a funeral, do not sit down until it has been set down.” (1) This is because he is accompanying and following it; so long as the funeral is being carried, he should not sit until it is set down—that is, upon the ground for burial. This is also supported by the hadith that when the Prophet ﷺ came to a grave before the burial niche had been made, he sat upon the ground and the Companions sat around him. He had with him a small staff with which he scratched the ground … to the end of the hadith. (2)

“The grave of a woman alone should be screened, and the burial niche is better than the vertical grave trench …”

His statement, “The grave of a woman alone should be screened,” means that only a woman’s grave should be covered when she is placed into the grave, so that she is not seen; this affords her greater concealment.

The words, “alone,” exclude a man’s grave, which should not be screened, due to what was narrated from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: “He passed by some people lowering a deceased man into the grave, and they had screened it. So he pulled the covering away and said: ‘This is done only for women.’” (3)

Issue: How should the deceased be placed into the grave?

Answer: He should be placed in from the direction of his feet: the deceased is brought to the foot of the grave, then his head is gently slid into the grave. This is preferable. (4)

The second method is for the deceased to be brought from the side of the grave and placed into it without being slid in. This too is permissible, and it is the practice of people today. If the first manner is possible, it is preferable; but if it is not possible, the other manner is sufficient.

His statement, “The burial niche is better than the vertical grave trench,” means that a grave made with a burial niche is preferable.