Is it permissible to raise a grave and build upon it in countries where heavy rains are common, which may obscure the grave's marker or wash it away, making it unrecognizable to its family?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may prayers and peace be upon our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows:
If our esteemed Shaykh would be so kind as to answer some questions. It is not hidden from anyone that a grave should be leveled, not plastered, and not raised significantly, as we see today. But what is to be done in countries where heavy rain falls, which may lead to many graves being washed away? If we apply the Sunnah in these graveyards, they might be washed away and not be recognized by their families. So what is to be done? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : In order to preserve the grave and prevent it from being buried or lost to its owners, I see no objection to placing some stones on the grave as a marker for the grave. By doing so, we achieve, as they say, "two birds with one stone." This is because it is established in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed a stone on the grave of Ja'far. When he was asked about that, he said:Mishkat al-Masabih 1711. If this stone is placed for this purpose, the other purpose, which is preserving the grave, is achieved by my belief with this same stone. It may be possible—and I mean what I say when I say "it may be possible"—to expand slightly in achieving the preservation of the grave by plastering it with cement that withstands the factors of rain and floods and the like. This plastering should be only to achieve this benefit, and no more. However, if this purpose is achieved by placing the stone mentioned in the Sunnah, then one should stop at this placement without adding to it.
The questioner : Stones may look alike and graves may not be recognized with the large number of people!
The Shaykh : This objection may arise with any form you implement. Have we finished with the first topic?
The questioner : Regarding the preservation of the grave, yes.
The Shaykh : Regarding the preservation of the grave.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so now the graves look alike, this is true. But should we not observe that this doubt is not local or specific to a particular town, but is a general doubt regarding all graves? I mean, specifically, the same grave on which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) placed that stone. Does not this doubt also arise there, as it arises here or in another place, or in another graveyard? The answer is yes. But is it difficult for a Muslim who strives to avoid violating the Sunnah to place a mark on this stone so that it is distinguished from the other stones? I do not want to reach, with this facilitation and easing, a point where we fall into violating the authentic hadith, which is: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade writing on the grave." It is possible with great ease to place a line mark, black, green, red, long, short, wide, etc., so that the purpose is achieved with the least alteration to this mound of the grave.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good regarding...
Another questioner : ... I say that it means the preservation of the grave, meaning...
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : The preservation of the grave.
The Shaykh : The preservation of the grave.
The questioner : Yes, if the owner of the grave wants to display his grave with a mark, how does he know that it will not be hidden among the graves of the Muslims?
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. The answer to this question has already been given in the same hadith.
The questioner : I understand this, may Allah bless you. But this was for a short period of time that ended. That is, this was not known after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and perhaps the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knew it, and the closest people to him among the men who witnessed the burial or the location of Ja'far's grave knew it.
The Shaykh : All right!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, and what...
The questioner : benefits us by meaning that here... as is known, this matter...
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that it came to him, far be it from Allah.
The Shaykh : What follows from this?
The questioner: No.
If our esteemed Shaykh would be so kind as to answer some questions. It is not hidden from anyone that a grave should be leveled, not plastered, and not raised significantly, as we see today. But what is to be done in countries where heavy rain falls, which may lead to many graves being washed away? If we apply the Sunnah in these graveyards, they might be washed away and not be recognized by their families. So what is to be done? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : In order to preserve the grave and prevent it from being buried or lost to its owners, I see no objection to placing some stones on the grave as a marker for the grave. By doing so, we achieve, as they say, "two birds with one stone." This is because it is established in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed a stone on the grave of Ja'far. When he was asked about that, he said:
I am marking my brother’s grave with it, and I shall bury beside him those of my family who die.
أُعَلِّم به قبر أخي ، وأُدخل إليه مَن مات مِن أهليThe questioner : Stones may look alike and graves may not be recognized with the large number of people!
The Shaykh : This objection may arise with any form you implement. Have we finished with the first topic?
The questioner : Regarding the preservation of the grave, yes.
The Shaykh : Regarding the preservation of the grave.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so now the graves look alike, this is true. But should we not observe that this doubt is not local or specific to a particular town, but is a general doubt regarding all graves? I mean, specifically, the same grave on which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) placed that stone. Does not this doubt also arise there, as it arises here or in another place, or in another graveyard? The answer is yes. But is it difficult for a Muslim who strives to avoid violating the Sunnah to place a mark on this stone so that it is distinguished from the other stones? I do not want to reach, with this facilitation and easing, a point where we fall into violating the authentic hadith, which is: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade writing on the grave." It is possible with great ease to place a line mark, black, green, red, long, short, wide, etc., so that the purpose is achieved with the least alteration to this mound of the grave.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good regarding...
Another questioner : ... I say that it means the preservation of the grave, meaning...
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : The preservation of the grave.
The Shaykh : The preservation of the grave.
The questioner : Yes, if the owner of the grave wants to display his grave with a mark, how does he know that it will not be hidden among the graves of the Muslims?
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. The answer to this question has already been given in the same hadith.
The questioner : I understand this, may Allah bless you. But this was for a short period of time that ended. That is, this was not known after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and perhaps the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knew it, and the closest people to him among the men who witnessed the burial or the location of Ja'far's grave knew it.
The Shaykh : All right!
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, and what...
The questioner : benefits us by meaning that here... as is known, this matter...
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that it came to him, far be it from Allah.
The Shaykh : What follows from this?
The questioner: No.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.