Placing materials other than clay bricks to keep soil off the deceased
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Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed the inquiry sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner: Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah al-Dughayn , Director of the Center for Honoring the Dead in al-Ahsa , which was referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with reference number (32000277) and date 7/6/1432 AH. The questioner asked the following: The Center for Honoring the Dead in al-Ahsa , affiliated with the al-Ahsa Charity Association, in al-Ahsa , conducted a scientific study on what is used to seal the grave niche. When the deceased is placed in the niche, according to the description found in the Prophetic Sunnah, a barrier is placed over him to keep the soil away. What is used as a barrier in al-Ahsa and in various regions of the Kingdom is: a concrete slab, which has many names among the people, such as: (brick, clay brick, mat, etc.). And because the center
specializes in its work, several complaints were received from the public, and it was found that some graves collapse onto the deceased after a period of time, and that some graves collapse after the burial of the dead due to cracks in the concrete slabs placed over the niche during burial, and due to the weight of the concrete slab, which reaches up to twenty kilograms. The center therefore developed several alternatives to the current concrete mold, including polystyrene, which proved to be lighter in weight, more durable, cheaper in price, and higher in quality. Precise laboratory tests were conducted on the concrete slabs in the laboratories of several official bodies, and they confirmed the permissibility of placing polystyrene in the grave, and recommended that the study be presented to the Permanent Committee so that the benefit would extend to all Muslims. Based on this, the center submits to the Permanent Committee for the issuance of a fatwa on this matter.
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded: It is preferable to suffice with clay bricks made from mud to seal the grave niches; because this is what the Companions used in the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is the practice of the Muslims from the time of the Companions and those after them from the righteous predecessors to this day. It is established in the authentic collection of Muslim , from 'Amir ibn Sa'd ibn Abi WaqqasMishkat al-Masabih 1693. And because what is called: (polystyrene, cement, and brick) is
something in which fire is used in its manufacture, and some scholars disliked placing in the grave anything that has been subjected to fire, hoping for the deceased's safety from it.
specializes in its work, several complaints were received from the public, and it was found that some graves collapse onto the deceased after a period of time, and that some graves collapse after the burial of the dead due to cracks in the concrete slabs placed over the niche during burial, and due to the weight of the concrete slab, which reaches up to twenty kilograms. The center therefore developed several alternatives to the current concrete mold, including polystyrene, which proved to be lighter in weight, more durable, cheaper in price, and higher in quality. Precise laboratory tests were conducted on the concrete slabs in the laboratories of several official bodies, and they confirmed the permissibility of placing polystyrene in the grave, and recommended that the study be presented to the Permanent Committee so that the benefit would extend to all Muslims. Based on this, the center submits to the Permanent Committee for the issuance of a fatwa on this matter.
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded: It is preferable to suffice with clay bricks made from mud to seal the grave niches; because this is what the Companions used in the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is the practice of the Muslims from the time of the Companions and those after them from the righteous predecessors to this day. It is established in the authentic collection of Muslim , from 'Amir ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas
Sa‘d b. Abu Waqqas said during his illness of which he died, “Make a niche for me in the side of the grave, and set up bricks over me as was done with God’s messenger.”
أن سعد بن أبي وقاص قال في مرضه الذي هلك فيه : إلحدوا لي لحدًا ، وانصبوا علي اللبن نصبًا كما صنع برسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلمsomething in which fire is used in its manufacture, and some scholars disliked placing in the grave anything that has been subjected to fire, hoping for the deceased's safety from it.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.