What is the ruling on opening the grave of a man who died and was buried only a day earlier to bury another man in it? What is the ruling on digging a large burial pit to bury multiple bodies and then covering it with soil, due to the high number of deaths and the shortage of burial places?

The default rule is that each deceased person should be buried in a separate grave, whether a lahd (a niche dug into the side of the grave facing the direction of prayer) or a shaqq (a trench dug in the middle of the grave floor). In cases of necessity, it is permissible to bury more than one deceased person in the same grave, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did with the martyrs of the Battle of Uhud. In such cases, males should be buried with males and females with females, with a barrier separating them, even if is made of earth. It is impermissible to bury a male with a female, or vise versa, except in cases of necessity such as when no separate grave is availabile or no grave containing a deceased of the same sex is available. Even then, a barrier must be placed between them.

When there is no room left in the existing graves, it is necessary to bury the deceased in other graves. If this is not possible, multiple levels may be constructed within a single grave. Alternatively, a qabw (a domed ceiling made of bricks or stones) may be constructed over the earlier deceased without touching the body. Earth is then placed over the qabw, and the newly deceased is buried on it.

 

The ruling

Based on the above, if no other grave is available, an existing grave may be reopened to bury a newly deceased person with someone who was buried earlier, provided that the above-mentioned conditions are observed.

And Allah Almighty knows best.