that he had directed that, at the moment of burial, the opening verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah be recited at his grave along with its closing verses. It is likewise reported from some of the Muhājirūn that they would recite Sūrat al-Baqarah.

The second view is that such recitation is disliked. Those who hold this opinion even disagree among themselves: should the Fātiḥah be recited in the Funeral Prayer if that prayer is offered inside the cemetery? On this point two reports exist from Imām Aḥmad. This particular report is the one transmitted by the majority of his disciples and adopted by his earliest companions—such as ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Warrāq, Abū Bakr al-Marwazī, and others. It is also the position of most of the early generations, including Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Hushaym ibn Bashīr, and others. Nothing has been preserved from al-Shāfiʿī himself on this issue, for he regarded the practice as an innovation.

Mālik said, “I know of no one who does that,” which shows that neither the Companions nor the Successors practiced it.

The third view is that there is no harm in reciting at the graveside at the actual time of burial, as is related from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) and some of the Muhājirūn. As for reciting after that—such as those who repeatedly visit the grave for the purpose of recitation—this is disliked, for nothing of the sort has been transmitted at all from the early generations. This narration is perhaps the strongest of the three, for it reconciles the various evidences.