❖ Correct Method of Placing the Janāzah (Bier) into the Grave: Practice of the Companions and Tābiʿīn ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 539
When placing the bier (چارپائی) of the deceased at the grave, which side should it be placed on?
(Questioner: Dr. Nasīm Akhtar, Islamabad)
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
✔ It is preferable to place the bier on the right side of the grave, in line with the general principle of the Prophet ﷺ favoring the right side (tayammun) in matters of virtue.
✔ This is not an obligation, but a recommended practice reflecting the Prophet’s love for the right side in various affairs.
"والله أعلم"
The practice of the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn clarifies how the deceased was typically lowered into the grave:
Narrated regarding Ḥārith ibn ʿUbaydillāh al-Aʿwar:
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn Yazīd al-Khaṭmī (رضي الله عنه) led the funeral prayer.
◈ He lowered the body from the foot end of the grave and said:
"This is from the Sunnah."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3211; authenticated in as-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī 4/54)
Bayhaqī added:
“Its isnād is ṣaḥīḥ, and because he said, ‘This is from the Sunnah’, it is like a marfūʿ report.”
◈ Anas (رضي الله عنه) instructed that the deceased be lowered from the foot side of the grave.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/327, Ḥadīth: 1167 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
◈ The trustworthy Tābiʿī al-Shaʿbī lowered a body from the foot end and said:
"By Allah! This is Sunnah."
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/328, Ḥadīth: 11680 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
Another similar act is recorded in Ḥadīth: 11684 (ḥasan isnād)
◈ He once lowered a deceased body into the grave from the Qiblah side.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/328, Ḥadīth: 11691 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
✔ The bier of the deceased should be placed on the right side of the grave out of preference for the right.
✔ As for lowering the body, the practice of the Companions and Tābiʿīn shows that it is Sunnah to lower the deceased from the foot side of the grave.
✔ Lowering from the Qiblah side is also reported and acceptable.
وما علینا إلا البلاغ
(Shahādat Magazine, September 2001)
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 539
❖ Question:
When placing the bier (چارپائی) of the deceased at the grave, which side should it be placed on?
(Questioner: Dr. Nasīm Akhtar, Islamabad)
❖ Response:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
➊ Sunnah Preference: Right Side First
✔ It is preferable to place the bier on the right side of the grave, in line with the general principle of the Prophet ﷺ favoring the right side (tayammun) in matters of virtue.
✔ This is not an obligation, but a recommended practice reflecting the Prophet’s love for the right side in various affairs.
"والله أعلم"
➋ Practice of the Companions and Tābiʿīn
The practice of the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn clarifies how the deceased was typically lowered into the grave:
1. Lowering from the Foot Side — A Recognized Sunnah
Narrated regarding Ḥārith ibn ʿUbaydillāh al-Aʿwar:
◈ ʿAbdullāh ibn Yazīd al-Khaṭmī (رضي الله عنه) led the funeral prayer.
◈ He lowered the body from the foot end of the grave and said:
"This is from the Sunnah."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3211; authenticated in as-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī 4/54)
Bayhaqī added:
“Its isnād is ṣaḥīḥ, and because he said, ‘This is from the Sunnah’, it is like a marfūʿ report.”
2. Sayyidunā Anas (رضي الله عنه)
◈ Anas (رضي الله عنه) instructed that the deceased be lowered from the foot side of the grave.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/327, Ḥadīth: 1167 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
3. Tābiʿī Imām al-Shaʿbī (رحمه الله)
◈ The trustworthy Tābiʿī al-Shaʿbī lowered a body from the foot end and said:
"By Allah! This is Sunnah."
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/328, Ḥadīth: 11680 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
Another similar act is recorded in Ḥadīth: 11684 (ḥasan isnād)
4. Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī (رحمه الله)
◈ He once lowered a deceased body into the grave from the Qiblah side.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 3/328, Ḥadīth: 11691 – isnād ṣaḥīḥ)
Conclusion
✔ The bier of the deceased should be placed on the right side of the grave out of preference for the right.
✔ As for lowering the body, the practice of the Companions and Tābiʿīn shows that it is Sunnah to lower the deceased from the foot side of the grave.
✔ Lowering from the Qiblah side is also reported and acceptable.
وما علینا إلا البلاغ
(Shahādat Magazine, September 2001)
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
