22 Sunnahs and Manners Regarding Graves And Burials

1.      Allah declares:

أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ كَفَاتًا ﴿٢٥﴾ أَحْيَاءً وَّ أَمْوَاتًا ﴿٢٦﴾

Did We not make the earth a lodging for the living and the dead?*¹

Explaining how the earth is a lodging, it is stated: “In a way that the living are gathered upon it whilst the dead are inside it.”²

2.      It is farḍ kifāyah to bury the deceased (even if one person buries the deceased, all will be relieved of the responsibility. Otherwise, those who received news but did not bury him will be sinners). It is not permissible to lay the deceased upon the ground and enclose him in walls on all four sides.³

3.      Graves are also a bounty from Allah. The dead being buried in them means they are protected from animals and other things.

4.      One should bury the deceased around pious people, as being close to them will lead to blessings. معاذَ الله Even if the deceased was rightful of punishment, they will intercede for him. The mercy that descends upon them will also encompass him. The beloved Prophet صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم said, “Bury your dead amongst good people.”⁴

5.      There is no harm in burying the deceased at night.⁵

¹ Al-Quran, part 29, Surah Al-Mursalat, verses 25-26 translation from Kanz al-‘Irfān

² Nūr al-‘Irfān, p. 927

³ Bahār-e-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 842

⁴ Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, vol. 6, p. 390, number 9042

⁵ Jawharat al-Nayyirah, p. 141

6.      It is not permissible to bury more than one person unnecessarily in the same grave. This is permitted if necessary.¹

7.      It is recommended to place the funeral bier beside the grave in the direction of the qiblah, so the deceased can be lowered into the grave from that side. Do not place the body at the foot of the grave or bring it from there towards the head side.²

8.      Two or three people, as required, should step into the grave. It is better if they are strong and pious. A deceased woman should be lowered into the grave by her maḥrams. If they are not present, other relatives should lower her into the grave. If they are not present either, pious people should be requested to carry out this task.³

9.      Keep the body of a woman covered with a cloth when lowering her into the grave, until slabs are placed.

10.  Recite the following when lowering the deceased into the grave:

 بِسْمِ اللهِ وَ بِاللهِ وَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ .⁴, ⁵

¹ Bahar-e-Shariat, vol. 1, p. 846, Fatawa Hindiyah, vol. 1, p. 166

² Bahār-i-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 844

³ Fatāwā Hindiyyah, vol. 1, p. 166

⁴ With the name of Allah and upon the religion of Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم

⁵ Tanwīr al-Abṣār, vol. 3, p. 166

11.  Lay the deceased on their right side such that their face is towards qiblah. Untie the knots of their shroud as thesare not required now, and there is no harm if they are left tied.¹

12.  The one untying the knots of the shroud should recite the following supplication:

 اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ وَ لَا تَفْتِنَّا بَعْدَهُ .², ³

13.  Close the grave with adobe/unbaked bricks.⁴ If the ground is soft, it is permissible to place planks of wood.⁵

14.  Soil/earth will now be placed in the grave. It is recommended to use both hands and cast soil three times, beginning from the head side of the deceased.

With the first, recite the following verse from Surah Ṭāhā:

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ⁶

With the second handfuls, recite:

وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ ⁷

¹ Fatawa Hindiyyah vol. 1, p. 166; Jawharat al-Nayyirah, p. 140

² “O Allah! Do not deprive us of his reward and do not trial us after him.”

³ Ḥashiyat al-Ṭahawī ‘alā Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 609

⁴ Using fire-baked bricks on the inside of the grave is forbidden. Nowadays, cement walls and slabs are commonplace. The inner side of these which projects into the grave should be plastered with mud. May Allah protect Muslims from the effects of fire.

أَمِينْ بِجَاهِ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ

⁵ Bahār-i-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 844

⁶ From it, We created you.

⁷ And into it, We are returning you.

With the third, recite:

وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ ¹

¹ And from it, We will extract you once again.

Place the remaining earth on the grave using a spade or anything similar.²

15.  It is disliked to place more earth than that taken out of the grave.³

16.  Any earth or soil clinging to the hands can either be shaken off or washed away.⁴

17.  Do not shape the grave to have four distinct corners, but instead make it concave like the hump of a camel. It is better to sprinkle water on the grave ‘after the burial’, and the grave itself should be a hand-span high or slightly more.⁵ After burial, calling azan is very beneficial for the deceased and a rewardable act.⁶

18.  Following the burial, it is recommended to recite the first and last part of Al-Baqarah.

Recite from أَمْ to مُفْلِحُونَ at the head of the deceased, and from آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ until the end whilst at the feet side.⁷

² Jawharat al-Nayyirah, p. 141

³ Fatāwā Hindiyya, vol. 1, p. 661

⁴ Bahār-e-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 458

⁵ Ibid, vol. 1, p. 846, summarized; Radd al-Muḥtār, vol. 3, p. 168

⁶ Fatāwā Riḍawiyyah, vol. 5, p. 370, derived

⁷ Bahār-e-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 846

19.  It is recommended to stay near the grave after burial for the time it takes to slaughter a camel and distribute its meat. This will make the deceased feel comfortable and help them easily answer the questions of Nakīrayn without panic. During this time, recite the Quran, pray for the deceased, and seek forgiveness for them. Especially pray for them to remain steadfast in answering Nakīrayn’s questions.¹

20.  It is permissible to place the Shajarah or ahd nāmah in the grave. It is better to make a niche in the qibla-facing wall in front of the deceased face and place these inside. In Durr al-Mukhtār, it is stated writing ahd nāmah on the shroud is permissible, and one can hope for forgiveness by doing so.

It is permissible to ‘write’ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ on the chest and forehead of the deceased. One person made a will for this to happen after his death. He was seen in a dream and asked what took place with him.

He said: “As I laid in my grave, angels of torment arrived. When they saw بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ written on my forehead, they said, ‘You have avoided punishment.’”²

¹ Ibid with Changes

² Bahār-i-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 848; Durr Al-Mukhtār, vol. 3, p. 153; Fatāwā Tātār Khāniyyah, vol. 2, p. 170

21.  One can ‘write’ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ on the forehead and لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ on the chest, but only after washing the deceased and before placing a shroud upon them. The ‘writing’ should be with the first finger of the right hand, not by using ink.¹

22.  It is necessary (wājib) to bury the bones of the deceased which come out of the grave.²

¹ Bahār-i-Sharīat, vol. 1, p. 848, with changes; Radd Al-Muḥtār, vol. 3, p. 186

² Fatāwā Riḍawiyyah, vol. 9, p. 406, derived