Is the mosque in which a grave has been brought to be demolished? And is prayer performed in it?

The questioner : ... As for when the mosque is built; what about the grave?

The Shaykh : Is this the distinction in your mind? You are mistaken. This distinction regarding demolishing the mosque or the grave is not regarding the prayer. The distinction you mention is in the issue of: which is demolished, the mosque or the grave? If the mosque came after the grave, and the grave was before the mosque, the mosque is demolished. And if the mosque was built previously and the grave was brought into it, the grave is removed from it. Our discussion was not about starting the demolition now with the grave or with the mosque; the discussion is about the prayer. Whether the grave is the later addition to the mosque or the mosque is the later addition to the grave, this is a polytheistic phenomenon that is not permissible to be in the lands of Islam. The ruling on the prayer, as you heard, is complete. As for if those in charge of the matter and the ruling—and how unlikely that is—want to make reforms, they must study: was the mosque built first and then the grave came, or the reverse? So they remove the one who is the aggressor and the wrongdoer. If the grave existed before and then the mosque was built, they remove the mosque. And if the mosque was built before and the grave was brought into it, the grave is removed. And if there are bones buried in the graves of the Muslims.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : Now the situation is... now that he buried it in the mosque.

The Shaykh : Yes, we—my Shaykh—were summarizing the questions. Do we need to say now who is the sinner, the one who bequeathed it or the builder, or is that another discussion, O Shaykh?