The ruling on building domes in mosques

Question:
May Allah reward you. The Honorable Shaykh says: You mentioned in a previous lesson that domes in mosques, if they are not over graves or shrines, are a form of architectural art. The question is: Does not the sight of domes in mosques outside this country bring to people’s minds the graves of the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous? Also, are not domes among the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah)? Because the first to do it were the innovators, and it is better to prohibit them?

Answer:
If domes are over graves, they are among the means of shirk. But if domes are in mosques, this is architectural art; it may be more beneficial for the mosque. It is an engineering art; they say that sound travels more in domed structures, or that the mosque becomes cooler if it has a dome, making the atmosphere cooler than a flat roof. There is nothing wrong with that. Domes become a means of shirk only if they are over graves. As for domes that are not over graves, they are not a means of shirk, because there is no blame in the domes in houses or in mosques that are free of graves. The ignorant person says this is disliked or that, but his opinion is not considered. His opinion is not considered because it is without evidence and without a valid reason.