THE GRAVE

IN BOX:

In the Holy Quran, Allah tells us:

________Arabic_________(Surah Al-'Abasa, Verse 21)

Translation: "Then He causes him to die and puts him in his grave."

The grave is the last dwelling place in this world and the door to the home of the Hereafter. Hane'a, the freed slave ofHazrat Uthman Ibn Affan (RAA) said: "Uthman (RAA) used to cry until he wet his beard, if he was to stand on a grave. He was told: "YOU mention the Heaven and the Hell- fire and you don't cry, but when you mention the grave you burst into tears! "He said: "I heard the Prophet (SAW) saying: The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter, whoever passes it will be at ease afterwards, and if he does not pass it he will be in the worst of conditions.'

I have also heard him(SAW) saying; 'Never have I seen a sight more horrifying than that of a grave.'"

Hane'a also narrated that Hazrat Uthman(RAA) was standing at a grave and reciting this verse:

______________Arabic ____________

Translation:"If you are saved from the trial of the grave, then you will be relieved from a great trial; otherwise 1 think you will never find relief." The truth is that even here, the consequences of the deeds of the deceased is what will benefit or harm him.

"The good deeds will come in the form of a handsome, well-dressed, finely perfumed man, who will bring glad tidings. The bad deeds will come in the form of a scruffily-dressed, stinking man who will bring disturbing news." (Reference Kanzul 'Amal)

This companion will be with him from the time of burial till the Day of Resurrection.

According to another hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said:

[["When carried to his grave, a dead person is followed by three, two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with him: his relatives, his property, and his deeds will follow him; relatives and his property go back while his deeds remain with him."(Sahih Bukhari) ]]

The Islamic Way of Burial:

In the Holy Quran, at the same place that the Prophet (SAW) was commanded to read out the story of the two sons ofHazrat Adam (AS), who were known as the first killer and victim in this world, the method of burial is also mentioned ;

 ________________Arabic_______________(Surah al-Ma'idah, Verses 30-31)

 Translation: "So the nafs (self) of the other (latter one) encouraged him and made fair- seeming to him the murder of his brother; he murdered him and became one of the losers.

Then Allah sent a crow who scratched the ground to show him to hide the dead body of his brother. He, (the murderer) said: 'Woe to me! Am I not even able to be as this crow and to hide the dead body of my brother?' Then he became one of those who regretted."

Allah, the Exalted has Himself proposed this method of burying in the ground. Since that time, Muslims have been burying their dead in this manner. However people of different faiths have adopted different practices for their dead.

The Grave Digger:

This profession of serving humanity has also not been deprived of blessings and reward in Islam. The Prophet (SAW) said:

{{For him who digs the grave, Allah in exchange for it, will prepare a palace for him in Paradise. (Tabarani)}}

Types of Graves:

Graves are of two types; one is "Lahd" (a crevice on the side of the grave facing the Qiblo) ,and the other is "Shag" which is a pit dug in the ground and is rectangular in shape.

The "shaq" grave is permissible (out of necessity), but the "lahd" is preferred. The Prophet (SAW) said: "Lahd is for us whereas shaq is for others.' (Ahmed, Abu Dawood and Tirmizi)

"Lahd":

Lahd or side extension of the grave is one that extends from north to south in length and after digging it, a crevice is made on the right side i.e in a westerly direction and the body is placed in it. A wall ofunbumed bricks is used to seal this lahd and the same earth that was dug out earlier is used to fill up the space. This method is in accordance with the Sunnuh (tradition of the Prophet) (Reference Mustadarak Hakim)

"Shaq":

Where the earth is soft, it is better to dig the shaq, i.e the 'box' type of grave. In this, a hole is dug in the middle, similar to a canal, along the length of the grave. After the deceased is placed in it, a plank is placed on the top and the grave is then filled with the same earth which was previously dug out.

Inner Measurements:

Depth: The grave should be deep and clean; the minimum acceptable depth is equivalent to the height of an average person from the feet to the chest, although it is better if it is as deep as the height itself. (Reference Musnad Ahmad and Sunan Al-Nisai)

Width: It should be as wide as half the height of an average person .

