السلام عليكم
May Allaah forgive them & make their grave from the gardens of Paradise.
Types of Graves
There are two ways of making the grave, the first being the best:
(a) ‘
al-Lahd,' A grave with a niche in the
Qiblah side for the body.
(b) '
ash-Shaqq,' A simple grave dug straight down.
"...
The shaqq means that a trench is dug in the middle of the grave to suit the size of the deceased, and its sides are built with bricks so that it will not collapse on the deceased, and the deceased is placed in it on his right side facing the
qiblah, then this trench is covered with stones or the like and the ceiling is raised a little so that it will not touch the deceased, then the soil is filled in.
The lahd (niche) means that a place is dug at the bottom of the grave on the side that is closest to the
qiblah, in which the deceased is placed on his right side facing the
qiblah, then this hole is filled in with bricks behind the deceased, then the dirt is filled in. [...]
Both the
lahd and the
shaqq are permissible according to scholarly consensus, but the
lahd is preferable, because this is what was done with the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Muslim (966) narrated that Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, during the illness of which he died: Make a
lahd (niche) for me, and set up bricks over me, as was done for the Messenger of Allaah (S). [...]
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (5/360): But if there is a need for the
shaqq, then there is nothing wrong with it.
The
shaqq may be needed if the ground is sandy and it is not possible to build the
lahd, because when a
lahd is made in sand it will collapse. So a hole should be dug and a trench should be dug in the middle of it, and the bricks should be placed over both sides of the hole in which the deceased is placed, so that the sand will not collapse, then the deceased should be placed between these two bricks.
End quote.
Based on this, the soil should not be filled in directly on the face or body of the deceased, whether the grave is a
lahd or a
shaqq, because in the
lahd the deceased is placed in the niche which is dug in the wall of the grave, and the soil is not filled in above him. In the
shaqq, the soil is filled above the roof of the
shaqq, and not directly on top of the deceased.
And Allaah knows best...."
1
Using Coffins
"...Praise be to Allaah.
There is no dispute among the scholars that it is
makrooh to bury the deceased in a coffin if there is no need for that. If there is a need for that, such as if the ground is wet or there is the fear that he may be dug up by wild animals, then some of the
fuqaha’ say that it is permissible to bury the deceased in a coffin in that case. [...]
Ibn Qudaamah said:
It is not recommended to bury the deceased in a coffin, because there is no report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions did that, and it also involves imitating the people of this world. And the earth absorbs his remains better.
2 ..."
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1. https://islamqa.info/en/answers/1038...h-in-the-grave
2. https://islamqa.info/en/answers/3451...ed-in-a-coffin