On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures: death.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i, and authenticated by Ibn Hibban.] [1. This wording appears in some narrations as it does here, while in others it appears as “destroyer” and in others as “destroyer.” That is, it appears with a “dhal” (ذ), a “dal” (د), and a “zay” (ز), and each of these has its meaning. The first means cutting off. The second means destruction. The third means subjugation and overpowering. The intended meaning in all of these is death.] [2. Authentic. Narrated by At-Tirmidhi (2307), An-Nasa’i (4/4), and Ibn Hibban.] (2992) At-Tirmidhi said: “This is a good and strange hadith.” I say: If he (may God have mercy on him) had limited himself to classifying it as good, it would have been better, as there is no reason for it to be strange. And God knows best. Ibn Hibban added in his Sahih: “No servant ever mentioned it while in distress except that it eased his distress, and he never mentioned it while in ease except that it made it difficult for him.” Its chain of narration is good, like the chain of narration of the original hadith. I only authenticated the hadith because of its numerous supporting narrations. It is included in the original.

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “None of you should wish for death because of some harm that befalls him. But if he must wish for it, let him say: ‘O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die when death is better for me.’” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (5671) and Muslim (2680).

On the authority of Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him), on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “The believer dies with sweat on his brow.” It was narrated by the three [Imams of Hadith] (1) and authenticated by Ibn Hibban (2). 1 - In manuscript “A” it appears as “al-Tirmidhi,” which is an error. 2 - Authentic. It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (982), al-Nasa’i (4/5-6), and Ibn Majah (1452). The hadith has a chain of narration in al-Nasa’i that meets the criteria of the two Sheikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim), and it has an authentic supporting narration from Ibn Mas’ud.

On the authority of Abu Saeed and Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with them both, they said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Instruct your dying ones to say: There is no god but God.” Narrated by Muslim and the four (Abu Dawud, Sunan ... His last words should be: “There is no god but Allah.” 2 - Authentic. As for the hadith of Abu Sa’id: it was narrated by Muslim (916), Abu Dawud (3117), An-Nasa’i (4/5), At-Tirmidhi (976), and Ibn Majah (1445). At-Tirmidhi said: “It is a good, strange, and authentic hadith.” As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: it was narrated by Muslim (917) and Ibn Majah (1444), and Al-Bazzar added with an authentic chain of narration according to the conditions of Muslim: “Whoever’s last words are: ‘There is no god but Allah,’ at the time of death, will enter Paradise one day, even if he suffered before that.”

On the authority of Ma'qil ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Recite Surah Ya-Sin over your dying.” This was narrated by Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i, and authenticated by Ibn Hibban.¹ ¹ - Weak. It was narrated by Abu Dawud (321), An-Nasa'i in “Amal Al-Yawm wa Al-Laylah” (1074), and Ibn Hibban (3002). It has several defects, which I have discussed in detail regarding the original meaning. You will also find there the refutation of Ibn Hibban's interpretation of the hadith.

On the authority of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his eyes were open. So he closed them and said: ‘When the soul is taken, the eyes follow it.’ Some of his family cried out, so he said: ‘Do not invoke anything but good upon yourselves, for the angels say “Amen” to what you say.’ Then he said: “O Allah, forgive Abu Salamah, raise his rank among the guided ones, expand his grave for him, illuminate it for him, and be his successor among his descendants.” Narrated by Muslim 2.1 - An-Nawawi said (5/476-477): “With the letter sheen pronounced with a fatha, and his gaze raised, and he is the subject of the verb ‘shaqqa’ (to split), this is how we have recorded it, and it is the well-known version. Some have recorded ‘basarahu’ (his gaze) with a fatha, and this is also correct. The sheen is pronounced with a fatha without any disagreement… He is the one who was on the verge of death, and he began to look at something without his gaze returning to it.” 2 - Authentic. Narrated by Muslim (920).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her: {When the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, he was covered with a striped Yemeni cloak.} Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (5814) and Muslim (942).

And on her authority, {that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq - may God be pleased with him - kissed the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - after his death}. Narrated by al-Bukhari 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by al-Bukhari (8/146-147 and 10/166/Fath).

