What is the ruling on praying in mosques that have graves beneath them?
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Question:
A letter reached the program from Libya, sent by a group of brothers who indicated their names with the letters (S. A. D. R). Our brothers have a number of questions; for example, they ask: What is the ruling on praying in mosques that have graves beneath them, even if one does not intend the prayer to be for the one in the grave?
We ask you to inform us: Is the prayer accepted because of this particular wali (close friend of Allah), or not?
Answer:
Praying in mosques that contain graves is not permissible; rather, it is invalid. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 529 It is agreed upon as authentic from the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He said this during the illness of his death (peace and blessings be upon him), at the end of his life. He also said (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 532 Muslim narrated it in his Sahih from Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim to establish a mosque over a grave, or to bury people in mosques, or to pray in mosques that contain graves. Rather, it is obligatory to advise one another to abandon this and to counsel one another. It is obligatory for the rulers in any Islamic country; it is obligatory for the rulers to prevent this. The dead must not be buried in mosques, and mosques must not be built over graves. Neither this nor that is allowed. The cemeteries must be separate, and the mosques must be separate. No one is to be buried in them, whether he is called a wali or not. The wali is the believer; the wali of Allah is the believer. So no one is to be buried in them, neither a Muslim nor anyone else. Rather, the mosques must be free of graves. This is the obligatory duty that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified.
The operative cause of this and the wisdom behind it, as the scholars said, is that the presence of graves in mosques is one of the means to worship them other than Allah. If mosques are built over graves, this becomes a means of exaggeration regarding the dead, calling upon them other than Allah, seeking blessing from their graves, asking them for intercession, and asking them for aid and support. For this reason, Allah has forbidden building mosques over graves and forbidden burial in mosques, in order to block the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah) and to cut off the material of shirk.
Nor should a rational person be deceived by what is found in some cities and some Islamic countries, namely the presence of graves in mosques. A rational person should not be deceived by this. This is an error, and an error is not to be followed. It is obligatory for the rulers of the Muslims in every place to remove this matter. Not in Sham, not in Egypt, not in Iraq, and not in any other place. It is obligatory for the rulers of the Muslims to purify the mosques from graves, and for the mosques to be free of graves. If there is a grave in one, it is to be moved to the public cemetery. If the mosque was built over it, and the grave was the first, the mosque is to be demolished, and the graves are to remain free, with no mosques on them.
So the conclusion is: if the grave was the first, the mosque is to be demolished, and the land is to remain for the graves. If the mosque was the first, and someone was buried in it, the grave is to be dug up and moved to the cemetery. One does not pray in mosques that contain graves. This is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and is not permissible, and the prayer is invalid.
As for if the prayer is for the dead, such as praying for the dead and drawing near to him through prayer or prostration, that is shirk akbar (major shirk), and the calamity is greater. Likewise, if one asks him for aid, such as saying: "O my master, aid, aid," or "O wali of Allah, aid, aid," or "O my master al-Badawi, aid, aid," or "O Husayn, aid, aid," or "O Shaykh Abdul Qadir, aid, aid," or "Save me," or "Help me." All of this is shirk akbar.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [Al-An'am:88] He the Exalted said: [Al-Mu'minun:117] He said: : [Fatir:13-14] (Glorified and Exalted is He), so He called their supplication to other than Allah shirk (associating partners with Allah), and He said: [Fatir 35:14] so He called their supplication to the dead and their seeking aid from the dead shirk with Him (Glorified and Exalted is He).
And He called them in the other verse disbelievers. He said: [Al-Mu'minun: 117]. The verse from Surat al-Mu'minun. And He said (Exalted and Majestic is He): [Al-Jinn: 18]. He said, the Exalted: [Yunus: 106]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he said to Ibn Abbas: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516Hasan (Darussalam).
So it is obligatory for the people of Islam to beware of this shirk, to warn against it, to advise one another to truth, and to advise one another to patience. It is obligatory for the scholars in every place to clarify this matter to the people, and to guide them to the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah and sincerity to Him, and to teach them the types of shirk so that they may beware of them.
And it is obligatory for the rulers to remove the traces of shirk, and to remove the graves from the mosques that contain graves, if the graves are later additions. If the mosques were built over the graves, it is obligatory that the mosques be removed and demolished, and that the graves remain as they are, a cemetery with no mosques on them.
And here is a matter by which some people may be deceived, which is: the presence of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions in al-Masjid al-Nabawi. They say: This is the grave of the Prophet in the mosque. This is an error; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not buried in the mosque. He was buried in the house of Aisha. Likewise, his two companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, were buried with him in the house of Aisha, and they were not buried in the mosque. But al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik, when he expanded the mosque at the end of the first century, included the grave in the mosque for the sake of the expansion. This was an error on his part, so one should not be deceived by it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his two companions were not buried in the mosque; rather, they were buried in the house of Aisha. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying toward graves, and said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 760Sahih (Darussalam) And he cursed those who take mosques over graves.
