Burying More Than One Person In A Grave

At the time of need (for e.g. when space is running out in the cemetery) if the remains of the first deceased has decomposed and disintegrated completely then it will be permissible to bury a second deceased in that grave, otherwise in the absence of a real need it will not be permissible. If after opening an old grave it is found that the remains of the deceased have not decomposed fully then the remains should be gathered and put in the corner of the grave and a slight barrier of sand should be made between the remains and the newly deceased. If the body of the deceased is still intact then too at the time of need it will be permissible to bury another deceased in the same grave. In this situation too a sand barrier will have to be placed between the bodies.

Merely for the sake of burying family members together is not regarded as a need which makes it permissible to bury more than one body in a single grave. An example of a true need is the genuine lack of space.

In the event that two or more people have to be buried simultaneously in one grave because of some need (for e.g. during war time or due to many people having died at once due to some calamity or plague) if all the deceased are of the same gender then the most righteous person will be put first in the incision of the grave and thereafter the next in due merit of order. However, if the deceased consist of males and females then the males will be put in first, then the children and lastly the women, not forgetting the barrier between the bodies.