Was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) buried in his mosque?

He has another question in which he says: We were in the City of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and we went to pray in the Noble Prophet’s Mosque. With us was a brother of ours who had a certain degree of strictness and zeal, and he said: It is not permissible to pray in a mosque that contains a grave. So he refused to pray with us. This confused us, so we seek clarification?
Answer: The Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) does not contain a grave. The Prophet’s grave is in his house, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, and he was not buried in the mosque. Rather, he was buried in his house, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, in the house of Aisha. However, when the mosque was expanded during the reign of al-Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, the Commander of the Faithful at that time in the last part of the first century, the chamber was included in the mosque for the sake of expansion. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his two companions remained in the house of Aisha and were not in the mosque. Between them and the mosque are the standing walls and the standing grilles. So he is in his house (peace and blessings be upon him) and not in the mosque. And this person who said this is ignorant; he did not know the truth and did not learn the truth.
So it is obligatory for the believer to distinguish between what Allah has permitted and what He has forbidden. Mosques are not to be used for burying the dead, nor are they to be built over the dead. The Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) is not of this kind. Rather, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried in his house, in the house of Aisha, outside the mosque, to the east of the mosque. Then when the expansion came, al-Walid included the chamber in the mosque. He erred in that, may Allah forgive us and him. But the point is that this is not a proof for those who build over graves or bury people in mosques. All of this is wrong. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , meaning: he warned against their actions. Likewise, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . And likewise, Muslim narrated in the Sahih from Jundub ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Bajali from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . So the prohibition, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, was repeated in this matter regarding making mosques over graves. So it is obligatory for the people of Islam to avoid this. And in the actions of the people who did what they did of building over graves, there is no proof in their actions. Rather, they have erred and been wrong in this. So whoever builds over graves and makes mosques over them has erred and contradicted the Sunnah.
And it is obligatory for the rulers of Islam, the princes of the Muslims, and their governors to prevent people in all Islamic countries from building over graves, and to demolish the buildings that are on them, and to leave the graves open as they were in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the time of his Companions, as in al-Baqi‘ and elsewhere. So no building is to be erected over graves, and no domes or mosques are to be made over them.
And in the Sahih of Muslim, from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) , he said: . So the Chosen One, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, prohibited plastering graves, sitting on them, and building over them, whether a dome or anything else.
So it is obligatory for the people of Islam, wherever they are, to avoid this matter and to implement the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So they should not build over graves, whether a dome, a mosque, or anything else. Rather, they should be left open, raised from the ground by the width of a hand, with markers at the head and the feet, so that it is known that they are graves, as was done with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). For he was buried in his chamber (peace and blessings be upon him), raised from the ground by the width of a hand, and covered with pebbles. No building was erected over him; rather, he was buried in the house there so that his grave would not be made a mosque, so that he would not be exaggerated in, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him. So the Companions buried him there to protect him and preserve him from his grave being made a mosque, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him.
And when al-Walid included the chamber in the mosque, some people thought that this indicates the permissibility of building over graves and making mosques over them. And this is wrong. It is not from the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is from the action of al-Walid in including the chamber. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in his house, not in the mosque, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, and he was not buried in the mosque. Rather, he was buried in his house (peace and blessings be upon him). And likewise, his two companions, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), were buried with him in the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
So it should be known that this is the case. And no one should be deceived by this matter. Rather, it is obligatory that the believers and the scholars be clear-sighted in this matter, and that they clarify this matter to the people.
It is obligatory for the scholars and the callers to Allah in every place to clarify this matter to the people, and to teach them that building over graves is a matter that is not permissible, and that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was not buried in the mosque, but rather he was buried in his house, in the house of Aisha, as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did to protect him, so that his grave would not be made a mosque, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said.
And as for the ruling, it is the prohibition of building over graves, the prohibition of making mosques over them, and the prohibition of burying in mosques. All of this is forbidden because it is a means to exaggeration regarding the dead, and making them gods besides Allah and worshipping them. For this reason, the Messenger prohibited this, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, and he repeated it and reiterated it, because the Jews and the Christians exaggerated regarding their prophets and built mosques over them and made their graves gods to be worshipped. For this reason, in the authentic hadith from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): .
He informed that these who build over graves are the worst of creation.
And likewise, in the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So it should be known by the Ummah, and they should implement the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they should not make mosques, domes, buildings, or anything else over graves.
And it is obligatory for the people of knowledge and the callers to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to clarify this matter to the people and to spread it among the people until this religious innovation is removed and it is put an end to, because it is a blameworthy religious innovation. And because it is one of the means of associating partners with Allah. For if the common people see that a grave has been built over with a mosque or a dome, and they see that it is honored and carpeted, and that it is circled and perfumed, they say: This benefits and harms. This is called upon besides Allah. This is called for aid. This is sought for blessing. So they fall into associating partners with Allah because of this trial and this religious innovation.
And our Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him, said: . So exaggeration is: increasing in what Allah has prescribed.
So building over graves is an increase over what Allah has prescribed, and making domes over them is an increase over what Allah has prescribed, and making mosques over them is an increase over what Allah has prescribed and exaggeration in them. And this is one of the means of associating partners with Allah through them, and calling upon them besides Allah, and calling for aid to their people. For this reason, Allah and His Messenger have forbidden it.
So it is obligatory for the rulers in the Islamic countries to pay attention to this matter and to prevent people from building over graves and making mosques over them, and to remove what they have of that, so that the Muslims know that, and so that they proceed upon the Shari‘ah methodology that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) proceeded upon, and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those who followed them with excellence.
I ask Allah for all of you guidance and success.
The presenter: May Allah reward you and may Allah bless you.