Moving the grave of a foetus buried in land that is to be sold

Four years ago, one of the sisters had a miscarriage, losing the baby after the time when the soul had entered the foetus. It was buried in the back yard of a house belonging to a Muslim friend of her husband. She has now found out that the house has been put up for sale, and the people who buy it will most likely be non-Muslims, so she cannot be sure that they will not step on the grave-site. Is it necessary to move the grave?

Praise be to Allaah.

According to Islamic sharee’ah, the grave has a certain sanctity, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to walk or sit on graves. If the foetus has disintegrated completely and there is nothing left, then there is no need to do anything, but if any part is left, it should be moved and buried in a place where the grave will not be treated with disrespect. And Allaah knows best.