We ask the honorable Shaykh to inform us about the issue of praying in mosques that have graves inside them, or next to the mosque known as the mosque of Shaykh So-and-So.
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The questioner : This week’s episode features a message from a listener, a Egyptian resident in Riyadh, who says: We ask the honorable Shaykh to inform us about the issue of praying in mosques that have graves inside them, or next to the mosque known as the mosque of Shaykh So-and-So. Is the prayer valid in it? We ask for guidance. May you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, this question is frequently received on this program, and we have spoken about it many times, as have others. There is no harm in answering this again and again so that it becomes established and firmly rooted. We say that building mosques over graves is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, while in his final illness,Sunan an-Nasa'i 703Sahih (Darussalam) warning against what they did. The curse is expulsion and distance from the mercy of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not curse the Jews and the Christians for building mosques over the graves of their prophets except to warn the Ummah against this act, which is one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah).
If a mosque is built over a grave, it is obligatory to demolish the mosque, and it is not permissible to pray in it at that time, because it is a forbidden mosque, and its maintenance through prayer is contrary to Allah and His Messenger. The obligatory course is to demolish it and not to pray around the grave.
As for when the grave is behind the mosque, meaning that the deceased was buried in the mosque, the obligatory course is to exhume the deceased and bury him with the people. If that is not possible, then the prayer in this mosque is valid, because it was established correctly and soundly. However, one should not pray facing the grave, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSunan an-Nasa'i 760Sahih (Darussalam). So, whoever prays in this mosque and the grave is not in front of him, his prayer is valid. And whoever prays facing the grave, his prayer is not valid, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said Sunan an-Nasa'i 760Sahih (Darussalam).
It is obligatory for Muslims to know that the builder of the mosque has no right to be buried in the mosque. The builder of the mosque is a Muslim like any other Muslim, and is buried with the Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had Companions who died, and people of knowledge, faith, and jihad who died, and he did not bury them except in the cemetery with the Muslims. If it had not been for the fact that he (peace and blessings be upon him) feared that his grave would be taken as a mosque, he would have been buried in al-Baqi'. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried where he passed away, in the house of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). At that time, it was not inside the mosque, but outside of it. The houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were not included in the mosque until the year 94 of the Hijrah, when the mosque was expanded and the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were included in it. The house of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in which are the graves of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), remained as it was, an independent structure. It is an exception to the mosque because it is independent and predates its inclusion in the mosque, and the mosque was not built over it. This is not a proof for those who permit building over graves or burying the dead in graves, because this situation does not occur for anyone except the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet is buried where he passed away, while other people are buried with the people.
In summary, the answer to the questioner regarding prayer in mosques that contain graves is that we say: if the grave predates the mosque, your prayer in the mosque is valid, but do not pray facing the grave. And if the grave predates the mosque and the mosque was built over it, your prayer in this mosque is not valid. The obligatory course for you is to seek another mosque that is free of such things. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, this question is frequently received on this program, and we have spoken about it many times, as have others. There is no harm in answering this again and again so that it becomes established and firmly rooted. We say that building mosques over graves is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, while in his final illness,
May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.
لعنة الله على اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدIf a mosque is built over a grave, it is obligatory to demolish the mosque, and it is not permissible to pray in it at that time, because it is a forbidden mosque, and its maintenance through prayer is contrary to Allah and His Messenger. The obligatory course is to demolish it and not to pray around the grave.
As for when the grave is behind the mosque, meaning that the deceased was buried in the mosque, the obligatory course is to exhume the deceased and bury him with the people. If that is not possible, then the prayer in this mosque is valid, because it was established correctly and soundly. However, one should not pray facing the grave, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
Do not pray toward graves
لا تصلوا إلى القبورDo not pray toward graves
لا تصلوا إلى القبورIt is obligatory for Muslims to know that the builder of the mosque has no right to be buried in the mosque. The builder of the mosque is a Muslim like any other Muslim, and is buried with the Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had Companions who died, and people of knowledge, faith, and jihad who died, and he did not bury them except in the cemetery with the Muslims. If it had not been for the fact that he (peace and blessings be upon him) feared that his grave would be taken as a mosque, he would have been buried in al-Baqi'. However, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried where he passed away, in the house of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). At that time, it was not inside the mosque, but outside of it. The houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were not included in the mosque until the year 94 of the Hijrah, when the mosque was expanded and the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were included in it. The house of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in which are the graves of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), remained as it was, an independent structure. It is an exception to the mosque because it is independent and predates its inclusion in the mosque, and the mosque was not built over it. This is not a proof for those who permit building over graves or burying the dead in graves, because this situation does not occur for anyone except the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet is buried where he passed away, while other people are buried with the people.
In summary, the answer to the questioner regarding prayer in mosques that contain graves is that we say: if the grave predates the mosque, your prayer in the mosque is valid, but do not pray facing the grave. And if the grave predates the mosque and the mosque was built over it, your prayer in this mosque is not valid. The obligatory course for you is to seek another mosque that is free of such things. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.