Building mosques over the graves of Prophets and
righteous people, or over places connected to their lives, is something which
the perfect sharee’ah of Islam came to forbid and warn against, and curses
those who do that, because it is one of the means that lead to shirk and
exaggeration about the Prophets and the righteous people....
It is not permissible for graves to be left in
mosques, whether that is the grave of a wali (“saint”) or of anyone else,
because the Messenger (PBUH) forbade that and warned against that, and he
cursed the Jews and Christians for doing that. It was narrated that he (PBUH)
said: “May Allah
curse the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their Prophets
as places of worship.” [Bukhaari,
1330, Muslim, 529]
He (PBUH) also said: “When a
righteous man died among them, they would build a place of worship over his
grave and put those images in it. They are the most evil of mankind before
Allaah.” (Al-Bukhaari,
427; Muslim, 528)
He(PBUH) said: “Those who
came before you took the graves of their Prophets and righteous people as
places of worship. Do not take graves as places of worship – I forbid you to do
that.” (Narrated
by Muslim in his Saheeh, 532, from Jundab ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali).
So the Prophet (PBUH) forbade taking graves as places
of worship and he cursed those who do that, stating that they are the most evil
of mankind. So we must beware of that.
Jabir said: Allah's
Messenger PBUH forbade that the graves should be plastered or they be used as
sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them. [Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 2116 also
Muslim: Book 4: Hadith 2114]
Abu Wail reported that Sayyidina Ali (RA) said to Abu
Hayyaj Asadi, “I am
sending you to do what the Prophet sent me to do, (that) leave no high grave
without levelling it (with the ground) and no picture without obliterating it.” [Tirmidhi 1051, Sahih by Albani also
Abu Dawud 3218, Nisai 2027, also Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 2115]
It is known that everyone who prays at a grave (Dargah)
is taking it as a place of worship, and whoever builds a mosque over a grave
(Dargah) has taken it as a place of worship. So we must keep graves far away
from the mosques and not put graves inside mosques, in obedience to the command
of the Prophet (PBUH) and so as to avoid the curse issued by our Lord against
those who build places of worship over graves, because when a person prays in a
mosque in which there is a grave, the Shaytaan tempt them to call upon the
deceased or to seek his help, or to pray to him or prostrate to him, thus
committing major shirk (polytheism) and going out of fold of Islam.
Everyone who looks at the state of the Muslim world
and the shirk and exaggeration that have come about because of building mosques
over tombs, venerating them, adorning them and appointing custodians for them,
will realize that this is indeed a means that leads to ‘Grave Worshipping’.
Clearance Of Two Doubts.
Doubt No. 1: Some
people use the story of the People of the Cave to support their specious
argument that this is allowed:
“(then) those who won their point said (most probably
the disbelievers): ‘We verily, shall build a place of worship over them’”
[al-Kahf 18:21]
The answer to that is: that Allaah has told us about
the leaders and powerful people of that time, and that they said these words.
That does not imply that ALLAH liked that or approved of them, rather ALLAH
said that by way of blaming them and condemning their action. This is indicated
by the fact that the Messenger (PBUH) to whom this verse was revealed and who
was the most knowledgeable of people as to how it should be interpreted,
forbade his ummah to build mosques over graves, warned them against doing so,
and cursed and condemned those who did that.
If that had been permissible, then the Messenger of
Allaah (PBUH) would not have discouraged it in such emphatic terms, and gone to
the extent of cursing those who did it, and said that they are the most evil of
mankind before Allaah. This is sufficient to convince the seeker of truth. Even
if we were to assume that building places of worship over graves was permitted
to those who came before us, it is not permissible for us to follow their
example in that, because our sharee’ah abrogates the laws that came before it,
and our Messenger (PBUH) is the Final Messenger whose sharee’ah is complete and
universal. He has forbidden us to build mosques over graves, so it is not
permissible for us to go against him.
Doubt No. 2: There
is another specious argument put forward by those who worship graves, namely
the fact that the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is in his mosque.
Islam forbids erecting structures over graves, and
commands that any such structures should be knocked down, as it surely leads to
Grave worshipping thereby causing to commit shirk (polytheism- associaing
partners with ALLAH) and eventually making the one to leave the fold of Islam.
The kalimah of Tawheed gets nullified and the one no longer remains Muslim.
