Section: If one dies on a ship at sea, Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: He is to be waited upon if they have hope of finding a place to bury him (26), so they hold him for a day or two, provided they do not fear his decay. If they do not find a place, he is washed, shrouded, embalmed, prayed over, weighted with something, and cast into the water. This is the opinion of Ata and al-Hasan. Al-Hasan said: He is left in a basket (27) and cast into the sea. Al-Shafi'i said: He is tied between two boards so that the sea carries him to the shore, for he might reach a people who will bury him, and if they cast him into the sea, they are not sinful. The former [opinion] is preferable because it achieves the covering intended by his burial, whereas casting him between two boards exposes him to alteration and violation, and he might remain on the shore exposed and naked, or he might reach a people among the polytheists. Therefore, what we mentioned is more appropriate.

366 - Issue: He said: (And the woman’s grave is screened with a garment).

We know of no disagreement among the scholars regarding the desirability of this. Ibn Sirin narrated that Umar used to cover the woman’s grave. It was narrated from Ali that he passed by a people who had buried a deceased person and had spread a garment over his grave, so he pulled it away and said: "This is only done for women (1)." Anas ibn Malik witnessed the burial of Abu Zayd al-Ansari, and he screened the grave with a garment. Abdullah ibn Anas said: "Remove the garment; only the grave of women is screened (2)." Anas was a witness at the edge of the grave and did not object. This is because a woman is an 'awrah (intimate/private area), and it is not certain that something of her might not become exposed, which the attendees would then see. If the deceased is a man, it is disliked to screen his grave, for the reason we have mentioned. Abdullah ibn Yazid disliked it, while the scholars of reason (Ashab al-Ra'y) and Abu Thawr did not dislike it. The first [opinion] is more appropriate because the action of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and Anas indicates that it is disliked, and because...