The Ruling on Praying Near Graves
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says: We pray with a group of grave worshippers who believe that the dead have the power to cause harm or benefit and to bestow blessings. The place where we pray contains domes in which many people are buried, among those whom they call the righteous and the awliya (close friends of Allah). The prayer area is not far from the place where we pray. Is prayer in this place permissible? Is this place part of the cemetery’s sacred precinct due to the presence of these graves inside the domes nearby, or adjacent to the place? The mosque is also in the same place; is it considered part of the cemetery’s sacred precinct? Is prayer in it permissible? There is no other mosque in the village except this one. Please advise us; may Allah reward you.
Answer:
Prayer is not performed in this place. We seek refuge in Allah. Prayer in cemeteries is invalid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 760Sahih (Darussalam) He said (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 532 Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. And he said (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 529 It is agreed upon as authentic.
Therefore, it is not permissible to pray in this place where there are graves, nor to build a mosque in them or between them. Rather, it is obligatory that mosques be located in areas far from graves, not within a cemetery, but far from the grave in front of it, behind it, to its right, and to its left, and that the cemetery be separated from it.
Therefore, it is not permissible to pray in the cemetery, nor to build in it, such as building a mosque in it. All of this is reprehensible and invalid—may Allah protect us—and it is among the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah)—may Allah protect us. Calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead is major shirk. Calling upon the dead, seeking aid from them, and making vows to them is major shirk according to all scholars.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of this. It is obligatory for one who visits graves for this purpose to repent to Allah, because this is major shirk. This is the practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance: calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, making vows to them, and slaughtering for them. This is from the religion of the polytheists about whom the Exalted said: [Al-An'am: 88] And He said about them, the Exalted: [Al-Furqan: 23] because of their shirk and disbelief. May Allah protect us.
Therefore, it is obligatory for all Muslims everywhere that their mosques be far from graves, and that they do not pray in graves, nor sit on them, nor build on them. Rather, they should be left exposed, with no building on them, and no prayer around them, and no mosque built on them. All of this is reprehensible, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) condemned it and warned against it. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. So, do you advise those who have a mosque like this one to advise them to abandon it, or to demolish it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Yes, it is obligatory to demolish it and remove it, and that mosques be established in areas far from graves, with no connection to the graves. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. People may go to great lengths in building mosques; in that case, this becomes an obstacle. So what do you advise people regarding this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : They should pray in a place far from the cemetery, even if it is not built, on the ground. They should choose a piece of land where they can pray, even in tents, until Allah helps them to build.
The point is that they should pray on pure, good land, where there is no cemetery, until Allah helps them to build. And if they put a tent over it, or some palm fronds or palm leaves, until Allah enables them to build, all of that is good.
The presenter : And is this better than a mosque that has graves in it?
The Shaykh : It is not better; this is the obligatory thing. This is the obligatory thing. A mosque that has graves in it is invalid and reprehensible, and it is not permissible.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, and may Allah reward you with good.
He says: We pray with a group of grave worshippers who believe that the dead have the power to cause harm or benefit and to bestow blessings. The place where we pray contains domes in which many people are buried, among those whom they call the righteous and the awliya (close friends of Allah). The prayer area is not far from the place where we pray. Is prayer in this place permissible? Is this place part of the cemetery’s sacred precinct due to the presence of these graves inside the domes nearby, or adjacent to the place? The mosque is also in the same place; is it considered part of the cemetery’s sacred precinct? Is prayer in it permissible? There is no other mosque in the village except this one. Please advise us; may Allah reward you.
Answer:
Prayer is not performed in this place. We seek refuge in Allah. Prayer in cemeteries is invalid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Do not pray toward graves and do not sit on them.
لا تصلوا إلى القبور، ولا تجلسوا عليهاBeware of those who preceded you and used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of worship, but you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that.
ألا وإن من كان قبلكم كانوا يتخذون قبور أنبيائهم وصالحيهم مساجد، ألا فلا تتخذوا القبور مساجد، فإني أنهاكم عن ذلكAllah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى؛ اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدTherefore, it is not permissible to pray in this place where there are graves, nor to build a mosque in them or between them. Rather, it is obligatory that mosques be located in areas far from graves, not within a cemetery, but far from the grave in front of it, behind it, to its right, and to its left, and that the cemetery be separated from it.
Therefore, it is not permissible to pray in the cemetery, nor to build in it, such as building a mosque in it. All of this is reprehensible and invalid—may Allah protect us—and it is among the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah)—may Allah protect us. Calling upon the dead and seeking aid from the dead is major shirk. Calling upon the dead, seeking aid from them, and making vows to them is major shirk according to all scholars.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of this. It is obligatory for one who visits graves for this purpose to repent to Allah, because this is major shirk. This is the practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance: calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, making vows to them, and slaughtering for them. This is from the religion of the polytheists about whom the Exalted said:
But if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَAnd We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًاTherefore, it is obligatory for all Muslims everywhere that their mosques be far from graves, and that they do not pray in graves, nor sit on them, nor build on them. Rather, they should be left exposed, with no building on them, and no prayer around them, and no mosque built on them. All of this is reprehensible, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) condemned it and warned against it. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. So, do you advise those who have a mosque like this one to advise them to abandon it, or to demolish it, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: Yes, it is obligatory to demolish it and remove it, and that mosques be established in areas far from graves, with no connection to the graves. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. People may go to great lengths in building mosques; in that case, this becomes an obstacle. So what do you advise people regarding this matter? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : They should pray in a place far from the cemetery, even if it is not built, on the ground. They should choose a piece of land where they can pray, even in tents, until Allah helps them to build.
The point is that they should pray on pure, good land, where there is no cemetery, until Allah helps them to build. And if they put a tent over it, or some palm fronds or palm leaves, until Allah enables them to build, all of that is good.
The presenter : And is this better than a mosque that has graves in it?
The Shaykh : It is not better; this is the obligatory thing. This is the obligatory thing. A mosque that has graves in it is invalid and reprehensible, and it is not permissible.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, and may Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.