Short answer
In a grave dug in the earth, wrapped only in the white kafan where the law allows. The body is laid on its right side facing the qiblah, usually in a niche (lahd) in the side of the grave, while the one placing it says Bismillah wa 'ala millati rasulillah. The grave is filled, raised a little, and the people stand making dua.
Burial is fard kifayah. The lahd is sunnah where the soil allows; laying the body on its right side facing the qiblah is sunnah; and the grave is raised about a hand span in a hump shape. Lowering the body into the grave from the qiblah side is preferred in the Hanafi school.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A flat, levelled grave top is preferred to a hump, and the body is lowered head first from the foot end of the grave.
- Hanbali
- The body is lowered head first from the foot end of the grave; the grave is raised in a hump, as in the Hanafi view.
Explanation
Burial is taught in the Quran in the story of the two sons of Adam, when Allah sent a crow to show one of them how to cover his brother's body. Burial returns the body to the earth it was made from, with dignity and without delay.
- The grave. It is dug deep enough to protect the body: at least half a man's height, and better to the chest or deeper. A lahd is a niche cut into the qiblah side at the bottom. In soft soil a shaqq, a trench in the middle, is used instead.
- Lowering. Close relatives or trusted men step into the grave and receive the body. For a woman, her mahram relatives do this where possible, and a sheet is held over the grave to screen her.
- The words. The one placing the body says Bismillah wa 'ala millati rasulillah (in the name of Allah and on the way of the Messenger of Allah); one narration has sunnati (the sunnah) in place of millati.
- Position. The body lies on its right side, facing the qiblah, and the knots of the kafan are untied.
- Closing. The lahd is closed with unbaked mud bricks or reeds so earth does not fall on the body. Fired bricks and wood are disliked in the Hanafi school unless soft soil makes them necessary.
- Filling. Those present throw three handfuls of earth, starting from the head side, then the grave is filled and raised a little above the ground.
- Dua. The people stand at the grave for a while asking Allah to keep the person firm, since they are being questioned.
A coffin is not used unless the soil or the law requires it; see burial in a coffin. Each person should have their own grave, except in real need. For a simple marker, see headstones, and for the questions in the grave, see the three questions.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:31
فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابًۭا يَبْحَثُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُۥ كَيْفَ يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ ۚ قَالَ يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَٰذَا ٱلْغُرَابِ فَأُوَٰرِىَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِى ۖ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلنَّٰدِمِينَ ﴿٣١﴾
Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.
Burial in the earth was taught by Allah from the start.
Quran, Surah Taa-Haa 20:55
۞ مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَٰكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَىٰ ﴿٥٥﴾
From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.
The grave returns the body to the earth.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3213
Grading to be checked... بسم الله وعلى سنة رسول الله ...
"In the name of Allah and on the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah."
These are the words the Prophet ﷺ said when placing the dead in the grave.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3221
Graded sahih... استغفروا لأخيكم وسلوا له التثبيت فإنه الآن يسأل ...
"Ask forgiveness for your brother and ask that he be made firm, for he is being questioned now."
Standing at the grave to make dua after burial is sunnah.
Sahih Muslim 966
Sahih... الحدوا لي لحدا وانصبوا علي اللبن نصبا ...
"Dig a lahd for me and set up unbaked bricks over me, as was done for the Messenger of Allah."
The Prophet ﷺ was buried in a lahd closed with bricks.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Jana'iz, section on burial. The lahd, facing the qiblah, lowering from the qiblah side and the humped grave.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Bab Ahkam al-Jana'iz. The words said, untying the knots, and the three handfuls of earth.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Jana'iz. The Shafi'i preference for a flat grave and lowering from the foot end.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.