What is the ruling on praying in a mosque that contains a grave? With a discussion among the students regarding this.

The questioner : Teacher, if we enter the mosque, and there is a grave behind it, not in front of it, is the prayer disliked or ... ?

The Shaykh : The prayer is not valid in a mosque that contains a grave, regardless of where the grave is located within it.

Another questioner: It is not valid?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is not valid.
The Shaykh : Whether the grave is in the qiblah direction of the mosque, or in its west, or in its east, or in its north; because the mosque, in this state, has been built upon disobedience to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But if the prayer in the mosque built over the grave is also directed toward the grave; then the disobedience is doubled. The first disobedience is where one prays in a mosque that contains a grave, and the other disobedience is where one directs his prayer toward the grave. This second disobedience is persistent wherever it occurs; that is: if one prays toward a grave in a prominent place that is not in a mosque, this is a disobedience. But the fact that the grave is in the mosque is another disobedience. Therefore, the prayer of the Muslim in the mosque that contains a grave, wherever the grave is ... Glory be to Allah, have you not heard the hadiths cursing the Jews?

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Okay, the Prophet’s mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) ... is forbidden.

The Shaykh : Have you not heard the prohibition of the Messenger from praying in mosques built over graves?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, and the prohibition implies invalidity and nullity. Have you heard this?

The questioner : No, the nullity ... .

The Shaykh : The prohibition; no, I am saying a question, the prohibition of prayer for a reason.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Listen, man.
The Shaykh : The prohibition of prayer for a certain reason, this prohibition of prayer implies the invalidity of the prayer; meaning, for example, if there were a hadith saying "Do not pray with your head uncovered," thank Allah, we did not find this hadith so that we could free you from the invalidity of the prayer. You are the ones with uncovered heads, but of course, the prayer is not free from violation. However, if there were a hadith saying: "Do not pray with your head uncovered"; the prayer would be invalid, not just that it is not permissible to pray with your head uncovered. Similarly, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) was a hypothetical example. Now we come to a real example: , so if he has a wide garment that can cover his awrah and more than his shoulders; he must also cover his shoulders. But if the garment is narrow and small, and he has no other; it is sufficient for him to cover his awrah. But if the garment is wide, he must also cover the upper part of the body. If he does not do so, his prayer is invalid; why? Because the prohibition of a thing implies its invalidity and defect, , he is telling you: Do not pray. Similarly, and on many, many hadiths, , meaning authentic. Similarly, for example: .

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : No, here it is for perfection; because there are indications, , and in a narration: "He prohibited prayer with the hair tied up," tied up means the hair is braided, braided and gathered.
The Shaykh : So the conclusion: the prohibition of a thing implies its defect and invalidity, and stronger than the prohibition is the curse.
Yes?

Eid Abbasi : The prohibition of prayer, excuse me ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, yes, many, we are not currently dealing with that.
The Shaykh : And stronger than the prohibition is the curse, and the hadiths came one after another regarding the prohibition of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of his Ummah from praying in mosques built over graves; therefore, the prayer in them is invalid. As for the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), this is what we explained long ago in "Warning the Worshipper from Taking Graves as Mosques," and this is what we were asked about in Mina this year, yes, on the fourth day, in the morning of the fourth day of the days of Mina, yes, so we answered with what is clarified there in "Warning the Worshipper," the summary of which is that the prohibition of prayer in mosques built over graves is like the prohibition of prayer in the disliked times. And just as this implies the invalidity of the prayer, so does that imply the invalidity of the prayer. And just as a dispensation was granted for some prayers in the disliked times, and specifically among them the greeting of the mosque, the sunnah of wudu, and so on, which the Shafi'i jurists call "those with causes," just as a dispensation was granted for these prayers in the prohibited times on the basis that the one who wants to perform a voluntary prayer absolutely can pray in times other than the disliked ones, this is the first thing the prohibition is directed to. As for one who enters the mosque, he does not want to pray for the sake of voluntary prayer so that it can be said he is praying with the intention of the time of dislike, but rather he is doing so for the sake of the greeting of the mosque, for the sake of the sunnah of wudu; so here the doubt is far from him that he intends to pray in the prohibited time. As long as a dispensation was granted for these prayers on the grounds that these prayers would be missed if he left them; because the opportunity would be missed for them.