Ruling on altering the features of a grave located next to a house
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The questioner: Your Eminence! There is a grave next to our house. My father moved the stone that was on the grave, and after a while, he buried the grave with dirt. After a while, he put cement on the grave, and then he placed a water tank on it. Does my father have a sin in this matter, and if he has sinned, what is the action?The Shaykh: It is obligatory for your father, when he saw the grave, to contact those responsible for the cemeteries, such as the municipalities, and inform them of it. Should the deceased be moved to another place, or what should be done? This obligation exists now. It is obligatory for your father to inform the responsible authorities of what he did so that what the Shari'ah requires is carried out, because the deceased has sanctity.The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: (Breaking the bone of a deceased person is like breaking it while he is alive) For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade treading on a grave because the owner of the grave has sanctity.
And the summary of the matter is that I say: Inform the father that it is obligatory for him to inform the authorities about this issue.
The questioner: What are the necessary conditions for moving a grave?The Shaykh: This comes when the judge looks and sees the necessity of moving it to the cemetery. Then the matter is easy: the bones are gathered and buried in a grave in the cemetery, because this is more effective in protecting them, so that no one in the future thinks that he has a status with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and they seek blessing from him or the like of that.
The questioner: And is he sinful in what he did?The Shaykh: There is no doubt that he is sinful.
The questioner: Does he have an expiation or something?The Shaykh: I have nothing but what I told you: inform the responsible authorities and the matter ends.
And the summary of the matter is that I say: Inform the father that it is obligatory for him to inform the authorities about this issue.
The questioner: What are the necessary conditions for moving a grave?The Shaykh: This comes when the judge looks and sees the necessity of moving it to the cemetery. Then the matter is easy: the bones are gathered and buried in a grave in the cemetery, because this is more effective in protecting them, so that no one in the future thinks that he has a status with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and they seek blessing from him or the like of that.
The questioner: And is he sinful in what he did?The Shaykh: There is no doubt that he is sinful.
The questioner: Does he have an expiation or something?The Shaykh: I have nothing but what I told you: inform the responsible authorities and the matter ends.