ILM AL-HÂL

194 Salâm to the right and releasing the left hand while giving Salâm to the left. The correct practise is to release both hands at the recitation of the fourth Takbîr and then give the Salâm. (Durar, volume: 1, page: 53). 2. Whenever the imâm says the Takbîr, some people in the congregation raise up their heads, which is also incorrect. 3. If the place where Janâzah Salâh is performed or one’s shoes are not clean, one should take the shoes off and stand on them. THE GRAVE AND THE BURIAL It is a Sunnah act to carry the coffin after the Janâzah Salâh. One should carry the coffin holding from each corner, firstly on the right shoulder in the front, then the right shoulder in the rear, then the left shoulder in the front and finally the left shoulder in the rear, each time walking for ten steps. The coffin is to be carried swiftly but without shaking the corpse. It is Makrûh (disliked) to engage in dhikrullah (remembrance of Allah) while walking behind the coffin as well as to sit down before the coffin is put down. The grave is to be dug to the depth of half the height of a person and wide and long enough for the corpse to fit in. It is better to dig the grave even deeper. At the completion of the digging process, a "Lahd” is made if the soil is hard; that means a niche is made at the bottom of the grave on that side of the grave that is towards the direction of the Qiblah in which the body is placed. The dead body is