Book 5: Funerals

Anas said: I was present when the daughter of God’s messenger was being buried. He was sitting beside the grave and I saw his eyes shedding tears. He then asked, “Is there any of you who did not have sexual intercourse last night?” Abu Talha replied that he had not, so he told him to go down into her grave, and he did so. Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Amr b. al-‘As said to his son when he was in the throes of death, “When I die let no wailing woman or fire accompany me, and when you bury me scatter earth lightly over me, then stand round my grave as long as it takes to sacrifice an animal and have its flesh distributed, so that I may feel you near and know what to answer my Lord’s messengers.”( i.e. Munkar and Naklr who examine the dead in the grave) Muslim transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar said he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say, “When one of you dies do not keep him long, but take him quickly to his grave, and have the opening verses of sura al-Baqara recited at his head and the concluding verses of the same sura at his feet.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman, saying the correct view is that it does not go farther back than him.

Ibn Abu Mulaika said that when ‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Bakr died in al-Hubshi, the name of a palce, he was conveyed to Mecca and buried there. When ‘A’isha arrived she went to the grave of ‘Abd ar. Rahman b. Abu Bakr and said: We were like the companions of Jadhima (Jadhima was a legendary pre-Islamic king with his centre in al-Anbar. He had two boon- companions, 'Aqil and Malik, who are said to have been together for forty years. The verses are from a lament by Mutammim b. Nuwaira al-Yarbu'i over his brother Malik) for a long time, so that people said the two will never be separated. But when we separated it seemed, in spite of long association, as if Malik and I had not spent a single night together. She then said, “I swear by God that if I had been present with you, you would have been buried nowhere but where you died, and if I had been with you I would not have visited you.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Rafi‘ said that God's messenger lowered Sa‘d and sprinkled water over his grave. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that God’s messenger prayed over a bier, then went to the grave and threw three handfuls of earth towards the head of the dead man. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Amr b. Hazm told how, when the Prophet (ﷺ) saw him leaning on a grave, he said, “Do not molest the occupant of this grave”; or, “Do not molest it.” Ahmad transmitted it.