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.
Hadith Referenceموطا امام مالك رواية يحييٰ / كتاب الجنائز / 546
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح، وأخرجه ابن أبى شيبة فى «مصنفه» برقم: 11631، وانظر ابن ماجه فى «سننه» برقم: 1557، شركة الحروف نمبر: 503، فواد عبدالباقي نمبر: 16 - كِتَابُ الْجَنَائِزِ-ح: 28»