nor anything else—such as proclaiming the taḥlīl (“There is no god but Allah”), engaging in other forms of remembrance, or telling the people, “Seek forgiveness for him,” and the like—for all of that is an innovation.

It is forbidden for women to accompany funeral processions. Umm ʿAtiyyah reported, “We were forbidden to follow funerals,” and during the Prophet’s lifetime women did not go out with the biers; escorting the dead is therefore a duty reserved for men.

It is recommended that the grave be dug deep and made wide, because the Prophet said, “Dig, make it spacious, and deepen it,” which al-Tirmidhī graded ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.

It is also recommended to screen a woman’s body while she is being lowered into the grave, for her body is ʿawrah.

The person who places the deceased in the grave should say, “In the name of Allah and upon the way of the Messenger of Allah,” in accordance with the Prophet’s instruction: “When you place your dead in the graves, say: In the name of Allah and upon the way of the Messenger of Allah,” narrated by the Five and judged sound by al-Tirmidhī.

The deceased is then laid in the niche on his right side facing the qiblah, for the Prophet said regarding the Kaʿbah, “It is your qiblah in life and in death,” narrated by Abū Dāwūd and others.