Is the prayer valid in a mosque that contains the grave of a wali?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is the prayer valid in a mosque that contains a grave, where it is said that the person buried in this grave is a wali? It is said like this. What is the ruling in that?
The Shaykh : The prayer in a mosque that contains a grave depends on: was the mosque built on top of the grave? Or did the mosque exist before the grave, and then the deceased was buried in it?
If it is the former, then the prayer in it is forbidden and not permissible. That is, if the mosque was built on top of the grave, the prayer in it is not valid, and the mosque must be demolished. Because if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Mosque of Harm:[At-Tawbah 9:108], then how much more so a mosque that is a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah)?
Therefore, the prayer in it is not lawful and the prayer in it is not valid. It is obligatory to dig up the grave and move the deceased to the cemeteries.
As for if the mosque existed first and then this deceased was buried in it, then it is obligatory to remove the deceased from the mosque. Because no one has the right to bury their dead in one of the houses of Allah. The mosque is for the worshippers, not for the dead. It is obligatory to dig up the grave and bury the deceased with the people.
If it happens that this is not the case, and digging it up is not possible due to the prevalence of ignorance, the weakness of authority, and the weakness of religion, then the prayer in the mosque is valid, on the condition that the grave is not in front of the worshippers, i.e., in their qiblah (direction of prayer), but rather on the right, left, or behind.
The Shaykh : The prayer in a mosque that contains a grave depends on: was the mosque built on top of the grave? Or did the mosque exist before the grave, and then the deceased was buried in it?
If it is the former, then the prayer in it is forbidden and not permissible. That is, if the mosque was built on top of the grave, the prayer in it is not valid, and the mosque must be demolished. Because if Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Mosque of Harm:
Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever
لا تقم فيه أبداًTherefore, the prayer in it is not lawful and the prayer in it is not valid. It is obligatory to dig up the grave and move the deceased to the cemeteries.
As for if the mosque existed first and then this deceased was buried in it, then it is obligatory to remove the deceased from the mosque. Because no one has the right to bury their dead in one of the houses of Allah. The mosque is for the worshippers, not for the dead. It is obligatory to dig up the grave and bury the deceased with the people.
If it happens that this is not the case, and digging it up is not possible due to the prevalence of ignorance, the weakness of authority, and the weakness of religion, then the prayer in the mosque is valid, on the condition that the grave is not in front of the worshippers, i.e., in their qiblah (direction of prayer), but rather on the right, left, or behind.