He witnessed the funeral of Umm Kulthum and her son, and the boy was placed closer to the imam. He found this strange. Among the people present were Ibn Abbas, Abu Saeed Khudri, Abu Qatada, and Abu Hurairah, and they said, "This is the Sunnah."
أنه شهد جنازة أم كلثوم وابنها، فجعل الغلام ما يلي الإمام، فأنكرت ذلك، وفي القوم ابن عباس وأبو سعيد الخدري وأبو قتادة وأبو هريرة فقالوا: هذه السنة.
Abu Dawud (3193) narrated it from Yazid bin Khalid bin Mawhab Ramli, who said, Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Yahya bin Sabih, who said, Ammar, the freedman of Harith bin Nawfal, narrated to me, and he mentioned the hadith. Nasai (1977) also narrated it through another route from Ammar. In Nasai's wording, "The boy was brought forward on the side nearer the people, and the woman was placed behind him, and he prayed over both of them." It also contains, "So I asked them about that, and they said, It is the sunnah." Its chain is sahih.Bayhaqi (4/33), after narrating it through the route of Abu Dawud, said, "Hammad bin Salama also narrated it, from Ammar bin Abu Ammar, without the manner of the placement, in similar wording." He mentioned that the one leading the prayer was Ibn Umar, and said, "Among the people were Hasan, Husayn, and Abu Hurairah, along with Ibn Umar and about eighty of the companions of Muhammad ﷺ." Shaybi also narrated it and mentioned the manner of the placement in similar wording, and mentioned that the one leading the prayer was Ibn Umar, but he did not mention the question. He said, "Behind him stood Ibn Hanafiya, Husayn, and Ibn Abbas," and in another narration, "and Abdullah Ibn Jafar." "We have also related on this matter from Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abu Talib, and Wathila bin Asqa." End of quote.