in other [prayers] the first — as a display of humility, so that his intercession may be nearer to acceptance.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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