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Fatwa CenterPlacing baked bricks inside grave
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Is it permissible to place baked bricks inside a grave? If someone has kept baked bricks inside the Lahd (grave), what is the ruling? Should the grave be opened in order to remove these baked bricks?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The scholars disliked that something that was touched by fire be entered into the grave; Ibn Qudaamah said in Al-Mughni, "Brick or wood or anything that was touched by fire should not be entered into the grave... Brick is disliked because it is used in building by those who live in luxury, and all that is touched by fire (is disliked) as a good omen that the deceased would not be touched by fire."
The reason for which scholars disliked it is due to being optimistic that the dead would not be touched by fire. We are not aware of any evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet that it is disliked.
Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in Al-Mussannaf from Mu’tamir ibn Sulaymaan, from Thaabit ibn Zayd, who said, "Hamaadah narrated to me from Unaysah bint Zayd that Unaysah said, 'A son of Zayd whose name was Suwayd died, and a servant boy or servant girl of his bought lime plaster and bricks. Zayd told him, ‘What are you going to do with these?’ He said, ‘I want to build his grave and plaster it.’ Zayd said, ‘You have erred and you are wrong: Do not put anything that was touched by fire near him.’'”
The chain of narrators (of this report) includes Thaabit ibn Zayd, who is considered a weak narrator by the scholars. Its chain of narrators also includes Unaysah bint Zayd ibn Arqam, who is unknown.
The Standing Committee was asked about entering cement that was touched by fire to the grave; and they replied by saying, "If there are bricks made of strong clay available, then it is more appropriate to use them in closing the grave than cement bricks. If there are no clay bricks, or they are not available except at a cost, then there is nothing wrong in using cement bricks in the grave, because there is no evidence for forbidding this.”
It is not permissible to open a grave just to remove bricks that were touched by fire.
Allah knows best.
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