Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْحَدَّادُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ فَرُّوخٍ أَبُو بَكَّارٍ أَنَّ أَبَا الْمَلِيحِ خَرَجَ عَلَى جَنَازَةٍ فَلَمَّا اسْتَوَى ظَنُّوا أَنَّهُ يُكَبِّرُ فَالْتَفَتَ فَقَالَ اسْتَوُوا لِتَحْسُنَ شَفَاعَتُكُمْ فَإِنِّي لَوْ اخْتَرْتُ رَجُلًا لَاخْتَرْتُ هَذَا إِلَّا أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلِيطٍ عَنْ إِحْدَى أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَهِيَ مَيْمُونَةُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ إِلَّا شُفِّعُوا فِيهِ قَالَ فَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْمَلِيحِ عَنْ الْأُمَّةِ فَقَالَ أَرْبَعُونَ.
English Translation
Abu 'Ubaydah 'Abd al-Wahid al-Haddad told us: al-Hakam bin Farrukh Abu Bakkar told us, that Abu al-Malih went out for a funeral, and when he stood up straight they thought he would say the takbir, but he turned and said: "Stand straight so that your intercession may be good, for had I chosen a man, I would have chosen this one - except that 'Abdullah bin Salit told me, from one of the Mothers of the Believers, namely Maymunah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'There is no Muslim over whom a community of people prays but that they are granted intercession for him.'" He said: I asked Abu al-Malih about the community, and he said: "Forty."