Burying the Dead in Mosques
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Question: There was a righteous man in our village,When he died: and his family buried him in the small mosque where we perform our prayers, which this man had built during his lifetime. They raised the grave about a meter above the ground, perhaps more. Then, after several years, his eldest son demolished this small mosque and rebuilt it as a larger congregational mosque, placing this grave in a separate room inside the mosque. What is the ruling on this action, and on praying in this mosque?
Answer: Building mosques over graves, or burying the dead in mosques, is something forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and by the consensus of the Muslims. This is a remnant of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. The Christians used to build mosques over their prophets and righteous people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when Umm Salamah mentioned to him a church she had seen in the land of Abyssinia and the images in it.
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 434 ،And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muwatta Malik 9:93 ،And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 65:145 . And so on, from the hadiths in which the Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned that this Ummah should not follow the path of the Christians and the polytheists before them in building over graves; because this leads to making them gods to be worshipped besides Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as is the observed reality today. Indeed, these graves and shrines have become idols, and paganism has returned to its peak. There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Great. It is obligatory upon the Muslims to beware of that, and to stay away from this abominable action, and to remove these polytheistic structures, and to keep the graveyards far from the mosques. For mosques are for worship, sincerity, and the oneness of Allah, [Surat al-Nur: 36] , and graveyards are for the dead of the Muslims, to be far away as they were in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the blessed generations. As for burying the dead in the mosque, or building a mosque over a grave after burial, this is contrary to the religion of Islam, contrary to the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Muslims. It is a means to major shirk, which has spread and occurred in this Ummah because of that.
The result: You must remove this abominable evil. This dead person who was buried in the mosque after the mosque was built must be exhumed, moved, and buried in the graveyard, and the mosque must be purified from this grave and emptied for prayer, the oneness of Allah, and worship. This is what is obligatory upon you.
Question: Before removing this body, what is the ruling on prayer?
Answer: Before removing this grave from the mosque, prayer in it is not permissible. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade taking graves as mosques, meaning taking them as places of prayer. Even if
the one praying does not intend the grave, but intends Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with his prayer, prayer at the grave is a means to exalting the grave, and to taking the grave as an idol to be worshipped besides Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
Question: And what is the ruling on raising it above the ground?
Answer: Likewise, raising the grave is not permissible. The established Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the grave is buried with its earth, and raised above the ground by the width of a hand, and made a marker so that it is known to be a grave, and not raised more than that, and nothing is built over it, and no wall or enclosure is made over it except to the extent that it protects the grave and the earth of the grave from desecration. As for building a high structure over it, or establishing a mosque over it, all of this is from the remnants of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance that are contrary to the guidance of Islam.
For the religion of Islam is established upon the oneness of Allah, the sincerity of worship to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and blocking the paths that lead to shirk. This is the true religion of Islam.
Answer: Building mosques over graves, or burying the dead in mosques, is something forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and by the consensus of the Muslims. This is a remnant of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. The Christians used to build mosques over their prophets and righteous people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when Umm Salamah mentioned to him a church she had seen in the land of Abyssinia and the images in it.
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If any righteous pious man dies amongst them, they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it; they are the worst creatures in the sight of Allah.
أولئك إذا مات فيهم العبد الصالح أو الرجل الصالح، بنوا على قبره مسجدًا، وصوروا فيه تلك التصاوير، أولئك شرار الخلق عند اللهThe anger on those who took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration was terrible.
اشتد غضب الله على قوم اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم وصالحيهم مساجدSo do not take the graves as mosques, for I forbid you from doing so
ألا فلا تتخذوا القبور مساجد، فإني أنهاكم عن ذلكof Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned that this Ummah should not follow the path of the Christians and the polytheists before them in building over graves; because this leads to making them gods to be worshipped besides Allah (Mighty and Majestic), as is the observed reality today. Indeed, these graves and shrines have become idols, and paganism has returned to its peak. There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Great. It is obligatory upon the Muslims to beware of that, and to stay away from this abominable action, and to remove these polytheistic structures, and to keep the graveyards far from the mosques. For mosques are for worship, sincerity, and the oneness of Allah,
in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein
فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُThe result: You must remove this abominable evil. This dead person who was buried in the mosque after the mosque was built must be exhumed, moved, and buried in the graveyard, and the mosque must be purified from this grave and emptied for prayer, the oneness of Allah, and worship. This is what is obligatory upon you.
Question: Before removing this body, what is the ruling on prayer?
Answer: Before removing this grave from the mosque, prayer in it is not permissible. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade taking graves as mosques, meaning taking them as places of prayer. Even if
the one praying does not intend the grave, but intends Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with his prayer, prayer at the grave is a means to exalting the grave, and to taking the grave as an idol to be worshipped besides Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
Question: And what is the ruling on raising it above the ground?
Answer: Likewise, raising the grave is not permissible. The established Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the grave is buried with its earth, and raised above the ground by the width of a hand, and made a marker so that it is known to be a grave, and not raised more than that, and nothing is built over it, and no wall or enclosure is made over it except to the extent that it protects the grave and the earth of the grave from desecration. As for building a high structure over it, or establishing a mosque over it, all of this is from the remnants of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance that are contrary to the guidance of Islam.
For the religion of Islam is established upon the oneness of Allah, the sincerity of worship to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and blocking the paths that lead to shirk. This is the true religion of Islam.