People who pray in a mosque containing a grave, and who seek nearness to Allah through the occupant of the grave: Is it permissible to pray with them, or behind one of them, and is their slaughtered meat lawful?

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. There is a group of people who pray their prayers in a mosque that contains a grave. When you speak to them about it and tell them that this is not permissible, they accuse you of madness and backwardness. The truth of the matter is that they seek nearness to Allah through the occupant of this grave, by supplication and the like. Is their prayer in this mosque valid? As for their seeking nearness to Allah through the occupant of this grave, that is known to everyone, but I ask: Is it permissible to pray with them or behind one of them? And is their slaughtered meat lawful? Please issue a ruling for us, may you be rewarded, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh:
As for praying in a mosque that contains a grave, or a mosque built over a grave, the prayer is not valid; because it is a prayer that has been prohibited, and prohibition implies invalidity; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited praying at graves, or praying toward graves, and that is because this is a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who build mosques over graves, and those who place lamps on them, and he cursed the Jews and the Christians because they took the graves of their prophets as mosques, and he warned his Ummah (Muslim community) from doing that because of the means to shirk in it. As for if one calls upon the dead, seeks aid from them, slaughters for them, or makes vows for them, this is major shirk that takes one out of the religion, and no worship is valid from him, neither prayer nor anything else, until he repents to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and enters Islam anew, because he is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). There is no difference between him and one who worships , because all of them intend by their worship of these things that they be intercessors for them with Allah, and that they bring them closer to Allah, as Allah mentioned that about them in His Book. And these people love the dead with the love of those who draw near to the dead by various types of worship, asking them for intercession with Allah and means with Allah, and other such shirky purposes. And this is the shirk about which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came with the prohibition, and he fought its people until they say "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) and adhere to it in knowledge and action. And one does not pray behind such a person if he calls upon the dead and draws near to them by various types of worship, as is known among the grave worshippers, for he is a disbeliever and mushrik, and one does not pray behind him until he repents to Allah and acts upon the creed of pure tawhid (the oneness of Allah) for Allah. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.

The questioner:
He also asks about eating their slaughtered meat, as long as they seek nearness to Allah through the occupant of that grave?

The Shaykh:
Likewise, their meat is not eaten if we rule that their shirk takes them out of the religion, so the prayer behind them is not valid, and their slaughtered animals are not lawful, because the slaughter of a disbeliever is haram (forbidden) and the slaughter of a mushrik is haram, except what Allah has exempted from the slaughter of the People of the Book only. Allah the Exalted said: And the intended meaning of "food" here is slaughtered animals. As for those other than the People of the Book, from all sects of disbelief and shirk, their slaughtered animals are not lawful for Muslims because they are impure and abominable, and because they were dedicated to other than Allah, or because the one who slaughtered them is a polytheist.