Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) addresses the believers to avoid taking graves as mosques, yet we see some mosques built on top of the graves of prophets and previous scholars.
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The questioner : He says: Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) addresses the believers to avoid taking graves as mosques, yet we see some mosques built on top of the graves of prophets and previous scholars in Islam. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh : What is understood from the phrasing of the question is that the prohibition against taking graves as mosques came in the Qur'an, because he said that Allah addresses the believers to avoid it. The apparent implication of his question is that this is in the Qur'an, but the matter is not as he assumed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If he assumed that, it is not in the Qur'an. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who take graves as mosques, and that came in the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that taking graves as mosques is among the major sins. However, if a grave is found in a mosque, if the mosque was built on the grave, it is obligatory to demolish it and remove it. If the grave was placed in the mosque after it was built, it is obligatory to remove it from the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the ruling follows the first of the two. If the first is the mosque, the grave is removed. If the first is the grave, the mosque is demolished.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible to build mosques on graves, nor is it permissible to bury the dead in mosques. The objection raised by many people regarding the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions, which are in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, does not apply to this. This is because the mosque was not built on them. The mosque was independent, and these were the room of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried when he passed away. Abu Bakr chose to be buried with him, and likewise 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The story of 'Umar consulting 'A'ishah regarding this is well known.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say that this objection does not apply, because this room was distinct and separate from the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his two companions were not buried in the mosque, nor was the mosque built on them. However, in the time of al-Walid, more than ninety years after the Hijrah, the mosque needed expansion. The rulers at that time decided to add the rooms of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to it, including the room of 'A'ishah. However, the room remained separate and distinct from the mosque by its structure.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Moreover, some people at that time disliked this matter and disputed it, not agreeing to it. The scholars have mentioned that most of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were not present in Madinah at that time, and those Companions who were present had migrated to the Islamic lands that had been conquered. Therefore, the issue, meaning bringing the room into the mosque, was not a matter of consensus among the people at that time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, but it remained and was not changed because changing it was difficult, so they left it as it was. However, praise be to Allah, it is distinct from the mosque and separate from it. The graves were not placed in the mosque, nor was the mosque built on them.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
Also, Muhammad Jamil Husayn Mustafa from the Iraqi Republic.
The Shaykh : What is understood from the phrasing of the question is that the prohibition against taking graves as mosques came in the Qur'an, because he said that Allah addresses the believers to avoid it. The apparent implication of his question is that this is in the Qur'an, but the matter is not as he assumed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If he assumed that, it is not in the Qur'an. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who take graves as mosques, and that came in the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt that taking graves as mosques is among the major sins. However, if a grave is found in a mosque, if the mosque was built on the grave, it is obligatory to demolish it and remove it. If the grave was placed in the mosque after it was built, it is obligatory to remove it from the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the ruling follows the first of the two. If the first is the mosque, the grave is removed. If the first is the grave, the mosque is demolished.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible to build mosques on graves, nor is it permissible to bury the dead in mosques. The objection raised by many people regarding the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions, which are in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, does not apply to this. This is because the mosque was not built on them. The mosque was independent, and these were the room of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried when he passed away. Abu Bakr chose to be buried with him, and likewise 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). The story of 'Umar consulting 'A'ishah regarding this is well known.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say that this objection does not apply, because this room was distinct and separate from the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his two companions were not buried in the mosque, nor was the mosque built on them. However, in the time of al-Walid, more than ninety years after the Hijrah, the mosque needed expansion. The rulers at that time decided to add the rooms of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to it, including the room of 'A'ishah. However, the room remained separate and distinct from the mosque by its structure.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Moreover, some people at that time disliked this matter and disputed it, not agreeing to it. The scholars have mentioned that most of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were not present in Madinah at that time, and those Companions who were present had migrated to the Islamic lands that had been conquered. Therefore, the issue, meaning bringing the room into the mosque, was not a matter of consensus among the people at that time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, but it remained and was not changed because changing it was difficult, so they left it as it was. However, praise be to Allah, it is distinct from the mosque and separate from it. The graves were not placed in the mosque, nor was the mosque built on them.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
Also, Muhammad Jamil Husayn Mustafa from the Iraqi Republic.