Is it permissible for someone preceding a funeral procession to sit down before the deceased reaches them?

Primary text

It is permissible for the one preceding the funeral procession to sit down before the deceased reaches him. Some Companions, including Anas, Zayd ibn Arqam, Abu Barzah, Sa'id ibn Zayd, Umm Salamah, and Ibn Sirin, as well as Al-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Al-Shafi'i, held this view.