Is it permissible to pray in mosques that contain the graves of some of the righteous and the awliya (close friends of Allah), such as al-Hadrah, 'Ali al-Hadi, al-Ghaybah, or Sayyidna al-Zubayr?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to pray in mosques that contain the graves of some of the righteous and the awliya (close friends of Allah), such as al-Hadrah, 'Ali al-Hadi, al-Ghaybah, or Sayyidna al-Zubayr, and is this considered shirk (associating partners with Allah) or not?
The Shaykh : First, it must be known that building mosques over graves is haram (forbidden) and invalid. That is, it is not permissible for anyone, whether they are those in authority or not, to build mosques over graves. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 703Sahih (Darussalam) warning against what they did. If the curse has become obligatory for the one who builds a mosque over the grave of a Prophet, what can be said of the one who builds a mosque over someone less than a Prophet, or even over something that may be imagined rather than verified? As is said of some mosques built over al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), which may be in Iraq, in Sham, or in Egypt.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And I do not know how al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) could be one man and buried in three places. This is not reasonable. Al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) must, according to the circumstances, have been buried in the place where he was killed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And his grave would have been hidden out of fear for him from the enemies, just as the grave of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was hidden when he was buried in the palace of the governor in Kufah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Out of fear of the Khawarij. For this reason, we see that these mosques, which are said to be built over the graves of some of the awliya (close friends of Allah), require verification of whether this is true or not. If it is true, then it is obligatory that these mosques be demolished and rebuilt away from the graves. If it is not true and there is no grave in them, then it is obligatory that the Muslims be informed that there are no graves in them and that they are free of them, so that they may perform their prayers in them in the required manner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the belief of some of the common people that if they pray facing the grave of a wali (close friend of Allah) or a Prophet, that this will be a cause for the acceptance of their prayers and an increase in their reward, then this is a false illusion. In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying toward graves, and he said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 760Sahih (Darussalam) And he also said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 317Sahih (Darussalam).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Graves are not a place for prayer. It is not permissible to pray around a grave at all, except for the funeral prayer for the person in the grave. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over a grave.
In any case, we say that if these mosques are built over real graves, then it is obligatory to demolish them and build them in a place where there is no grave. If they are not built over real graves, then it is obligatory that the Muslims be informed of this and that it be made clear to them that this has no truth to it, and that there is no grave of so-and-so or so-and-so in them, so that they may worship Allah the Exalted in the places of His worship while being at peace.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for praying in these mosques, if a person believes that it is an illusion and that there is no truth to the presence of a grave in it, then the prayer in it is valid. If he believes that there is a grave in it, then if the grave is in front of him, he has prayed toward the grave, and praying toward a grave is not valid due to the prohibition of it. If the grave is behind him, to his right, or to his left, this is a matter for consideration. Yes.
The questioner : A question from a brother named Salih from Iraq, the last one, says:
The Shaykh : First, it must be known that building mosques over graves is haram (forbidden) and invalid. That is, it is not permissible for anyone, whether they are those in authority or not, to build mosques over graves. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
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 مساجدThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And I do not know how al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) could be one man and buried in three places. This is not reasonable. Al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) must, according to the circumstances, have been buried in the place where he was killed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And his grave would have been hidden out of fear for him from the enemies, just as the grave of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was hidden when he was buried in the palace of the governor in Kufah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Out of fear of the Khawarij. For this reason, we see that these mosques, which are said to be built over the graves of some of the awliya (close friends of Allah), require verification of whether this is true or not. If it is true, then it is obligatory that these mosques be demolished and rebuilt away from the graves. If it is not true and there is no grave in them, then it is obligatory that the Muslims be informed that there are no graves in them and that they are free of them, so that they may perform their prayers in them in the required manner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the belief of some of the common people that if they pray facing the grave of a wali (close friend of Allah) or a Prophet, that this will be a cause for the acceptance of their prayers and an increase in their reward, then this is a false illusion. In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying toward graves, and he said:
Do not pray toward graves
لا تصلوا إلى القبورAll of the earth is a Masjid except for the graveyard and the washroom.
الأرض كلها مسجد إلا المقبرة والحمامThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Graves are not a place for prayer. It is not permissible to pray around a grave at all, except for the funeral prayer for the person in the grave. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed over a grave.
In any case, we say that if these mosques are built over real graves, then it is obligatory to demolish them and build them in a place where there is no grave. If they are not built over real graves, then it is obligatory that the Muslims be informed of this and that it be made clear to them that this has no truth to it, and that there is no grave of so-and-so or so-and-so in them, so that they may worship Allah the Exalted in the places of His worship while being at peace.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for praying in these mosques, if a person believes that it is an illusion and that there is no truth to the presence of a grave in it, then the prayer in it is valid. If he believes that there is a grave in it, then if the grave is in front of him, he has prayed toward the grave, and praying toward a grave is not valid due to the prohibition of it. If the grave is behind him, to his right, or to his left, this is a matter for consideration. Yes.
The questioner : A question from a brother named Salih from Iraq, the last one, says: