[26] APPENDIX II...
[26] APPENDIX II: The Shape and Height of Graves in Islam عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) يُغَسَّلُ الْمَيِّتُ ثَلَاثَ غَسَلَاتٍ مَرَّةً بِالسِّدْرِ وَ مَرَّةً بِالْمَاءِ يُطْرَحُ فِيهِ الْكَافُورُ وَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى بِالْمَاءِ الْقَرَاحِ ثُمَّ يُكَفَّنُ A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Al Hassan Bin Mahboub, from Ali Bin Raib, from Al Halby who said, ‘Abu Abdullah -asws said: ‘The deceased should be washed with three washings – once with the lotus (leaves), and once with the pure water where is camphor, and once more with clear water.
Then he should be enshrouded’. وَ قَالَ إِنَّ أَبِي كَتَبَ فِي وَصِيَّتِهِ أَنْ أُكَفِّنَهُ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَثْوَابٍ أَحَدُهَا رِدَاءٌ لَهُ حِبَرَةٌ وَ ثَوْبٌ آخَرُ وَ قَمِيصٌ قُلْتُ وَ لِمَ كَتَبَ هَذَا قَالَ مَخَافَةَ قَوْلِ النَّاسِ وَ عَصَّبْنَاهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِعِمَامَةٍ وَ شَقَقْنَا لَهُ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بَادِناً وَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَرْفَعَ الْقَبْرَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَ أَصَابِعَ مُفَرَّجَاتٍ وَ ذَكَرَ أَنَّ رَشَّ الْقَبْرِ بِالْمَاءِ حَسَنٌ .
And he -asws said: ‘My -asws father -asws wrote in his -asws bequest that I -asws should enshroud him -asws in three clothes – one of them being a cloak of his -asws as a veil, and another cloth, and a shirt’.
I said, ‘And why did he -asws write this?’ He -asws said: ‘Fearing the words of the people, and we placed a turban on him -asws after that, and we -asws cleaved the ground for him for the reason that he -asws was hefty, and had instructed me -asws that I -asws raise the grave from the ground by four thin fingers, and he -asws mentioned that sprinkling the grave with the water is good’.
[27] قُلْت وَ أَوْصَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ إِلَى ابْنِهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يُكَفِّنَهُ فِي بُرْدِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِيهِ الْجُمَعَ وَ أَنْ يُعَمِّمَهُ بِعِمَامَتِهِ وَ أَنْ يُرَبِّعَ قَبْرَهُ وَ يَرْفَعَهُ أَرْبَعَ أَصَابِعَ ثُمَّ يُخَلِّيَ عَنْهُ I -asws say: ‘And Muhammad -asws Bin Ali -asws bequeaths to his -asws son -asws Ja’far -asws Bin Muhammad -asws and instructs him -asws that he -asws should enshroud him -asws in his -asws cloak which he -asws used to pray the Friday Salat in, and that he -asws turban him -asws with his -asws turban, and that he -asws should square his -asws grave and raise it (to) four fingers.
Then he -asws should isolate from him -asws ’.
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