Advice for those who are concerned with building domes over shrines

Q: We have some Sufi shaykhs who are concerned with building domes over shrines, and people believe in their righteousness and blessing. If this matter is not prescribed, what is your advice to them, given that they are role models in the eyes of the vast majority of people? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

A: The advice for the Sufi scholars and others from the people of knowledge is to take what the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate, and to teach the people that, and to warn them against following those who came before them in what contradicts that. Religion is not about following the shaykhs or others in imitation; rather, religion is what is taken from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and what the people of knowledge and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed upon. This is how religion is taken, not by imitating Zayd or 'Amr, nor by following the Sufi shaykhs or others.
And the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) indicates that it is not permissible to build over graves, nor to make mosques over them, nor to make domes, nor any kind of building. All of this is forbidden by the explicit text of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Among this is what was reported in the two Sahihs from 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "They feared what they did."
And in the two Sahihs from Umm Salama and Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that they mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a church they had seen in the land of Abyssinia and the images in it, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that those who make mosques over graves are the worst of creation, and likewise those who make images over them; because it is an invitation to shirk (associating partners with Allah) and a means to it; because the common people, when they see this, magnify the buried ones, call upon them for aid, and invoke them besides Allah, seeking their help and support. This is major shirk. And in the hadith of Jundub ibn 'Abdullah al-Bajali (may Allah have mercy on him) , reported in Sahih Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: This is how Muslim reported it in the Sahih.
So that indicates the virtue of al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and that he is the best of the Companions and the most excellent of them, and that if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had taken a close friend, he would have taken him as a close friend . But Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) prevented him from that so that his love for his Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) would be pure. And in the hadith there is an indication of the prohibition of building over graves and making mosques over them, and the condemnation of those who did that from three aspects:

One of them is: His condemnation of those who did that.

The second: His saying: .

And the third is: His saying: .
So he warned against building over graves from these three aspects. Therefore, it is obligatory upon his Ummah (the Muslim community) to fear what he warned them about, and to stay away from what Allah condemned in those before them, namely the Jews and the Christians, and those who imitated them in making mosques over graves and building over them. These hadiths that we mentioned are explicit in that.
And the wisdom in that, as the people of knowledge said, is the means leading to major shirk. So the worship of the people of graves by invoking them, calling upon them for aid, making vows and sacrifices for them, and seeking their help and support, as is the case now in many countries in Sudan, Egypt, in the Levant, in Iraq, and in other countries, all of this is major shirk. The ignorant common man comes and stands at the grave of the one known to them and asks for their help and support, as happens at the grave of al-Badawi, al-Husayn, Zaynab, and al-Sitt Nafisa, and as happens in Sudan at many graves, and as happens in other countries, and as happens with some ignorant pilgrims at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Madinah and at the graves of al-Baqi' and other graves. This happens from the ignorant, so they need teaching, clarification, and care from the people of knowledge so that they know their religion with certainty.
So it is obligatory upon all the people of knowledge, those whom Allah has blessed with knowing their religion with certainty, whether they are from the Sufis or others, to fear Allah, and to advise the servants of Allah, and to teach them their religion, and to warn them against building over graves and making mosques over them, or domes or other types of building, and to warn them against calling upon the dead for aid and invoking them. For supplication is worship that must be directed to Allah alone, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [al-Jinn: 18] And He said: : [Yunus: 106] meaning from among the polytheists. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Supplication is worship." And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the dead person's deeds and knowledge of the people have been cut off, and he is in need of being supplicated for, sought forgiveness for, and mercy being invoked upon him, not of being invoked besides Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : So how can he be invoked besides Allah?
And likewise the idols, and likewise the trees and stones, the moon, the sun, and the stars, all of them are not to be invoked besides Allah, nor called upon for aid. And likewise the people of graves, even if they are prophets or righteous people, and likewise the angels and the jinn are not to be invoked with Allah. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says: : [Yunus: 106] So Allah does not command taking the angels and the prophets as lords besides Him; because that is disbelief by the explicit text of the verse. And in the hadith of Jabir in Muslim's Sahih, he (may Allah be pleased with him) said: : And that is only because plastering them and building over them is a means to shirk with their people and exaggeration in them.
As for sitting on them, that is a desecration of them, so it is not permissible, just as it is not permissible to urinate on them or defecate on them, or similar types of insult; because the Muslim is honored in life and in death. It is not permissible to trample his grave, nor to break his bones, nor to sit on his grave, nor to urinate on it, nor to place head coverings on it. All of this is prohibited.
So the dead person is not to be desecrated, nor magnified by exaggeration in him, invoking him with Allah, circumambulating his grave, and similar types of exaggeration. And by that it is known that the complete Islamic Shari'ah came with the middle path regarding the dead: they are not to be exaggerated in and worshipped with Allah, nor desecrated by sitting on their graves and the like. It is the middle in all matters, and praise be to Allah; because it is legislation from the Wise, the All-Knowing, who places things in their proper places, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [al-An'am: 83].
And from this is what came in the authentic hadith, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the complete, great Shari'ah combined between the two matters: between the prohibition of exaggeration by invoking the people of graves, calling upon them for aid, and praying toward their graves, and the prohibition of harming them, desecrating them, sitting on their graves, or treading on them or leaning on them. All of this is prohibited, so neither this nor that.
And by this the believer knows, and the seeker of truth knows, that the Shari'ah came with the middle, not with shirk, and not with harm. So the dead Muslim is supplicated for, sought forgiveness for, and greeted when visiting him. As for being invoked besides Allah, or circumambulating his grave, or praying toward him, that is not done.
As for the living person who is present, there is no harm in cooperating with him in what Allah has made permissible; because he has the ability to do so. It is permissible by the Shari'ah to cooperate with him by physical means. And likewise, a person with his brothers and relatives cooperate in their farms, in repairing their houses, in repairing their cars, and the like. They cooperate by permissible physical means that are within their ability, so there is no harm in that. And likewise with the absent living person by telephone or by correspondence and the like. All of this is physical cooperation that is not harmful in permissible matters that are within their ability.
Just as the capable living person acts by physical means, he helps you with his hand, builds with you, or gives you money; as a gift or a loan. So cooperation with the living is something permissible with its known conditions. As for calling upon the dead or the absent by other than physical means, that is major shirk by the consensus of the people of knowledge, with no disagreement among the Companions and those after them from the people of knowledge and faith and insight.
Building over graves, turning them into mosques, and erecting domes over them is a known evil among the scholars. The Shari'ah has prohibited this because it is a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). It is obligatory for the scholars to fear Allah wherever they are, to advise the servants of Allah, to teach them the Shari'ah of Allah, and not to show favoritism to Zayd or 'Amr. The truth is more deserving of being followed. In fact, they must teach the prince, the young, and the old, warn everyone against what Allah has forbidden them, and guide them to what Allah has prescribed for them. This is the duty of the scholars wherever they are, whether through oral speech, writing, authorship, preaching in the Friday sermon or others, by telephone, or by any of the means that exist now which enable the conveying of the call of Allah and the advising of His servants.
And success is from Allah.