It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Khabbab bin al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) that in Kufah the people used to bury their dead inside the city itself, until, when the time of death drew near for Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) and he became bedridden, he said to me: "O my dear son! Bury me at 'al-Zahr' (a raised place outside Kufah), for if you bury me there it will be said that a man from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is buried here." So when Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away, he was buried at "al-Zahr." He was the first person to be buried in that place, and after him people began burying their dead there.