Length: The grave should be longer than the height of the deceased.

Lowering into the Grave:

#  The people who lower the body of the deceased in^to the grave should be physically strong, as well as pious.

#  If the body is light, then only two people are enough to lower it into the grave; otherwise, depending on the requirement, 3 or 4 people can do it.

# When burying a female, arrangements for concealing it are also necessary.

# A man can lower his wife into the grave.

# The body is lowered from the direction of the foot of the grave (Reference Sunan Abu Dawood)

# The body is laid on its right side facing the Qibla. (Sunan Abu Dawood)

# The knots holding the shroud are now opened and these words have been prescribed for the occasion .:_________Arabic_________

Translation: "In the name of Allah SWT and following the religion of Allah's Messenger (SAW)." (Sunan Abu Dawood)

Putting the earth:

After closing the grave, all those present should throw in handfuls of earth into the grave from the direction of the head and using both hands. It is prescribed that this be done thrice. (Reference Sunan Ibn Majah)

External Appearance:

# On the outside, the grave should be hump-shaped; not raised too high above the ground,nor at the level of the ground. (Reference Sahih Bukhari and Sunan Abu Dawood )

# A little water should also be sprinkled after putting in the earth.(Reference Bayhaqi)

# A stone can be placed at the head of the grave as an indication.(Reference Sunan Abu Dawood)

# It is forbidden for Muslims to plaster the graves or to make a platform, shrine, mosque or any kind of construction over it.

# Tombstones inscribed with the name, date of birth and death, lineage, or any kind of writing is also forbidden. (Reference Timizi)

Responsibility of those present during the burial:

During the burial, a religious scholar can sit with the people and remind them about the Day of Resurrection and praise death and explain its reality from the point of view of religion.

Hazrat Bar' Ibn Azib (RAA) said that: "We went out with the Prophet (SAW) to attend the funeral of one of the Ansari men. When we reached the grave, and before the man was buried, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) sat down (facing the Qibia) and we sat down around him. We were as silent and still as if there were birds on our heads and he had a stick with which he scratched up the earth. (He began to look up to the sky and down at the ground, and he raised and lowered his gaze three times). Then he said two or three times:

_____Arabic____

Translation:'Seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of the grave.'

Then he said: 'When the believing slave is reaching the end of his time in this world, and starting out in the Hereafter, angels with white faces which look like the sun come down to him from Heaveru, bringing one of the shrouds of paradise and some of its perfume. They sit down around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head and says: '0 good (or secure) soul, come out to the forgiveness and pleasure of Allah.'

So it will come out like out like a drop of water coming out of the mouth of a waterskin, and he (the Angel of Death) will take it. (In another report, he said: 'Until when his soul comes out, every angel who is between the heaven and the earth will pray for him, as will every angel in heaven. The gates of heaven will be opened for him, and the people in every level in heaven will pray to Allah to permit his soul to ascend through their domain.

When (the Angel of Death) has taken the soul, the (other angels) don't leave it in his hands for a moment; they take it straightaway, wrap it in the shroud and scent it with the perfume.

This is what Allah says:

________Arabic_________(Surah Al-Anaam, Verse 61)

Translation: " Our Messengers (Angel of death and his assistants) take his soul, and they never neglect their duty."

And there emerges from the soul a scent like the finest musk to be found on the face of the earth. They take the soul up and whenever they take it past a group of angels, they say: 'Who is this good soul?', and they reply 'It is so-and-so, the son of so-and -so' using the best names with which he was addressed in the world. (They go on) until they reach the first heaven; they ask for it to be opened, and it is opened for them, in each heaven, those who are closest to Allah will accompany him to the next heaven, until they reach the seventh heaven, where Allah, may He be exalted and glorified, will say: 'Register the book of My slave in 'Illiyun'

____________(Arabic)_______(Surah al-Mutaffifm, Verses 19-21)

Translation: "And what will make you know what illiyun is ? A Register inscribed, to which bear witness those nearest (to Allah)."

