What is the ruling on a mosque in our area in Oman that has a grave between the mosque's wall and the qibla, where a separating wall was built between the mosque wall and the grave to isolate it?

The questioner : All right, Shaykh, in a mosque in our area in Oman, there is a grave located opposite the qibla, inside the mosque's enclosure, meaning it is between the mosque's wall and the qibla. The wall, the mihrab, the grave is here. They built a separating wall like this so that, they thought, they would separate it from the mosque. Is it considered separated in this case?

The Shaykh : All right, now let us assume this is the mosque, this is the qibla, these are the four walls of the mosque. Where is the qibla now? And where is the grave?

The questioner : The grave is outside the qibla... and the wall.

The Shaykh : Behind the wall.

The questioner : Yes, behind the wall.

The Shaykh : Behind the wall, all right.

The questioner : They also built another wall.

The Shaykh : Where did they build the wall?

The questioner : Outside, at the grave.

The Shaykh : Good, this is a precaution based on the opinion of Ahmad, which is good, because he says that if the cemetery is in front of the mosque, it is not sufficient for the mosque's wall to be the separator between the mosque and the grave; rather, it is necessary to build another wall that separates the mosque's wall from the graves. So you are saying now that they separated the grave, which is behind or in front of the mosque's wall, with another wall.

The questioner : But there is an original wall, Shaykh, for the mosque, which we call the enclosure.

The Shaykh : How? Does the mosque have a courtyard in front of the mosque?

The questioner : No, it does not have a courtyard, meaning.

The Shaykh : I am saying the mosque's wall, my brother. You are saying the enclosure. The difference now between the enclosure and the wall, we have given an example now to understand the reality.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This is the mosque.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And this is the wall or the enclosure in front of the grave.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : All right, so they built a wall between the mosque's wall and the grave.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Is that not so?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : All right, is this sufficient?

The questioner : Shaykh, the door of the grave is the main wall of the mosque.

The Shaykh : How is the door of the grave the main wall of the mosque?

The questioner: Our Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Be patient, I am saying this is the mosque, this is the mosque.

The questioner : This is the inner courtyard of the mosque, the courtyard.

The Shaykh : I am saying this is the mosque. Why did you accept this assumption?

The questioner : We benefited from you in the past.

The Shaykh : No problem, my brother, now calm down. He came up with something new with us. Do you mean he is saying there is a courtyard of the mosque in front of this wall?

The questioner : No, it is not a courtyard, it is an enclosure.

The Shaykh : The enclosure is this wall we are talking about.

The questioner : Okay, this is inside, Shaykh. The mosque's prayer hall is exactly here, in the same building, next to this mosque. We pray in a place like this, a small open space. The grave, the enclosure, is exactly like the enclosure outside, but I meant by the enclosure this one outside, which is the enclosure of the mosque, but this small courtyard, of course, they do not pray in it.

The Shaykh : All right, this picture supports his statement that there is a courtyard in front of the mosque.

The questioner : Shaykh, I am not saying a courtyard where they pray.

The Shaykh : Be patient, we need to clarify, my brother. This picture, look at it.

The questioner : Look, this picture is correct...

The Shaykh : Correct?

The questioner : Yes, but the distance is short, meaning they do not pray in it.

The Shaykh : My brother, now it does not matter to us whether it is short or long...

The questioner : Yes, like that.

The Shaykh : So there is a courtyard. I am telling you from the start, this is the mosque, and this is the mosque's wall. Behind it is a grave, so they built a wall to separate the mosque's wall from the grave. It did not turn out that the issue is that there is a courtyard for the mosque in front of the mosque's wall?

The questioner : No, Shaykh, there is no courtyard.

The Shaykh : You confirmed this. All right, draw it.