Is it permissible to build a grave, and if it is not permissible, please inform me what I should do?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to build a grave, and if it is not permissible, please inform me what I should do?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. I do not know whether by "building a grave" he means preparing a place for a person to be buried in, constructed, or whether he means building on top of the grave.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If it is the former, meaning preparing a place to be buried in, then the Sunnah is for the grave to be level, meaning that a pit is dug and another pit is made at the front of the grave, facing the qiblah, the size of the deceased's body, in which he is buried. This is the Sunnah established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Accordingly, whoever prepares a built grave with construction, he is contradicting the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for if he means building on top of the graves, then this is forbidden, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it because of the exaltation of the people of the graves and because it is a means and a path to these graves being worshipped and taken as gods alongside Allah, as is the case with many buildings constructed on graves, where people have come to associate partners with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alongside the owners of these graves.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from Syria from Muhammad Salah al-Din Yaqub, concerning Hajj.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. I do not know whether by "building a grave" he means preparing a place for a person to be buried in, constructed, or whether he means building on top of the grave.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If it is the former, meaning preparing a place to be buried in, then the Sunnah is for the grave to be level, meaning that a pit is dug and another pit is made at the front of the grave, facing the qiblah, the size of the deceased's body, in which he is buried. This is the Sunnah established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Accordingly, whoever prepares a built grave with construction, he is contradicting the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for if he means building on top of the graves, then this is forbidden, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it because of the exaltation of the people of the graves and because it is a means and a path to these graves being worshipped and taken as gods alongside Allah, as is the case with many buildings constructed on graves, where people have come to associate partners with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) alongside the owners of these graves.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from Syria from Muhammad Salah al-Din Yaqub, concerning Hajj.