The ruling on praying in a mosque that contains a grave
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His Eminence the Shaykh: A discussion arose among students of knowledge from Pakistan regarding praying in a mosque where there is a grave that is not connected to it, but rather in the outer courtyard. This brother mentioned that the scholars of Pakistan have permitted this on the grounds that they are unable to remove them, and that the Pakistani government itself is unable to remove these graves due to the people's attachment to them. One of the brothers mentioned that Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab used to pass by people who were around the grave of Zayd and say: Allah is better than Zayd. What is the criterion in these matters?
If the mosque was built on the grave, then praying in it is not permissible, and this mosque must be demolished. Allah said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Mosque of Harm: [At-Tawbah: 108] Because the Mosque of Harm must be demolished, so likewise every mosque must be demolished, for praying in it is forbidden by analogy to the Mosque of Harm.
As for if the mosque existed previously and this man was buried in it after the mosque was built, if the grave is in the direction of the qiblah, then it is not permissible to pray in it; because if one prays in it, he faces the grave. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Abu Murthad al-Ghunawi (may Allah be pleased with him),That He said: (Do not pray toward the graves) meaning: do not make them your qiblah. And if the grave is to the right, left, or behind the back, there is no harm in praying in it.
The questioner: And what if it is in the outer courtyard, in the yard?The Shaykh: The yard is part of the mosque, and the ruling in it is as I said. It appears—if the grave is in the yard—that the mosque existed before it, so the prayer in it is valid, unless the grave is in front of it.
The questioner: What is the ruling for one who prayed in a mosque where there is a grave in its qiblah, and the distance between the grave and the qiblah is the yard of this mosque? Does he repeat the prayer or pray alone?The Shaykh: He does not pray in this mosque at all as long as the grave is in a place attributed to the mosque and it is in the qiblah, so he does not pray in it.
The questioner: And what is the criterion in this matter, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: The criterion in this is: if the grave is in front of you, do not pray. If the grave is behind your back, to your right, or to your left, look at whether the grave existed before the mosque, or whether the mosque was built on it. In this case, do not pray either. If the mosque existed before the grave, then pray.
So you pray in one condition and do not pray in two conditions: Do not pray if the grave is in front of you, and do not pray if the mosque was built on the grave, and pray if the mosque existed before the grave and the grave is not in the qiblah.
The questioner: But if the grave is circled around?The Shaykh: There is no difference; refer to the three previous conditions.
If the mosque was built on the grave, then praying in it is not permissible, and this mosque must be demolished. Allah said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the Mosque of Harm:
Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever
لا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَداًAs for if the mosque existed previously and this man was buried in it after the mosque was built, if the grave is in the direction of the qiblah, then it is not permissible to pray in it; because if one prays in it, he faces the grave. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Abu Murthad al-Ghunawi (may Allah be pleased with him),That He said: (Do not pray toward the graves) meaning: do not make them your qiblah. And if the grave is to the right, left, or behind the back, there is no harm in praying in it.
The questioner: And what if it is in the outer courtyard, in the yard?The Shaykh: The yard is part of the mosque, and the ruling in it is as I said. It appears—if the grave is in the yard—that the mosque existed before it, so the prayer in it is valid, unless the grave is in front of it.
The questioner: What is the ruling for one who prayed in a mosque where there is a grave in its qiblah, and the distance between the grave and the qiblah is the yard of this mosque? Does he repeat the prayer or pray alone?The Shaykh: He does not pray in this mosque at all as long as the grave is in a place attributed to the mosque and it is in the qiblah, so he does not pray in it.
The questioner: And what is the criterion in this matter, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: The criterion in this is: if the grave is in front of you, do not pray. If the grave is behind your back, to your right, or to your left, look at whether the grave existed before the mosque, or whether the mosque was built on it. In this case, do not pray either. If the mosque existed before the grave, then pray.
So you pray in one condition and do not pray in two conditions: Do not pray if the grave is in front of you, and do not pray if the mosque was built on the grave, and pray if the mosque existed before the grave and the grave is not in the qiblah.
The questioner: But if the grave is circled around?The Shaykh: There is no difference; refer to the three previous conditions.