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “The soul of a believer is suspended by his debt until it is paid off.” This was narrated by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi, who graded it as Hasan (good). It is authentic. It was narrated by Ahmad (2/440, 475, and 508) and At-Tirmidhi (1078 and 1079). At-Tirmidhi said: “This is a Hasan hadith.” I say: It is authentic, as it has supporting narrations from four Companions, which I mentioned in the original text.

On the authority of Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with them both: that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said concerning the one who fell from his mount and died: “Wash him with water and lotus leaves, and shroud him in two garments.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1265) and Muslim (1206), and its completion is: “Do not embalm him, nor cover his head, for God will resurrect him on the Day of Resurrection reciting the Talbiyah.” (And in another narration: “For God will resurrect him on the Day of Resurrection reciting the Talbiyah”).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: {When they wanted to wash the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, they said: By God, we do not know whether to undress the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, as we undress our dead, or not?…} The hadith was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud. 1.1 - Hasan (good). Narrated by Ahmad (6/267) and Abu Dawud (3141), and its wording is: On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: When they wanted to wash the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, they said: By God, we do not know whether to undress the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, as we undress our dead, or not Should we wash him while he is still clothed? When they disagreed, God caused them to fall asleep until every man's chin rested on his chest. Then a voice spoke to them from a direction within the house, though they did not know who it was: "Wash the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he is still clothed." So they went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and washed him while he was wearing his shirt, pouring water over the shirt and rubbing him with the shirt, without using their hands. Aisha used to say: "If I had known then what I know now, only his wives would have washed him."

On the authority of Umm Atiyyah, may God be pleased with her, she said: “The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, entered upon us while we were washing his daughter. He said: ‘Wash her three times, or five, or more than that, if you see fit, with water and lotus leaves, and in the last washing add camphor, or something of camphor.’ When we had finished, we informed him, and he threw his waistcloth to us and said: ‘Shroud her in it.’” Agreed upon. 1. And in another narration: {Begin with her right side and the parts of her body used for ablution.} 2. And in a wording by al-Bukhari: {So we braided her hair into three braids and threw it behind her.} 3. 1 - Authentic. Narrated by al-Bukhari (1253) and Muslim (939) (36). 2 - Authentic. Narrated by al-Bukhari (167) and Muslim (939) (42 and 43). 3 - Authentic. This wording is found in al-Bukhari under number (1263).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: “The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, was shrouded in three white cotton garments from Sahul, without a shirt or turban.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1264) and Muslim (841). Sahul: with a damma on the sin, and it is also narrated with a fatha, attributed to Sahul, a village in Yemen. Al-Azhari said: with a fatha, it means the city. With a damma, it means the garments. It was said: the attribution to the village is with a damma, while with a fatha it is attributed to the fuller, because he washes the garments. That is, to purify it. "Karsaf" (with a short "u" sound on the "k" and a silent "s" between them) means cotton.

On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: “When Abdullah ibn Ubay died, his son came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘Give me your shirt so I may shroud him in it.’ So he gave it to him.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by al-Bukhari (1269) and Muslim (2400). Other hadiths have come that appear to contradict the hadith of Ibn Umar, and the answer to that is explained in detail in “Subul al-Salam” and other works such as “al-Fath.” Note: Some scholars, such as al-Isma’ili, Ibn Hajar, and others, have inferred from this hadith the permissibility of requesting Seeking blessings from the relics of righteous people is not permissible! I say: No. Seeking blessings is only permissible from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and not from the relics of other righteous and pious people. Our proof for this is that fundamental principle, which we proclaim day and night and teach to everyone, namely: “According to the understanding of the righteous predecessors.” This is what distinguishes the followers of the Salafi call from other callers, whether they be those of a particular school of jurisprudence, an intellectual call, or a partisan methodology. This example is a clear illustration that without this restriction, one enters into innovation through its widest gates, God forbid. In the Sunnah, we find that the Companions (may God be pleased with them) sought blessings from the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) ablution water, his sweat, and other relics, as recorded in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) and other sources. But do we find the Companions or the righteous predecessors in the three preferred centuries doing this with the relics of anyone other than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Undoubtedly, every fair-minded person will say: No, we do not. We say: If this were good, they would have preceded us in it. But since they did not do so and considered it a privilege specific to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we must not deviate from their understanding. Otherwise, we will fall into the same errors and misguidance that many people fall into because of their application of this condition, "according to the understanding of the righteous predecessors." Many of these people—if not all—despite their misguidance, still affirm the obligation to adhere to the Quran and Sunnah. Finally, I remind some of those who preside over gatherings and seminars these days that this principle has its proofs from the Book of Allah, the Exalted, and from the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), not as one of them claimed in some of his lessons! That throughout his scholarly life, he knew nothing but the Quran and Sunnah, and that this is what he received from his teachers, until the Salafis invented this statement. In any case, all of this is detailed in my treatise, "The Slandered Salafis." Praise be to Allah, first and last.

