The Ruling on Praying in Mosques That Contain Graves
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
What is the ruling on praying in mosques that contain graves?
Answer:
We ask Allah for safety from this widespread affliction in some lands of the Muslims. To Allah we belong and to Him we return. We ask Allah for safety, we ask Allah for safety. The ruling is that it is invalid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 529 It was narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 713 Muslim narrated it in his Sahih from the hadith of Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 2:461.
We ask Allah for safety. I do not know what to say. I do not know how the scholars there are. How do they remain silent? How do they be lenient in the matter? Because this is a great and dangerous matter. And among the wonders is that they argue with the entry of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried in his house, not in the mosque. Al-Walid only included it for the expansion. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as mentioned, was not buried in the mosque, nor was his grave in the mosque. Rather, he was buried in his house, the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). But there is no power nor strength except in Allah.
He should pray in his house if a mosque is not available to him. He should pray in his house and not pray in mosques that contain graves. If he does not find a mosque free of graves, he prays in his house with his brothers or neighbors, or he seeks a place that is not a mosque with graves in it, or they contact the state and refer the matter to the state, if that is feasible, so that the graves in the mosques are dug up and moved to the cemeteries, and the mosques remain sound. And the scholars should strive with the state, perhaps they will find someone who is closer to understanding than others and softer than others in this. Perhaps through him what facilitates the removal of this evil will be made easy. And do not despair until some of the mosques are freed from graves. But leniency in this does not exempt the scholars and students of knowledge from responsibility before Allah. He, the Exalted, says in Surat al-Zukhruf: [al-Zukhruf:44].
A question from the presenter of the program: What if the grave is isolated in an external room, O Shaykh Abdul Aziz?
A: As long as it is in the mosque, whether to your right, or to your left, or in front of you, or behind you, the prayer in it is not valid. But if it is outside the mosque, it does not harm anything. The important thing is that the mosque was built over the grave.
What is the ruling on praying in mosques that contain graves?
Answer:
We ask Allah for safety from this widespread affliction in some lands of the Muslims. To Allah we belong and to Him we return. We ask Allah for safety, we ask Allah for safety. The ruling is that it is invalid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدThose who preceded you used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as mosques, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that.
ألا وإن من كل قبلكم كانوا يتخذون قبور أنبيائهم وصالحيهم مساجد، ألا فلا تتخذوها مساجد فإني أنهاكم عن ذلكIndeed, among the worst of people are those whom the Hour overtakes while they are alive, and those who take the graves as mosques.
إن من شرار الناس من تدركهم الساعة وهم أحياء ومن يتخذ القبور مساجدWe ask Allah for safety. I do not know what to say. I do not know how the scholars there are. How do they remain silent? How do they be lenient in the matter? Because this is a great and dangerous matter. And among the wonders is that they argue with the entry of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried in his house, not in the mosque. Al-Walid only included it for the expansion. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as mentioned, was not buried in the mosque, nor was his grave in the mosque. Rather, he was buried in his house, the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). But there is no power nor strength except in Allah.
He should pray in his house if a mosque is not available to him. He should pray in his house and not pray in mosques that contain graves. If he does not find a mosque free of graves, he prays in his house with his brothers or neighbors, or he seeks a place that is not a mosque with graves in it, or they contact the state and refer the matter to the state, if that is feasible, so that the graves in the mosques are dug up and moved to the cemeteries, and the mosques remain sound. And the scholars should strive with the state, perhaps they will find someone who is closer to understanding than others and softer than others in this. Perhaps through him what facilitates the removal of this evil will be made easy. And do not despair until some of the mosques are freed from graves. But leniency in this does not exempt the scholars and students of knowledge from responsibility before Allah. He, the Exalted, says in Surat al-Zukhruf:
And indeed, it is a remembrance for you and your people, and you [all] are going to be questioned.
وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَA question from the presenter of the program: What if the grave is isolated in an external room, O Shaykh Abdul Aziz?
A: As long as it is in the mosque, whether to your right, or to your left, or in front of you, or behind you, the prayer in it is not valid. But if it is outside the mosque, it does not harm anything. The important thing is that the mosque was built over the grave.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.