The ruling on praying in a mosque surrounded by graves
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Question:
This questioner says: O esteemed Shaykh Abdul Aziz, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that: We have a mosque where congregational and Friday prayers are held; however, there are graves around the mosque, in its front and back, and the distance between the mosque and the graves is only about six meters. Knowing that the mosque was built before the graves were placed, is the prayer in this mosque valid?
Answer:
Yes, the prayer in it is valid, even if there are graves around it, if the mosque is standing and the graves were placed to its right or left, in front of it, or behind it. This does not harm. People in the past used to bury around the towns out of fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and wars; they used to bury around their mosques. One would exit the mosque and bury around the mosque.
As for now, Allah has expanded and facilitated things. It should be that they are kept away from the mosques; even if the need arises to expand the mosque, the mosque should be expanded, so that an ignorant person does not think that there is a secret or intention in burying around the mosques.
Therefore, the graveyards should be far from the mosques; so that one who thinks does not think contrary to the truth, or so that the need for expansion does not arise, in which case the presence of the graves would be a barrier to that, or a cause for digging them up and moving them again.
The point is that the graves around the mosques do not prevent prayer in the mosques. What is forbidden is building mosques on graves, and taking graves as mosques. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 529, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 532.
Therefore, it is not permissible to build mosques on graves, nor to pray around them or between them, nor to bury the dead in the mosque. No, all of this is not permissible. It is obligatory that the dead be buried far from the mosques, and that mosques not be established on graves. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this; but when graves are found next to the mosque, they do not prevent prayer in it.
This questioner says: O esteemed Shaykh Abdul Aziz, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that: We have a mosque where congregational and Friday prayers are held; however, there are graves around the mosque, in its front and back, and the distance between the mosque and the graves is only about six meters. Knowing that the mosque was built before the graves were placed, is the prayer in this mosque valid?
Answer:
Yes, the prayer in it is valid, even if there are graves around it, if the mosque is standing and the graves were placed to its right or left, in front of it, or behind it. This does not harm. People in the past used to bury around the towns out of fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and wars; they used to bury around their mosques. One would exit the mosque and bury around the mosque.
As for now, Allah has expanded and facilitated things. It should be that they are kept away from the mosques; even if the need arises to expand the mosque, the mosque should be expanded, so that an ignorant person does not think that there is a secret or intention in burying around the mosques.
Therefore, the graveyards should be far from the mosques; so that one who thinks does not think contrary to the truth, or so that the need for expansion does not arise, in which case the presence of the graves would be a barrier to that, or a cause for digging them up and moving them again.
The point is that the graves around the mosques do not prevent prayer in the mosques. What is forbidden is building mosques on graves, and taking graves as mosques. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
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 ذلكTherefore, it is not permissible to build mosques on graves, nor to pray around them or between them, nor to bury the dead in the mosque. No, all of this is not permissible. It is obligatory that the dead be buried far from the mosques, and that mosques not be established on graves. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this; but when graves are found next to the mosque, they do not prevent prayer in it.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.