So his book will be registered in Illiyun. Then Allah SWT will say: 'Take him back to the earth, for This was my promise: I created them from it , I will return then to it, an/T will resurrect them from it again.' He will be taken to the earth and his soul will be returned to his body. ( And he will hear the footsteps of his companions as they leave him). Two stem angels will come to him (rebuke him ) and sit him up. They will ask him __Arabic__'who is your Lord?' He will answer:   Arabic__ 'My jlprd is Allah'. They will ask him:   Arabic__ 'What is your religion?' He will say    Arabic__ 'My religion is Islam.' They will ask:    Arabic__ 'Who is this man who was sent among you?' He will say:__Arabic__ 'He is the Messenger of Allah (SAW).' They will ask him: __Arabic_

'What did you do?' He will say:    Arabic__ 'I read (or recited) the Book of Allah, and I believed in it.' In another tradition it is said: He will rebuke him and ask:__Arabic__

'Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet?' This is the last of the trials to    face   the   Believers,    as   Allah,   may   he   be    glorified   says:

_________Arabic_______(Surah Ibrahim, Verse 27)

Translation: "Allah will keep firm in-strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter.

He will say;'My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam and my Prophet is Muhammad (SAW).

A voice will call from Heaven: 'My slave has spoken the truth, so furnish his grave from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise and open for him a gate to Paradise.' Some of its breeze and scent will reach him, and his grave will be widened for him as far as the eye can see. There will come to him (or there will appear before him) a handsome, well-dressed and finely- scented man, who will say: 'I bring good news which will make you glad. I bring good news of the good pleasure of Allah and Gardens wherein is eternal blessing. This is the day which you were promised'. He will say: 'And you, may Allah give you better news. Who are you?' He will say; 'I am your good deeds, and by Allah I only ever saw you hastening to obey Allah, and ever-reluctant to disobey Him, so may Allah reward you with good.' Then the gate of Paradise and a gate of Hell will be opened for him, and it will be said to him:

'This is your place (^Aanzil) if you had disobeyed Allah, but Allah has given you this instead of that.' When he sees what is in Paradise he will say; 'My Lord! Hasten the coming of the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.' It will be said to him: 'Be patient'. (literally 'dwell here')

He (SAW) said: 'As for the disbelieving ('corrupt' in another narration) man, when he leaves this world and enters the Hereafter, stem and harsh angels come down to him from heaven; their faces are black and they bring with them sack-cloth from Hell. They sit around him, as far as the eye can see. The Angel of Death comes and sits at his head and says: '0 evil soul, come out to the anger and wrath of Allah!' The soul will be dragged out of his body with as much difficulty as a many-pronged skewer being dragged through wet wool (the veins and nerves will be destroyed by it). He will be cursed by every angel between heaven and earth and by every angel in Heaven. The gates of Heaven will be locked and the people of every heaven will pray to Allah not to allow the soul to ascend through their domain. He will take it and immediately put it into the sack-cloth; it will stink like the foulest stench of dead flesh ever witnessed on earth. They will take the soul up, and whenever they take it past a group of angels, they will say; 'Who is this evil soul?' They will say: 'It is so-and-so, the son of so-and-so', using the worst names with which he was addressed in the world. (They will go on) until they reach the first heaven; they will ask for it to be opened to them, and it will not be opened. Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) recited:

:_____Arabic)_____(Surah Al-A'raaf, Verse 40)

Translation: "For them the gates of Heaven will not be opened and they will not enter

Paradise, until the camel goes through the eye of the needle." Allah, may He be glorified and exalted , will say: 'Register his book in Sijjin, in the lowest earth.'Then Allah will say: 'Take him back to the earth, for this was my promise: I created them from it, I will return them to it, and I will resurrect them from it again.' So his soul will be thrown down from heaven until it reaches his body. The Prophet (SAW) recited:

;______Arabic______(Surah Al-Hajj, Verse 31)

Translation: "If anyone assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him into a far-distant place.' So his soul will be returned to his body; he will hear the footsteps of his companions when they leave him). Two stem angels will come to him, rebuke him and sit him up. They will ask him: 'Who is your Lord?' He will say: 'Hah-hah (indicative of pain or laughter), I do not know.' They will ask him: 'What is your religion?' He will say: 'Hah-hah, I do not know.' They will ask: 'What do you say about this man who was sent among you?' He will not even know his name, but he will be told-'Muhammad'-and he will say; 'hah-hah, I do not know! I heard the people say such-and-such'. He will be told: 'May you never know!'

