English
Ibrahim an-Nakha'i reported: "The people used to perform five, six, or four takbirs in funeral prayers until the Prophet (ﷺ) passed away. They continued to do so during the caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). When Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) became caliph, they did the same. Umar said to them, 'O companions of Muhammad (ﷺ), whenever you differ, the people after you will also differ. The people are still close to the era of ignorance. Agree on something that those after you can follow.' The companions of Muhammad (ﷺ) agreed to look at the last funeral prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) performed before his death and follow that, abandoning anything else. They found that the last funeral prayer the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed consisted of four takbirs." [Narrated by Muhammad]
Ahmad and As-Tahawi narrated something similar.