Shaykh‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (rahmahullah) said: The
answer to that is that the Sahaabah (radhiallahuanhum) did not bury him in his
mosque, rather they buried him in the house of ‘Aa’ishah (radhiallahu anha).
When al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik expanded the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) at
the end of the first century AH, he incorporated the room into the mosque, but
he did wrong thereby, and some of the scholars denounced him for that, but he
believed that there was nothing wrong with it for the sake of expanding the
mosque.
It is not permissible for a Muslim to take that as
evidence that mosques may be built over graves, or that people may be buried
inside mosques, because that goes against the saheeh ahaadeeth, and because it
is a means that may lead to shirk by associating the occupants of the graves in
worship with Allaah. End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 5/388, 389.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen
(rahimahullah) was asked about the ruling on praying in a mosque in which there
is a grave. He replied:
Praying in a mosque in which there is a grave falls
into two categories:
(i) Either the grave was there before the mosque, and
the mosque was built over the grave. It is essential to shun this mosque and
not pray therein, and the one who built it must knock it down; if he does not
do so, then the Muslim authorities must knock it down.
(ii) Or the mosque was there before the grave, and the
deceased was buried after the mosque was built. In the case the grave must be
dug up, and the remains taken out and buried with the people (in the
graveyard).
As for praying in such a mosque, it is permissible so
long as the grave is not in front of the worshipper, because the Prophet (PBUH)
forbade praying in the direction of graves.
With regard to the grave of the Prophet (PBUH) which
is incorporated into his mosque, it is well known that the Mosque of the
Prophet (PBUH) was built before his death, and was not built over his grave. It
is also well known that the Prophet (PBUH) was not buried in the mosque, rather
he was buried in his house which was separate from the mosque. At the time of
al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik he wrote to his governor in Madeenah, who was ‘Umar
ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, in 88 AH, ordering him to dismantle the Prophet’s Mosque and
add to it the rooms of the wives of the Prophet (PBUH). ‘Umar ibn Azeez
gathered the prominent people and fuqaha’, and read the letter of the caliph
al-Waleed to them. That caused them distress, and they said: “Leave it as it
is, that is better.” And it was narrated that Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib denounced
the incorporation of ‘Aa’ishah’s room into the mosque, as if he feared that the
grave would be taken as a place of worship.
Umar ibn Azeez wrote a letter to that effect to
al-Waleed, and al-Waleed sent word to him ordering him to carry out his
instructions, so ‘Umar had no other choice. So you see that the grave of the
Prophet (PBUH) was not placed in the mosque, and the mosque was not built over
it, so there are no grounds for those who try to quote this as evidence that
people may be buried inside mosques or that mosques may be built over graves.
It is proven that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “May the curse of Allaah be upon the Jews and
the Christians; they have taken the graves of their Prophets as places of
worship.” He said
that as he was dying, as a warning to his ummah against doing what they did.
When Umm Salamah told him of a church that she had seen in Ethiopia and the
images therein, he said: “Those
people, if a righteous man among them died, they would build a place of worship
over his grave. They are the most evil of people before Allaah.”
And it was narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (RA) that the
Prophet (PBUH) said: “Among the
most evil of people upon whom the Hour will come when they are still alive are
those who take graves as places of worship.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad with a
jayyid isnaad. [Majmoo’
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 12/question no. 292]
Jabir (RA) said: “Allah's
Messenger (PBUH) forbade that the graves should be plastered or they be used as
sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them.” [Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 2116 also
Muslim: Book 4: Hadith 2114]
Abu Wail reported that Sayyidina Ali (RA) said to Abu
Hayyaj Asadi, “I am
sending you to do what the Prophet sent me to do, (that) leave no high grave
without levelling it (with the ground) and no picture without obliterating it.” [Tirmidhi 1051, Sahih by Albani Abu
Dawud 3218, Nisai 2027, also Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 2115]
ALLAH (SWT) Says: “Surely, the religion (i.e. the
worship and the obedience) is for Allâh only. And those who take Auliyâ'
(protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): "We worship them
only that they may bring us near to Allâh." Verily, Allâh will judge
between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allâh guides not him
who is a liar, and a disbeliever.” [Surah Zumar, 039:003]
ALLAH (SWT) Says: "And they worship besides Allâh
things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our
intercessors with Allâh." [Surah Yunus, 10: 18]
Compiled by: Parvez Shakir.Source: www.islamqa.com
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