A mosque with a grave in a room at the end of the mosque, separated by a door; is it permissible to pray in it?
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Question:
The listener Muhammad Hazim Abdulaziz, from Dammam, sent a message saying: I am from the Arab Republic of Egypt, and in the town where I live there is a mosque with a grave in a room at the end of the mosque, separated by a door. I sometimes pray in this mosque. Some people objected to me and said: Do not pray in this mosque because it contains a grave. I seek your advice on this matter.
May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
If the grave is outside the mosque's enclosure, it does not harm the prayer in the mosque. However, it should be moved away from the mosque, to the cemetery, so as not to cause confusion for people.
As for if it is inside the mosque, you do not pray in the mosque; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 529 It is agreed upon as authentic; and also due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 532 It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited taking graves as mosques, so it is not permissible for us to take them as mosques, whether the graves are of prophets, or of righteous people, or of others whose identity is unknown.
So it is obligatory that graves be separate in specific locations, and that mosques be free from them, so that there are no graves in them.
Then the ruling in this matter is detailed:
If the grave (or graves) was the first, and then the mosque was built, then the mosque is demolished, and it is not permissible for it to remain over the graves; because it was built contrary to the Shari'ah of Allah, so its demolition is obligatory.
As for if the graves are later, and the mosque is the earlier one, then it is obligatory to dig them up and transfer their remains to the public cemetery. The remains of each grave are placed in a specific hole, and its surface is leveled like other graves, so that they are not desecrated, and they become part of the cemetery where the remains were buried, so that Muslims are safe from the trial of graves.
And when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited taking mosques over graves, his intention (peace and blessings be upon him) was to block the means that lead to shirk (associating partners with Allah); because if graves are placed in mosques, the common people exaggerate in them, and they think they were placed because they are beneficial; and because they accept vows; and because they are called upon and people seek aid from their occupants, so shirk occurs.
So it is obligatory to be cautious of that, and that graves be far from mosques, in specific locations, and that mosques be free from that. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
The listener Muhammad Hazim Abdulaziz, from Dammam, sent a message saying: I am from the Arab Republic of Egypt, and in the town where I live there is a mosque with a grave in a room at the end of the mosque, separated by a door. I sometimes pray in this mosque. Some people objected to me and said: Do not pray in this mosque because it contains a grave. I seek your advice on this matter.
May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
If the grave is outside the mosque's enclosure, it does not harm the prayer in the mosque. However, it should be moved away from the mosque, to the cemetery, so as not to cause confusion for people.
As for if it is inside the mosque, you do not pray in the mosque; due to 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 ذلكSo it is obligatory that graves be separate in specific locations, and that mosques be free from them, so that there are no graves in them.
Then the ruling in this matter is detailed:
If the grave (or graves) was the first, and then the mosque was built, then the mosque is demolished, and it is not permissible for it to remain over the graves; because it was built contrary to the Shari'ah of Allah, so its demolition is obligatory.
As for if the graves are later, and the mosque is the earlier one, then it is obligatory to dig them up and transfer their remains to the public cemetery. The remains of each grave are placed in a specific hole, and its surface is leveled like other graves, so that they are not desecrated, and they become part of the cemetery where the remains were buried, so that Muslims are safe from the trial of graves.
And when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited taking mosques over graves, his intention (peace and blessings be upon him) was to block the means that lead to shirk (associating partners with Allah); because if graves are placed in mosques, the common people exaggerate in them, and they think they were placed because they are beneficial; and because they accept vows; and because they are called upon and people seek aid from their occupants, so shirk occurs.
So it is obligatory to be cautious of that, and that graves be far from mosques, in specific locations, and that mosques be free from that. 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.