Does a person receive rewards when he carries the dead body of a person in a funeral? What is the wisdom behind it?

Hz. Anas narrates:
"We went to a funeral with the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah saw some women there. He asked them, 'Do you carry the dead body?' They said, 'No.'
He asked, 'Do you bury the dead body?' They said, 'No.' He said, 'Then, return home without receiving any rewards.'"
How should we understand this hadith?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is one of the last duties toward a believer to carry his dead body to the grave. This carrying is also regarded as worshipping. To carry the dead body on a car especially in the places where the graveyard is near the mosque means to abandon this worshipping.

It is in accordance with the Sunnah to carry the coffin by four people holding it from four sides. It is mustahab to carry ten steps from four sides. To carry more steps gains a person more thawabs. 

According to Hanafis, the sunnah way of carrying the dead body is to hold it from corners by four people.

According to Imam Shafii, the sunnah way of carrying the dead body is to carry it on two poles (like a stretcher) by two people.

If two people carry it, one person stands at the front and puts the poles on his shoulders. The person at the back does the same thing and they carry it on their shoulders. The evidence of Imam Shafii is the narrations of Sa'd bin Muadh from the Messenger of Allah about "carrying the dead body on two poles".

The evidence of Hanafis is Ibn Mas'ud's hadiths

''It is sunnah to carry the dead body from four sides''

and the common application of the Muslims like that. It is easier to carry the dead body from four sides for the people who carry the dead body by walking among the congregation. Thus, carrying it like that is away from being likened to carrying goods. We were ordered to carry like that. Therefore, it is said that it is makruh to carry the dead body on one's back or on an animal.

The interpretation of the hadith of Sa'd bin Muadh used as evidence by Shafiis: The road may have been narrow; there might not have been enough people to carry the dead body.  

Those who want to act in accordance with the sunnah in carrying the dead body should carry it from four sides. They should start carrying from the front right. For, the Prophet (pbuh) liked starting everything from the right. Then, they go on with back right, then front left and finally back left. If a person carries the dead body at the front right and then wants to go to the left right, he will have to walk from the front of the dead body but it is more virtuous to walk from the back of the dead body than from the front.     

It is necessary to carry (at least) ten steps on each side. The following is stated in a hadith:

''If a person carries a dead body for forty steps, it will be atonement for his forty major sins.'' (Mabsut, Shamsuddin as-Sarakhsi, II/56, 57)

The dead body is carried by men. Women do not carry the dead body when there are men. Bukhari had a separate part called ''the dead body being called by men, not women '' in his hadith collection. Men also bury the dead body.

There are many hadiths preventing women from joining the funeral and carrying the dead body. The translator of Bukhari includes the following hadith narrated by Anas b. Malik and reported by Abu Ya'la:

Hz Anas said,

Once, we went to a funeral with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah saw some women there. He asked them,

'Do you carry the dead body?' They said,

'No.' The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked,

'Do you bury the dead body?' They said,

'No.' The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

'Then, return home with your veils without receiving any rewards.' (Tajrid Sarih translation, Kâmil Miras, IV/450)

Consequently, it is not regarded appropriate for women to take part in carrying the dead body. However, if there are no men to carry it, it is permissible for them to carry it.

That is, janazah prayer is not fard for women. If there are no men, it is permissible for a woman to perform janazah prayer herself. If there is no such necessity, it is makruh for a woman to take part in janazah prayer. 

The hadith mentioned in your question serves to explain these issues.

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