So what is relied upon is his legislation, his command and his prohibition (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the actions of people when they err, if al-Walid or anyone other than al-Walid errs, it is not relied upon. One should be alert to this matter, and the people of knowledge should alert the people around them to this matter, so that the benefit is widespread, and so that the Muslim sees clearly, and so that he knows the truth, and does not fall into shirk without realizing it. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
A letter reached the program from Libya, sent by a group of brothers who indicated their names with the letters (S. A. D. R). Our brothers have a number of questions; for example, they ask: What is the ruling on praying in mosques that have graves beneath them, even if one does not intend the prayer to be for the one in the grave?
We ask you to inform us: Is the prayer accepted because of this particular wali (close friend of Allah), or not?
Answer:
Praying in mosques that contain graves is not permissible; rather, it is invalid. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى، اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدBeware 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 ذلكThe operative cause of this and the wisdom behind it, as the scholars said, is that the presence of graves in mosques is one of the means to worship them other than Allah. If mosques are built over graves, this becomes a means of exaggeration regarding the dead, calling upon them other than Allah, seeking blessing from their graves, asking them for intercession, and asking them for aid and support. For this reason, Allah has forbidden building mosques over graves and forbidden burial in mosques, in order to block the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah) and to cut off the material of shirk.
Nor should a rational person be deceived by what is found in some cities and some Islamic countries, namely the presence of graves in mosques. A rational person should not be deceived by this. This is an error, and an error is not to be followed. It is obligatory for the rulers of the Muslims in every place to remove this matter. Not in Sham, not in Egypt, not in Iraq, and not in any other place. It is obligatory for the rulers of the Muslims to purify the mosques from graves, and for the mosques to be free of graves. If there is a grave in one, it is to be moved to the public cemetery. If the mosque was built over it, and the grave was the first, the mosque is to be demolished, and the graves are to remain free, with no mosques on them.
So the conclusion is: if the grave was the first, the mosque is to be demolished, and the land is to remain for the graves. If the mosque was the first, and someone was buried in it, the grave is to be dug up and moved to the cemetery. One does not pray in mosques that contain graves. This is a bid'ah (religious innovation) and is not permissible, and the prayer is invalid.
As for if the prayer is for the dead, such as praying for the dead and drawing near to him through prayer or prostration, that is shirk akbar (major shirk), and the calamity is greater. Likewise, if one asks him for aid, such as saying: "O my master, aid, aid," or "O wali of Allah, aid, aid," or "O my master al-Badawi, aid, aid," or "O Husayn, aid, aid," or "O Shaykh Abdul Qadir, aid, aid," or "Save me," or "Help me." All of this is shirk akbar.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) 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 whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَThat is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed. (14) If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters].
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍ إِنْ تَدْعُوهُمْ لا يَسْمَعُوا دُعَاءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ وَلا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍAnd on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association
وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْAnd He called them in the other verse disbelievers. He said:
And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَAnd [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone.
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًاAnd do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"
وَلا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَSupplication is worship
الدعاء هو العبادةWhen you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's aid.
إذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت فاستعن باللهSo it is obligatory for the people of Islam to beware of this shirk, to warn against it, to advise one another to truth, and to advise one another to patience. It is obligatory for the scholars in every place to clarify this matter to the people, and to guide them to the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah and sincerity to Him, and to teach them the types of shirk so that they may beware of them.
And it is obligatory for the rulers to remove the traces of shirk, and to remove the graves from the mosques that contain graves, if the graves are later additions. If the mosques were built over the graves, it is obligatory that the mosques be removed and demolished, and that the graves remain as they are, a cemetery with no mosques on them.
And here is a matter by which some people may be deceived, which is: the presence of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions in al-Masjid al-Nabawi. They say: This is the grave of the Prophet in the mosque. This is an error; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was not buried in the mosque. He was buried in the house of Aisha. Likewise, his two companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, were buried with him in the house of Aisha, and they were not buried in the mosque. But al-Walid ibn Abdul Malik, when he expanded the mosque at the end of the first century, included the grave in the mosque for the sake of the expansion. This was an error on his part, so one should not be deceived by it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his two companions were not buried in the mosque; rather, they were buried in the house of Aisha. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying toward graves, and said:
Do not pray toward graves and do not sit on them.
لا تصلوا إلى القبور، ولا تجلسوا عليهاSo what is relied upon is his legislation, his command and his prohibition (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the actions of people when they err, if al-Walid or anyone other than al-Walid errs, it is not relied upon. One should be alert to this matter, and the people of knowledge should alert the people around them to this matter, so that the benefit is widespread, and so that the Muslim sees clearly, and so that he knows the truth, and does not fall into shirk without realizing it. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.