On the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Wear white garments, for they are among your best garments, and shroud your dead in them.” This was narrated by the five compilers of Hadith except for An-Nasa’i, and authenticated by At-Tirmidhi.¹ It is authentic. It was narrated by Ahmad (3426), Abu Dawud (4061), At-Tirmidhi (994), and Ibn Majah (3566). At-Tirmidhi said: “It is good and authentic.”

On the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When one of you shrouds his brother, let him shroud him well.” Narrated by Muslim (1).1 - Authentic. Narrated by Muslim (943), and its beginning is: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon one day. He mentioned a man from among his companions who had passed away and was shrouded in a poor shroud and buried at night. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade burying a man at night until the funeral prayer had been performed for him, unless someone was compelled to do so. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [The hadith continues]. See number (593) below.

On his authority, he said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would gather two men from among the martyrs of Uhud in one garment, then he would say: ‘Which of them knew more of the Qur’an?’ and he would place him in the grave first, without washing them or praying over them.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1343).

On the authority of Ali (may God be pleased with him), he said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘Do not be extravagant in the shroud, for it is quickly taken away.’” Narrated by Abu Dawud 1.1 - Weak. Narrated by Abu Dawud (3154).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to her: “If you had died before me, I would have washed you.” This hadith was narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Majah, and authenticated by Ibn Hibban.¹ It is authentic. It was narrated by Ahmad (6/228) and Ibn Majah (1465), and in version “A” it reads: “I would have washed you.”

On the authority of Asma’ bint ‘Umays, may God be pleased with her: “Fatima, peace be upon her, instructed that Ali, may God Almighty be pleased with him, should wash her body.” Narrated by Ad-Daraqutni 1.1 - Hasan (good). Narrated by Ad-Daraqutni (2/79/12).

On the authority of Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) – regarding the story of the woman from Ghamid whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered to be stoned for adultery – he said: {Then he ordered that the funeral prayer be performed for her and that she be buried.} Narrated by Muslim 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Muslim (1695).

On the authority of Jabir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: “A man who had killed himself with a blade was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not offer the funeral prayer for him.” Narrated by Muslim (1). 1 - Hasan (good). Narrated by Muslim (978). “Mishāqis” is the plural of “mishqas,” which is a broad blade.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah - may God be pleased with him - in the story of the woman who used to sweep the mosque - he said: {The Prophet - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - asked about her - and they said: She died. He said: “Why didn’t you inform me?”} It was as if they had belittled her matter. [1] So he said, “Show me her grave.” So they showed him, and he prayed over her. [Agreed upon] [2] And Muslim added, then he said, “These graves are filled with darkness for their inhabitants, and Allah illuminates them for them through my prayer over them.” [1] This addition is not found in the original texts, but it is in the printed versions and also in the commentary. It is also part of the hadith, and therefore I have retained it. [2] Authentic. Narrated by al-Bukhari (458) and Muslim (956).

On the authority of Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid announcing deaths. This was narrated by Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi, who graded it as Hasan (good). It was narrated by Ahmad (5/385 and 406) and At-Tirmidhi (986). At-Tirmidhi said: "This is a Hasan Sahih hadith." The prohibition against announcing deaths in general, as mentioned in this hadith, is qualified by other hadiths, such as the following one. Therefore, the prohibition does not apply to every instance of announcing a death.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) announced the death of the Negus on the day he died, and he led them out of the prayer area, arranged them in rows, and recited the funeral prayer over him four times. Agreed upon. 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1245) and Muslim (951) (62).

