The ruling on praying in a mosque that has a grave around it
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
If a mosque is attached to a grave, and the grave is outside the mosque, not inside it, is it permissible to pray in it? And if I have a need to pray in it, should I pray or not?
Answer:
If the grave is outside the mosque, there is no obstacle to praying in it. It is recommended to move the grave to the public cemetery to avoid doubt and to prevent it from being venerated, especially if it is attributed to a righteous person. The authorities should move his remains to the public cemetery. If there is a fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), it should be concealed; he is buried at night and kept hidden, so that no one knows of it except the specific people who buried him. This is what 'Umar ibn al-Khattab did with the grave of Daniel when he feared fitnah; he dug thirteen graves at night, buried him in one of them, and leveled them all so that his location would be hidden in Iraq.
The point is that a grave around a mosque should be moved to the public cemetery so that people are not led astray by it, if that is feasible. This concerns the authorities, namely the scholars and the rulers. If it can be moved without causing fitnah, it should be moved; otherwise, it remains. However, it is not permissible to invoke anyone other than Allah, nor to circumambulate it, nor to call upon it for aid, nor to rub against it. It does not prevent prayer in the mosque if it is outside the mosque; it does not prevent prayer in the mosque. But if it is inside the mosque, it must be exhumed. If it is behind the mosque, it is exhumed and moved away from the mosque to the public cemetery.
As for if it is old and the mosque was built on it, then the mosque is the one that must be demolished, because it was founded on other than guidance. If it is built on a grave, it becomes the new thing; so it is demolished because it was founded on other than taqwa (mindfulness of Allah). Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. A question on roughly the same topic: Is there a difference between praying a voluntary prayer and praying an obligatory prayer if one prays in a mosque that has a grave in it?
The Shaykh : There is no difference in that. It is not permissible, and it is not valid, whether it is a voluntary prayer or an obligatory one. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
If a mosque is attached to a grave, and the grave is outside the mosque, not inside it, is it permissible to pray in it? And if I have a need to pray in it, should I pray or not?
Answer:
If the grave is outside the mosque, there is no obstacle to praying in it. It is recommended to move the grave to the public cemetery to avoid doubt and to prevent it from being venerated, especially if it is attributed to a righteous person. The authorities should move his remains to the public cemetery. If there is a fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), it should be concealed; he is buried at night and kept hidden, so that no one knows of it except the specific people who buried him. This is what 'Umar ibn al-Khattab did with the grave of Daniel when he feared fitnah; he dug thirteen graves at night, buried him in one of them, and leveled them all so that his location would be hidden in Iraq.
The point is that a grave around a mosque should be moved to the public cemetery so that people are not led astray by it, if that is feasible. This concerns the authorities, namely the scholars and the rulers. If it can be moved without causing fitnah, it should be moved; otherwise, it remains. However, it is not permissible to invoke anyone other than Allah, nor to circumambulate it, nor to call upon it for aid, nor to rub against it. It does not prevent prayer in the mosque if it is outside the mosque; it does not prevent prayer in the mosque. But if it is inside the mosque, it must be exhumed. If it is behind the mosque, it is exhumed and moved away from the mosque to the public cemetery.
As for if it is old and the mosque was built on it, then the mosque is the one that must be demolished, because it was founded on other than guidance. If it is built on a grave, it becomes the new thing; so it is demolished because it was founded on other than taqwa (mindfulness of Allah). Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. A question on roughly the same topic: Is there a difference between praying a voluntary prayer and praying an obligatory prayer if one prays in a mosque that has a grave in it?
The Shaykh : There is no difference in that. It is not permissible, and it is not valid, whether it is a voluntary prayer or an obligatory one. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.