Section: Ahmad was asked about mud-plastering graves, and he said: "I hope there is no harm in it." Al-Hasan and al-Shafi'i granted a concession regarding this. Ahmad narrated, with his chain of transmission from Nafi' from Ibn 'Umar, that he used to tend to the grave of 'Asim ibn 'Umar. Nafi' said: "One of his sons died while he was away, so when he arrived, he asked us about him, and we directed him to it. He used to tend to the grave and order its repair." It is narrated from al-Hasan, from 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "The deceased continues to hear the Adhan as long as his grave is not mud-plastered," or he said: "As long as his grave is not covered (27) (28)."

Section: It is disliked to build upon a grave, to whitewash it, or to write upon it, because of what Muslim narrated in his "Sahih" (29), where he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade that a grave be whitewashed, that anything be built upon it, or that one sits upon it. Al-Tirmidhi added: "Or that it be written upon." He said: "This is a Hasan Sahih (good and authentic) Hadith." This is because such things are among the adornments of this world, and the deceased has no need for them. In this Hadith is evidence for the permissibility of mud-plastering a grave, because the prohibition explicitly specifies whitewashing. 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz forbade building with baked bricks upon a grave and made a will regarding that. Al-Aswad ibn Yazid also willed: "Do not place baked bricks upon my grave." Ibrahim said: "They used to dislike baked bricks in their graves." Ahmad disliked that a tent (fustat) be erected over a grave, and Abu Hurayrah, when death approached him, willed: "Do not erect a tent (30) over me."