❀ Virtue of Throwing Three Handfuls of Soil at the Time of Burial ❀
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Introduction
It is recommended (mustaḥabb) for every person present at a burial to throw three handfuls of soil into the grave, following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Hadith Evidence
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
“The Prophet ﷺ offered a funeral prayer, then he came to the grave of the deceased and threw three handfuls of soil near the head of the deceased.”
فَحَثَى عَلَيْهِ مِنْ قِبَلِ رَأْسِهِ ثَلَاثًا
References:
✔ Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 1271
✔ Ibn Mājah: 1565 (Kitāb al-Janāʾiz: Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī Ḥathw al-Turāb fī al-Qabr)
✔ Ḥāfiẓ al-Būṣīrī declared it ṣaḥīḥ
✔ Miṣbāḥ al-Zujājah: 1/511
❖ Ruling and Practice
◉ Throwing three handfuls of soil by hand is Sunnah and recommended for those present at the burial.
◉ The Prophet ﷺ himself practiced this after leading a janāzah prayer, and the soil was cast from the head side of the grave.
◉ This act signifies participation in the burial and is considered a virtuous deed.
❖ Conclusion
✅ It is Sunnah and recommended for every person present at the burial to:
✔ Throw three handfuls of soil into the grave
✔ Begin from the head side of the deceased
✅ This practice is authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ and strengthens the spiritual and communal involvement in the funeral process.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
