Graves in Unstable Sand
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Q: We are the residents of one of the villages in the Aswan Governorate of the Arab Republic of Egypt. We have graves in which we have buried our dead for nearly two hundred years. Because the land of these graves is unstable sand, or more accurately, it is a raised mound of sand, we used to build the graves with mud bricks, raising them about a meter or more above the surface of the sand. After fifty years or so, we find that the built graves are on the verge of being covered by the sand, or are close to being covered by it due to erosion. During this period of nearly two centuries or more, the graves have not been attacked by predatory animals on freshly buried bodies except in a few cases that do not exceed the fingers of one hand. Recently, after we found and saw part of a dead person’s body outside the grave due to a predatory animal, most of the villagers came out and said: We must protect the dead by building graves of stone and pouring concrete roofs, and placing iron doors on the opening of each grave. The question is: Is it permissible in the Shari'ah to build graves in the manner described above? And what is the Shari'ah-compliant manner of building graves that agrees with the Sunnah
in this location? Knowing that the land of these graves is nearly exhausted and there are no more empty spaces, people have resorted to building on soft agricultural land next to the old graves, but it is on a slope of the land that is at least three meters lower than the land of the old graves. People have built on this agricultural land with stone, concrete roofs, and iron doors because this land where they bury is soft and some thorny plants, papyrus, and reeds grow out of it. Therefore, due to all this, people resorted to lining the floor of the grave with a thick layer of concrete to preserve the dead from the moisture of the earth and from these plants. Is this action in accordance with the truth or not? Therefore, we ask the honorable scholars to clarify the correct manner of building graves in the situation as mentioned, whether in sandy land or agricultural land. May Allah reward you with good and may Allah benefit Islam and the Muslims with you, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
A: It is prescribed that the grave be dug in the ground and deepened to the extent that it preserves the dead and prevents the appearance of odor. A niche or trench is made in its bottom, in which the body is placed, and it is sealed with bricks or the like to prevent the soil from reaching it. Then it is buried with its soil and raised from the ground by the width of a handbreadth so that it is known to be a grave and is not trampled, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to bury his Companions, and as the Muslims have done. If the ground does not hold together when dug, there is no harm in building the sides of the grave with the usual construction that does not involve exaggeration
or plastering, to prevent the collapse of the grave onto the dead.
in this location? Knowing that the land of these graves is nearly exhausted and there are no more empty spaces, people have resorted to building on soft agricultural land next to the old graves, but it is on a slope of the land that is at least three meters lower than the land of the old graves. People have built on this agricultural land with stone, concrete roofs, and iron doors because this land where they bury is soft and some thorny plants, papyrus, and reeds grow out of it. Therefore, due to all this, people resorted to lining the floor of the grave with a thick layer of concrete to preserve the dead from the moisture of the earth and from these plants. Is this action in accordance with the truth or not? Therefore, we ask the honorable scholars to clarify the correct manner of building graves in the situation as mentioned, whether in sandy land or agricultural land. May Allah reward you with good and may Allah benefit Islam and the Muslims with you, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
A: It is prescribed that the grave be dug in the ground and deepened to the extent that it preserves the dead and prevents the appearance of odor. A niche or trench is made in its bottom, in which the body is placed, and it is sealed with bricks or the like to prevent the soil from reaching it. Then it is buried with its soil and raised from the ground by the width of a handbreadth so that it is known to be a grave and is not trampled, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to bury his Companions, and as the Muslims have done. If the ground does not hold together when dug, there is no harm in building the sides of the grave with the usual construction that does not involve exaggeration
or plastering, to prevent the collapse of the grave onto the dead.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.