"The Apostle believeth in that which hath been sent down from his Lord, as do the faithful also. Each believeth in God, and His angels, and His Books and His Apostles: we make no distinction between any of His Apostles.[218] And they say: 'We have heard and we obey. (We implore) Thy mercy, Lord; for unto Thee must we return.' God will not burden any soul beyond its power. It shall enjoy the good which it hath acquired, and shall bear the evil for the acquirement of which it laboured. O our Lord! punish us not if we forget, or fall into sin; O our Lord! and lay not on us a load like that which Thou hast laid on those who have been before us[219]; O our Lord! and lay not on us that for which we have no strength: but blot out our sins and forgive us, and have pity on us. Thou art our protector; give us victory therefore over the infidel nations." (Sura ii. 285, 286). {211} The chief mourner then gives the Izn-i-'Amm, that is, he says:-- "All have permission to depart." Some then proceed homewards, others go with the corpse to the graveyard. When the bier is lifted up, or when it is placed down near the grave, the people say:-- "We commit thee to earth in the name of God and in the religion of the Prophet." If the ground is very hard, a recess (lahad) is dug out in the side of the grave. This must be high enough to allow the corpse to sit up when Munkir and Nakir come to interrogate it. If the ground is soft a small grave is excavated at the bottom of the larger one. The corpse is then placed in the lower one. The idea in both cases is that the corpse must be in such a position that it can have free movement. The body is placed with the face towards Mecca. When the bands of the shroud have been loosened the people say:-- "O God deprive us not of the heavenly reward of the deceased, place us not in trouble." Each person then takes seven clods of earth, and over each clod says; "Bismillah" (in the name of God), and the Surat-ul-Iklas (Sura cxii) and then places each clod by the head of the corpse. Unburnt bricks, bamboos or boards having then been placed over the smaller grave, the persons present with both hands throw clods of earth three times into the grave. The first time they say: "From it (earth) We created you"; the second time, "and into it will We return you;" the third time, "and out of it will We bring you a second time." (Sura xx. 57). Then they say this Du'a: "O God I beseech Thee for the sake of Muhammad not to trouble the deceased." When the attendants are filling up the grave they say:-- "O God, defend the deceased from Shaitan (devil) and from the torments of the grave." When the grave is completely filled up, one man pours {212} water three, or five, or seven times over it and then plants a green branch on it.[220] One of the mourners then draws near the middle of the grave and recites the Talqin (instruction):-- "O servant of God, and child of a female servant of God.