The Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman used to walk in front of the funeral procession.
حدثنا أبو موسى محمد بن المثنى حدثنا محمد بن بكر حدثنا يونس بن يزيد عن ابن شهاب
أن النبي ﷺ وأبا بكر وعمر وعثمان كانوا يمشون أمام الجنازة
[Hasan] Ibn Majah also narrated it, in the Book of Funerals, chapter on what has been said about walking in front of the funeral procession, hadith no. 1483, from the hadith of Muhammad bin Bakr through this same route. The preceding hadith, no. 1008, serves as a corroborating witness for it.