On the authority of Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with them both: I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “There is no Muslim man who dies and forty men stand over his funeral, not associating anything with God, except that God will accept their intercession for him.” Narrated by Muslim 1.1 - Hasan (good). Narrated by Muslim (948).

On the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “I prayed behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) over a woman who died in childbirth, and he stood in the middle of her.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (3/201/Fath) and Muslim (964).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: “By God, the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed over the two sons of Bayda’ in the mosque.” Narrated by Muslim 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Muslim (973).

On the authority of Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, who said: “Zayd ibn Arqam used to say the takbir four times over our funerals, but he said it five times over one funeral. So I asked him about it, and he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say it five times.’” Narrated by Muslim. The four [takbirs] 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Muslim (957), Abu Dawud (3197), An-Nasa’i (4/72), At-Tirmidhi (1023), and Ibn Majah (1505).

On the authority of Ali (may God be pleased with him), that he recited the takbir six times over Sahl ibn Hunayf and said, “He was a Badri.” Narrated by Sa’id ibn Mansur. 1. Its origin is in “Al-Bukhari.” 2. 1. Authentic. It was narrated by a group of people other than Sa’id ibn Mansur, and Ibn Hazm authenticated it in “Al-Muhalla” (5/126). 2. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (4004) with the wording: that Ali (may God be pleased with him) recited the takbir over Sahl ibn Hunayf and said, “He witnessed Badr.”

On the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would say the takbir four times over our funerals and recite the Opening Chapter of the Book (Al-Fatihah) in the first takbir.” Narrated by Al-Shafi’i with a weak chain of transmission. 1.1 - Narrated by Al-Shafi’i in “Al-Musnad” (1/209/578), and its chain of transmission is very weak because of Al-Shafi’i’s teacher, Ibn Abi Yahya, who is considered “rejected.” Al-San’ani pointed out a defect in it in “Al-Subul” that is not a defect.

On the authority of Talhah ibn Abdullah ibn Awf, who said: “I prayed behind Ibn Abbas over a funeral, and he recited the opening chapter of the Quran (Al-Fatihah) and said: ‘So that you may know that it is a Sunnah.’” Narrated by Al-Bukhari 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1335).

On the authority of Awf ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over a funeral, and I memorized from his supplication: ‘O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being, pardon him, honor his place of rest, widen his grave, wash him with water, snow, and hail, and purify him from sins as You purify a white garment from dirt, and grant him a home in Paradise.’” Better than his home, and a family better than his family, and admit him to Paradise, and protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire. [Narrated by Muslim 2.1 - This is how it appears in the original texts, and it is a narration by Muslim, and it is also as explained in the commentary. 2 - Authentic. Narrated by Muslim (963), and he added: Awf said: I wished that I had been the one who died, because of the supplication of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, against that deceased person.]

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over a funeral, he would say: ‘O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whomever You grant life among us, grant him life upon Islam, and whomever You cause to die among us, cause him to die upon faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of Your mercy.’” His reward, and do not lead us astray after him. Narrated by Muslim and the four compilers of Sunan. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Abu Dawud (3201), At-Tirmidhi (1024), and Ibn Majah (1498). This hadith has been criticized for something that does not invalidate it, and this is explained in the original text. Note: This refers to the hadith's attribution to Muslim.

On his authority, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When you pray for the deceased, supplicate sincerely for him.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and authenticated by Ibn Hibban. 1.1 - Hasan (good). Narrated by Abu Dawud (3199) and Ibn Hibban (3076).

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: “Hasten with the funeral procession, for if the deceased was righteous, then you are sending him to a good place, and if he was otherwise, then you are relieving yourselves of an evil burden.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1315) and Muslim (944) (50).

Al-Bukhari reported: “Whoever follows the funeral procession of a Muslim, out of faith and seeking reward, and remains with it until the funeral prayer is offered and the burial is completed, will return with two qirats, each qirat being like Mount Uhud.” 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (47). The complete version is: “And whoever prays over it, then returns before it is buried, will return with one qirat.”

