موطا امام مالك رواية يحييٰ
Muwatta Imam Malik (Riwayat Yahya)
كتاب الجنائزBook: On the Explanation of Funerals
بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي دَفْنِ الْمَيِّتِWhat is reported about burying the deceased
Hadith 546
وَحَدَّثَنِي ، عَنْ مَالِك ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ : " كَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا يَلْحَدُ وَالْآخَرُ لَا يَلْحَدُ ، فَقَالُوا : أَيُّهُمَا جَاءَ أَوَّلُ عَمِلَ عَمَلَهُ ؟ فَجَاءَ الَّذِي يَلْحَدُ فَلَحَدَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ "
It is narrated from Hazrat Urwah bin Zubair that there were two men who used to dig graves; one of them used to make a niche (lahr) in the grave and the other did not. The people said: Whoever comes first will start his work. So the one who made the niche came first, and thus the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was made with a niche.
