Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:12415Abū al-Naḍr > al-Mubārak > Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl > Anas b. Mālik

“When the Prophet ﷺ died, there was a man in Al-Madinah who used to make a niche in the grave and another who used to dig graves without a niche. They said: ‘Let us pray Istikharah to our Lord and call for them both, and whichever of them comes first, we will let him do it.’ So they were both sent for, and the one who used to make the niche-grave came first, so they made a niche-grave for the Prophet ﷺ.” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 1557)   

أحمد:١٢٤١٥حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النَّضْرِ حَدَّثَنَا الْمُبَارَكُ حَدَّثَنِي حُمَيْدٌ الطَّوِيلُ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ يَلْحَدُ وَآخَرُ يَضْرَحُ فَقَالُوا نَسْتَخِيرُ رَبَّنَا وَنَبْعَثُ إِلَيْهِمَا فَأَيُّهُمَا سَبَقَ تَرَكْنَاهُ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِمَا فَسَبَقَ صَاحِبُ اللَّحْدِ فَأَلْحَدُوا لَهُ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ibn Mājah
ibnmajah:1557Maḥmūd b. Ghaylān > Hāshim b. al-Qāsim > Mubārak b. Faḍālah > Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl > Anas b. Mālik

“When the Prophet ﷺ died, there was a man in Al-Madinah who used to make a niche in the grave and another who used to dig graves without a niche. They said: ‘Let us pray Istikharah to our Lord and call for them both, and whichever of them comes first, we will let him do it.’ So they were both sent for, and the one who used to make the niche-grave came first, so they made a niche-grave for the Prophet ﷺ.”  

ابن ماجة:١٥٥٧حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ حَدَّثَنَا هَاشِمُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ حَدَّثَنَا مُبَارَكُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ حَدَّثَنِي حُمَيْدٌ الطَّوِيلُ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ كَانَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَلْحَدُ وَآخَرُ يَضْرَحُ فَقَالُوا نَسْتَخِيرُ رَبَّنَا وَنَبْعَثُ إِلَيْهِمَا فَأَيُّهُمَا سَبَقَ تَرَكْنَاهُ فَأُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمَا فَسَبَقَ صَاحِبُ اللَّحْدِ فَلَحَدُوا لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