On the authority of Salim, on the authority of his father (may God be pleased with him), that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar walking in front of a funeral procession. This was narrated by the five compilers of Hadith, and Ibn Hibban authenticated it. An-Nasa'i and a group of scholars considered it weak due to its being mursal (a hadith with a missing link in the chain of narration). 1.1 - Sahih (authentic). Narrated by Ahmad (4539), Abu Dawud (3179), An-Nasa'i (4/56), At-Tirmidhi (1007 and 1008), Ibn Majah (1482), and Ibn Hibban (766, 767, and 768). The reason given for the weakness of the hadith is not... By Qadih, and I have answered this in “Nasikh al-Hadith” (327) by Ibn Shahin, and also in the original text.

On the authority of Umm Atiyyah, may God be pleased with her, she said: “We were forbidden from following funeral processions, but it was not made obligatory upon us.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1287), and Muslim (938), and see “Nasikh Al-Hadith” (314).

On the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When you see a funeral procession, stand up. Whoever follows it should not sit down until the body is placed down.” Agreed upon. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Al-Bukhari (1310) and Muslim (959) (77). The wording is Muslim's, and Al-Bukhari's wording is the same, except that he has: “should not sit down.”

On the authority of Abu Ishaq, that Abdullah bin Yazid - may God be pleased with him - {lowered the deceased into the grave from the direction of his feet, and said: This is from the Sunnah}. Narrated by Abu Dawud 1.1 - Sahih. Narrated by Abu Dawud (3211).

On the authority of Ibn Umar, may God be pleased with them both, on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “When you place your dead in their graves, say: ‘In the name of God, and according to the religion of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.’” It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and An-Nasa’i, and authenticated by Ibn Hibban. Ad-Daraqutni considered it weak due to its being a statement of a Companion (not directly attributed to the Prophet). 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Ahmad (2/27, 40, 59, 69, 127-128), and Abu Dawud (3213), and Ibn Hibban (3110), and in another narration: “And according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of God.” As for al-Daraqutni’s (may God have mercy on him) criticism of the hadith as being stopped (i.e., not attributed to a Companion), it is refuted by the original source. Note: Attributing the hadith to al-Nasa’i in this manner is not good, as the hadith is found in al-Nasa’i’s “Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah” (The Deeds of the Day and Night).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Breaking the bone of a dead person is like breaking it when they are alive.” Narrated by Abu Dawud with a chain of narrators that meets the conditions of Muslim. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Abu Dawud (3207).

Ibn Majah added, in a hadith from Umm Salamah: {in sin} 1.1 - Weak. Narrated by Ibn Majah (1617). This wording is not from the hadith, but rather an interpretation by some of the narrators.

On the authority of Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “Dig a niche for me, and erect a pillar on the bricks, as was done for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” Narrated by Muslim. 1. With a connecting hamza and a fatha on the ha, and it is also permissible with a hamza and a kasra on the ha. The niche is the trench under the southern side of the grave. 2. Authentic. Narrated by Muslim (966).

Al-Bayhaqi narrated something similar on the authority of Jabir, and added: {And his grave was raised above the ground by a span}. Ibn Hibban authenticated it. 1.1 - Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi (3/407) and Ibn Hibban (8/218/6601), and it is defective.

And Muslim narrated on his authority: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade plastering graves, sitting on them, and building structures on them.” 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Muslim (970).

On the authority of 'Amir ibn Rabi'ah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over 'Uthman ibn Maz'un, and came to the grave, and threw three handfuls of earth upon it while standing. Narrated by Ad-Daraqutni. 1. Very weak. Narrated by Ad-Daraqutni (2/76/1).

On the authority of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) finished burying the deceased, he would stand by the grave and say: ‘Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for him to be made steadfast, for he is now being questioned.’” Narrated by Abu Dawud, and authenticated by Al-Hakim. 1.1 - Authentic. Narrated by Abu Dawud (3221) and Al-Hakim (1/370). In version “A”: “and ask.”

On the authority of Damrah ibn Habib, one of the followers, he said: “They used to prefer, when the grave of the deceased was leveled and the people had departed from him, that it be said at his grave: ‘O so-and-so! Say: There is no god but Allah.’ Three times, O so-and-so!” Say: My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Narrated by Sa'id ibn Mansur as a statement of a Companion (not directly attributed to the Prophet). 1.1 - Weak.