A question about a form of burial practiced in some countries.

The questioner : I saw in Na'ur... there is a niche in front, and then they placed wood in the niche and buried the deceased in it, and they covered it, so this earth did not settle on it... on the basis that they do not dig a niche, they dug in this way, placing wood and putting earth on top of it. Is this permissible as a niche?

The Shaykh : No, this is not a niche; this is a method in cold countries. I know this in Albania, and then this is not possible in every country because it requires wood of a certain type... or pine. This is treated with oil; if you light it, it becomes like sulfur. This resists moisture and time. In our lands, they used to bury in a niche and a wooden plank. Digging it requires a very strong man to be able to carry it, as it is wide and... heavy. They place it at the bottom of the corner, and when the machine lowers it, it is about two inches... the earth in it is very large in terms of observing the meaning of respecting the deceased, meaning the earth does not fall on him. But you notice that this form is based on contradicting the Shari'ah in that it involves hardship, as they do today, meaning the builder of the block, not the block, and so on, and cast covers, casting, all of this is hardship, hardship of money, and so on. And as Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said when he felt his death approaching, he instructed that he be buried in one of his used garments, and he said that the living are more deserving of the new. Yes, it is the shroud, but a used garment. He said the living are more deserving of the new than the deceased. And the truth is, here we submit to the Shari'ah, were it not for the fact that it is known from the Shari'ah that they used to cut a shroud that was not worn and not used, so that we could make Abu Bakr's word a rule, or say it is forbidden for one to buy a new garment, even if it is just fabric, if he does not have used fabric to wrap the deceased in and place in the grave. Whereas now they have reversed the matter, and it is a type of imitating the disbelievers, the ancient Pharaohs, who used to bury their dead in a very strange way. The Christians still, even now, dress the deceased in wedding clothes, approximately, and perhaps place with him items of luxurious adornment. Islam disavows this, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) indicated something of that when he said that the new is more deserving of the living than the deceased. So my intention from this is to reach the conclusion that bringing these planks, instead of digging a hole and packing the earth behind the deceased, and the problem is solved, you come and place...

The questioner : It may... be... for example, my grandmother was buried in an area where the compressor kept working from the morning... a rock?

The Shaykh : This question is not applicable, may Allah reward you. It is not applicable because we know the Shari'ah, except for what you are compelled to in matters whose prohibition is explicitly stated. But when is this said? When Muslims develop their Shari'ah life and strive to make it conform to the Shari'ah in all their conditions and all their actions. And by Allah, there is a rock in the path before us, and we have no second Prophet to hold the axe and strike it so that it splits from here and flashes from there. This is Kisra and Caesar... Therefore, necessities permit the prohibited, but where are those on the earth who can, especially the land? I see our lands; the mountains are not mountains of black, easy-to-dig stone. And this helps in the preservation of the niche, as if it is a box for the deceased. But people are heedless, as Allah the Exalted said: