He then narrated (1/101), through a chain containing two abandoned narrators, from a Makhzumi shaykh called Umar, who said:

“Uthman ibn Maz'un, may Allah be pleased with him, was among the first of the Muhajirun to die. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, where should we bury him?’ He replied, ‘In al-Baqi'.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then made a lateral niche for him in the grave. A stone from among the stones of his grave remained over, so the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, carried it and placed it at his feet. When Marwan ibn al-Hakam later became governor of Medina, he passed by that stone and ordered it to be thrown away … and so forth.”

In sum, it cannot be known which Companion was the first to be buried in al-Baqi': whether it was Uthman ibn Maz'un or As'ad ibn Zurarah. Moreover, the transmission of all of this rests upon the abandoned al-Waqidi, through his various weak chains.

The Shafi'is and others have cited this hadith as evidence that it is recommended to place a marker at the head of the grave, whether a stone or something else. They said: this is because it identifies the grave, so that it may be visited.

I say: It is also so that, once it is recognized, no one will sit upon it or tread upon it with sandals. Abu Dawud gave it the heading:

“Chapter on placing the dead together in one grave, and marking the grave.”

Al-Bayhaqi gave it the heading:

“Chapter on marking the grave with a rock or any other marker.” *

3061—“The Hour will not come until the mountains are removed from their places, and you see tremendous events that you had not previously seen.”

Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (7/250/6857), through Ufair ibn Ma'dan, from Qatadah, from al-Hasan, from Samurah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said … and then he cited it.