Then a voice will call from heaven saying: ' He has lied, so furnish his grave from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell' -so some of its heat and venom will reach him and his grave will be constricted until his ribs are crushed together. Then will come to him (or there will appear before him ) a man with an ugly face, badly dressed and foul-smelling. He will say: 'I bring you bad news; this is the day which you were promised.' He will ask: 'And you, may Allah give you even worse news! Who are you? Your face brings bad news!' He will say: 'I am your evil deeds. By Allah, I only ever saw you reluctant to obey Allah and ever-eager to disobey Him. May Allah repay you with evil!' Then there will be sent to him one who is blind, deaf and dumb, who will carry in his hand an iron rod which, if he were to beat a camel with it, would turn it to dust. He will beat him with it until he turns to dust, then Allah will restore him. The he will be beaten again. He will emit a scream which the whole of creation will hear, except for men and jinn. Then a gate will be opened for him to Hell, and his grave will be furnished from Hell. 'He will say: 'My Lord, may the hour never come!' (Sunan Abu Dawood, An-Nisai and Ibn Majah).

#   After having buried the deceased, one should stay behind for a while and seek Allah's forgiveness for the deceased and for his steadfastness in the interrogation with Munkir, Nakir. The prescribed du 'a is:

____Arabic_-____

Translation: {{0 Allah, strengthen him with the word that stands firm, as you strengthened him in this world" (Reference Sunan Abu Dawood)}}

Miscellaneous Instructions:

#   It is not permitted for any Muslim to have his grave dug and prepared before his death; but he may express a desire in his will to be buried in a specific location in his area. The Mother of Believers, Hazrat A'isha (RAA) had expressed a desire to be buried in the cemetery of JannatuI Baqi and Hazrat Umar (RAA) in his dying moments had requested Hazrat 'Aisha's permission to be buried at the foot of The Prophet's (SAW) grave. 

#   It is forbidden to break or cut the body parts of the deceased. The Prophet (SAW) said: "Breaking a dead man's bone is like breaking it when he is alive."(Sunan Abu Dawood)

#   Islam does not permit embalming or cremating after death.

#   If someone dies during a sea voyage, and land is so far away that in the meantime, the dead body may decompose, then it must be washed, shrouded , funeral prayer performed over it and the body , after being tied to a heavy object, must be cast into the sea.

#  It is a wrong practice to transport the deceased from a far away place to his own country for burial or to transport the body through mountainous terrain or overland, for burial in its ancestral village.

Hazrat Aisha (RAA)'s brother passed away in Abyssinia and his dead body was transported to Makkah and buried there. When she visited his grave she said: "I swear by

Allah that if I had been present with you, you would have been buried nowhere but where you died."(Tirmizi)

Renowned jurists have pronounced thisfatwa (formal legal opinion) that even if the deceased had, in his will, left instructions that: ' my body should be taken and buried in my country or my city', it should be disregarded because it is against the ruling: "Make haste with his funeral." (Sunan Abu Dawood)

# A Muslim should not be buried with a non-believer, nor a non-believer with a Muslim as the cemeteries for Muslims and non-Muslims are separate. This has been practiced from the time of the Prophet (SAW). [[Bashir (RAA) relates that:

"When I was walking with the Apostle of Allah (SAW), he passed by the graves of the polytheists. He (SAW) said: 'They lived before (a period) of abundant good.' He said this three times. He then passed by the graves of Muslims. He(SAW) said: ' They received abundant good.'" (Sunan Abu Dawood)]]

INBOX:

Life: An opportunity for pleasurable living for a non-believer
An influx of trials and temptations for the believer

Death: A great loss for the non-believer
For a believer, the honour of meeting his Lord.

This World: A home of pleasures and luxury for the non- believer
A difficult testing ground for the believer

The Hereafter: A figment of the imagination for the non-believer
An eternal and much sought-after destination for the believer