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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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The ruling on building structures over graves

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The question: Also, Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Tah from Ta'if says in his message: In Egypt, they build graves above ground level. The wealthy build graves, while the poor are buried in old graves. Often, we see their bodies through the old, ruined graves. This has become a custom. I considered building several graves for the poor in my village, but I hesitated because the Prophetic Sunnah requires burying a Muslim under the earth. I convinced everyone of this, but they did not respond. Is it permissible for me to build graves for the poor above ground level to follow the custom, or is this good deed not permissible? If I build them, will I receive reward and recompense? I hope you will inform me?
The answer: The Sunnah is to dig in the ground for graves, to dig in the earth, and to deepen the hole if the ground is suitable. If the ground is suitable, the Sunnah is to dig in it and deepen the hole to the height of the leg, above the navel... above the height of the leg means above the private parts. And there should be a lahd (niche) in it, placed in the direction of the qiblah, where the deceased is placed. This is the Sunnah. But if the ground is poor, does not hold together, and is weak, there is no harm in securing it with construction. They dig a hole and secure it with construction or planks so that it does not collapse. There is no harm in this when there is need. As for building, no, it is not built. They dig for them in the ground and secure the earth with planks or stones so that the earth settles above it.
This is the Sunnah: burial in the ground, not building. As for building, it is not appropriate. If he wants to do good, he digs suitable holes for them and revives the Sunnah. He does not agree with them in what they have innovated. Rather, the believer revives the Sunnah, calls to it, and is patient with the hardship involved in it. This is how the believer should be.
Among the calamities that have befallen people now, and this has been the case for a long time, is building over graves. A grave is in the ground or at the surface of the ground, and then a dome or a mosque is built over it. This is from religious innovations, from the great abominations, and from the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is happening in Egypt, the Levant, Iraq, and elsewhere. It used to happen in the Noble Mosque of Makkah and in al-Baqi' until Allah removed it by the hand of the Saudi government. They did well in that, may Allah reward them with good, because they removed the innovations. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that; he prohibited building over graves and plastering them, and he said:
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosquesلعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد
Sahih Muslim 529
. This is the obligation upon the rulers of the Muslims: to prevent building over graves, to prevent making them into mosques and praying at them, and not to circumambulate them, and not to call upon them other than Allah, and not to seek aid from their inhabitants. All of this is from the abominations. But building is from the means of shirk. As for calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, and asking for support, this is major shirk, and it is the worship of other than Allah , as is the case in some countries. So one should beware of this and warn people against it. Yes.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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