We were with the Prophet ﷺ when a funeral procession passed by, and the deceased was praised in fine terms.He said, "It has become certain!"Then another funeral passed by, and the deceased was spoken of less favorably.He said, "It has become certain!"They asked, "Messenger of Allah, what has become certain?"He replied, "The angels are Allah's witnesses in the heavens, and you are Allah's witnesses on the earth. Whatever you testify to has become certain."Then he recited, "And say, 'Work, for Allah will see your deeds, and so will His Messenger and the believers'" [Tawba 9:105].
كنا مع النبي ﷺ فمر عليه بجنازة، فأثني عليها ب حدثناء حسن، فقال: وجبت! ومر عليه بجنازة أخرى، فأثني عليها دون ذلك، فقال: وجبت! قالوا: يا رسول الله، ما وجبت؟ قال: الملائكة شهداء الله في السماء، وأنتم شهداء الله في الأرض، فما شهدتم عليه وجب. ثم قرأ: {وقل اعملوا فسيرى الله عملكم ورسوله والمؤمنون} الآية. [سورة التوبة: ١٠٥].
Tabari narrated it in his Tafsir (2/632) from Abu Kurayb (Muhammad bin Ala bin Kurayb), he said, Zayd bin Hubab narrated to us, Ikrima bin Ammar narrated to us, Iyas bin Salama bin Akwa narrated to me, from his father, who said, then he mentioned it. Its isnad is hasan because of Ikrima bin Ammar Ajli and his student Zayd bin Hubab Ukayli, for the two of them make the hadith hasan.Ibn Abu Shayba (12119) also narrated it from Zayd bin Hubab, from Musa bin Ubayda, from Iyas bin Salama, in similar fashion, except that he did not mention the verse. Musa bin Ubayda is Ibn Nushayt Rabazi, who is daif by the agreement of the scholars, though he was not accused of lying, and in any case he has been corroborated in the first isnad.