Sahih Bukhari 2643

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْفُرَاتِ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بُرَيْدَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي الْأَسْوَدِ ، قَالَ : أَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ وَقَدْ وَقَعَ بِهَا مَرَضٌ وَهُمْ يَمُوتُونَ مَوْتًا ذَرِيعًا ، فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، فَمَرَّتْ جَنَازَةٌ فَأُثْنِيَ خَيْرًا ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ : وَجَبَتْ ، ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِأُخْرَى فَأُثْنِيَ خَيْرٌ ، فَقَالَ : وَجَبَتْ ، ثُمَّ مُرَّ بِالثَّالِثَةِ فَأُثْنِيَ شَرًّا ، فَقَالَ : وَجَبَتْ ، فَقُلْتُ : وَمَا وَجَبَتْ : أَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ ، قَالَ : قُلْتُ كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّمَا مُسْلِمٍ شَهِدَ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ بِخَيْرٍ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ ، قُلْنَا : وَثَلَاثَةٌ ، قَالَ : وَثَلَاثَةٌ ، قُلْتُ : وَاثْنَانِ ، قَالَ : وَاثْنَانِ ، ثُمَّ لَمْ نَسْأَلْهُ عَنِ الْوَاحِدِ .

Narrated Abu Al-Aswad: Once I went to Medina where there was an outbreak of disease and the people were dying rapidly. I was sitting with `Umar and a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. `Umar said, It has been affirmed (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. `Umar said, It has been affirmed. (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. `Umar said, It has been affirmed (Paradise). Then a third funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. `Umar said, It has been affirmed (Hell). I asked `Umar, O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed? He said, I have said what the Prophet said. He said, 'Allah will admit into paradise any Muslim whose good character is attested by four persons.' We asked the Prophet, 'If there were three witnesses only?' He said, 'Even three.' We asked, 'If there were two only?' He said, 'Even two.' But we did not ask him about one witness.