The Shaykh’s explanation of the harms of treating the graves of the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the prophets as a festival and of building structures over them.
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The Shaykh : And in this report there is a benefit for us, the people of Damascus; because there, in the middle of Baghdad Street, there is a mosque called the Mosque of Abd al-Rahman.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And this mosque is called the Mosque of Abd al-Rahman, and they refer to it by a signboard there that reads “The Mosque of Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq,” and there is a grave there. And naturally, I have never prayed there in my life. We used to say to them, “People, what has Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr to do with you here in Damascus?” He died near Madinah, and his sister, the Lady Aisha, visited him and recited this poetry that is sorrowful and reminds one of how Aisha was with him in happiness and joy, and then came death, from which there is no escape, and it separated them. And so, the authentic reports help to invalidate many ideas and opinions based on traditions for which Allah has sent down no authority. On this occasion, two nights ago, I think by a previous appointment between me and my brother Abd al-Fattah 'Umar—Abd al-Fattah 'Umar—he said, “There is an engineer, I don’t know what his title is at the university, who has a connection to the endowments (waqf); I forgot the details. The point is, he wants an appointment for the occasion that you heard about, which is the project to revive the graves of the Companions and care for them, and so on. From this talk, he wants to know your opinion on the matter.” So the meeting took place. Three people came here: Abd al-Fattah, this engineer, and another engineer. So he was briefed on the idea they are using as an excuse to renovate the shrines of the Companions and some of the prophets who claim to have graves here, such as Shu'ayb and others, and Yusha', saying that the purpose of this is to preserve and immortalize their memory and remind people. From this materialistic philosophy that has absolutely no value, and by Allah, the session was, in my opinion, beneficial; because this engineer was hearing the correct ruling of the Shari'ah on the issue of shrines for the first time; because he asked the question, and I received the answer after the Maghrib prayer until the 'Isha' adhan.
The questioner : One question only.
The Shaykh : One question, and we said to them, “My brother, the Shari'ah summarized the matter for us, of course.”
Al-Halabi : Did you record it, my Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, I did not record it; there was no recorder.
The questioner : Well, if it is possible, my Shaykh, to benefit the attendees regarding this topic.
The Shaykh : There is no need; they all know the ruling.
Abu Layla : No harm, my Shaykh, for the general benefit.
The questioner : Some people, so that we may benefit from how to respond to some people.
Al-Halabi : Tadhkirat al-Sajid; refer to Tadhkirat al-Sajid.
The Shaykh : Yes, Tadhkirat al-Sajid. I mentioned to him two sources as references for him: Tadhkirat al-Sajid on the prohibition of taking graves as mosques, and Al-Ahkam al-Jana'iz wa Bid'ahha (The Rulings on Funerals and Their Innovations). Yes. So I said, “My brother, this tune that is being broadcast and spread now, that by Allah this is for the purpose of reminding people of the deeds of these righteous people and so on, is first of all an illusion with no reality, and secondly: the harms that result from it, related to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), are such that that illusion has no value to speak of in comparison to those harms, even if it were true. I mentioned to him the wisdom of the legislation and how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it at first in the previous hadith, and then permitted it when people were able to know the right of Allah upon His servants, and that it is obligatory for them not to associate anything with Him whatsoever, so He said to them:Musnad Ahmad 1236, 1237Sahih, because of corroborating evidence; this is a da'eef isnad because of the weakness of Ali bin Zaid and Rabee'ah bin an-Nabighah and his father are unknown], Sahih because of corroborating eviden (Darussalam) So at the end of the session, I said, “If the brother has taken the answer in its entirety, then praise be to Allah, otherwise it is possible, if Allah wills, that we meet again in another session to see if there are some questions.”
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And this mosque is called the Mosque of Abd al-Rahman, and they refer to it by a signboard there that reads “The Mosque of Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq,” and there is a grave there. And naturally, I have never prayed there in my life. We used to say to them, “People, what has Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr to do with you here in Damascus?” He died near Madinah, and his sister, the Lady Aisha, visited him and recited this poetry that is sorrowful and reminds one of how Aisha was with him in happiness and joy, and then came death, from which there is no escape, and it separated them. And so, the authentic reports help to invalidate many ideas and opinions based on traditions for which Allah has sent down no authority. On this occasion, two nights ago, I think by a previous appointment between me and my brother Abd al-Fattah 'Umar—Abd al-Fattah 'Umar—he said, “There is an engineer, I don’t know what his title is at the university, who has a connection to the endowments (waqf); I forgot the details. The point is, he wants an appointment for the occasion that you heard about, which is the project to revive the graves of the Companions and care for them, and so on. From this talk, he wants to know your opinion on the matter.” So the meeting took place. Three people came here: Abd al-Fattah, this engineer, and another engineer. So he was briefed on the idea they are using as an excuse to renovate the shrines of the Companions and some of the prophets who claim to have graves here, such as Shu'ayb and others, and Yusha', saying that the purpose of this is to preserve and immortalize their memory and remind people. From this materialistic philosophy that has absolutely no value, and by Allah, the session was, in my opinion, beneficial; because this engineer was hearing the correct ruling of the Shari'ah on the issue of shrines for the first time; because he asked the question, and I received the answer after the Maghrib prayer until the 'Isha' adhan.
The questioner : One question only.
The Shaykh : One question, and we said to them, “My brother, the Shari'ah summarized the matter for us, of course.”
Al-Halabi : Did you record it, my Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, I did not record it; there was no recorder.
The questioner : Well, if it is possible, my Shaykh, to benefit the attendees regarding this topic.
The Shaykh : There is no need; they all know the ruling.
Abu Layla : No harm, my Shaykh, for the general benefit.
The questioner : Some people, so that we may benefit from how to respond to some people.
Al-Halabi : Tadhkirat al-Sajid; refer to Tadhkirat al-Sajid.
The Shaykh : Yes, Tadhkirat al-Sajid. I mentioned to him two sources as references for him: Tadhkirat al-Sajid on the prohibition of taking graves as mosques, and Al-Ahkam al-Jana'iz wa Bid'ahha (The Rulings on Funerals and Their Innovations). Yes. So I said, “My brother, this tune that is being broadcast and spread now, that by Allah this is for the purpose of reminding people of the deeds of these righteous people and so on, is first of all an illusion with no reality, and secondly: the harms that result from it, related to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), are such that that illusion has no value to speak of in comparison to those harms, even if it were true. I mentioned to him the wisdom of the legislation and how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it at first in the previous hadith, and then permitted it when people were able to know the right of Allah upon His servants, and that it is obligatory for them not to associate anything with Him whatsoever, so He said to them:
but now visit them, for they remind you of the Hereafter
ألا فزوروها فإنها تذكركم الآخرة
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.