Burial of the Martyrs

the messenger of allâh [pbuh] supervised the martyrs’ burial and said: "i bear witness that anyone who is wounded in the way of allâh, allâh will resurrect him with his wound bleeding a liquid which is blood-like in colour but musk-like in scent." [ibn hisham 2/98]

some of the companions carried their men killed in the war to madinah, but the messenger of allâh [pbuh] ordered that they should be sent back in order to be buried where they were killed. he ordered that they should not be washed but buried as they were after stripping them off their armours and leather clothes. he used to bury every two or three martyrs together in one grave and even join two men in one garment while saying: "who is the more learned of the qur’ân?" and he would commit him to earth first. he would say: "i bear witness to those on the day of resurrection." he buried both ‘abdullah bin ‘amr bin haram and ‘amr bin al-jamuh in one grave due to the affection they used to possess to each other. [za'd al-ma'ad 2/98; sahih al-bukhari 2/584]

they missed the coffin of hanzalah, they sought it and found that it was on a spot nearby with water dripping off it. the messenger of allâh [pbuh] told his companions that the angels were washing him and said: "ask his wife". they asked her and she confirmed that he had been in a state of ceremonial impurity. that was why hanzalah was called ‘ghaseel al-malâ’ikah’ (i.e. the one washed by the angels). [za'd al-ma'ad 2/94]

when the messenger of allâh [pbuh] saw how his uncle and foster brother, hamzah, was mutilated, he was extremely grieved. when his aunt safiyah came to see her brother hamzah, the messenger of allâh [pbuh] ordered her son az-zubair to dismiss her in order not to see what happened to her brother. she refused and said, "but why should i go away. i have been informed that they have mutilated him. but so long as it is in the way of allâh, whatever happens to him satisfies us. i say: allâh is sufficient and i will be patient if allâh wills." she approached, looked at him and supplicated allâh for him and said: "to allâh we all belong and to him we will verily return." and she implored allâh to forgive him. then the messenger of allâh [pbuh] ordered that he should be buried with ‘abdullah bin jahsh — who was his nephew as well as his foster brother.

ibn mas‘ud said: we have never seen the messenger of allâh [pbuh] weeping so much as he was for hamzah bin ‘abdul muttalib. he directed him towards al-qiblah, then he stood at his funeral and sobbed his heart out. [mukhtasar seerat ar-rasool p.255]

the sight of the martyrs was extremely horrible and heart-breaking. describing hamzah’s funeral, khabbab said: "no shroud long enough was available for hamzah except a white-darkish garment. when they covered his head with it, it was too short to cover his feet. similarly if they covered his feet his head would be revealed. finally they covered his head with it and put some plant called ‘al-idhkhir’ to cover his feet." [mishkat 1/140]