Ruling on building mosques over graves
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Q169: The questioner M. A. M. from Iraq says: In our village, there was a righteous man. When he died, his family buried him in the mosque where we perform our prayers, which this man had built during his lifetime. They raised the grave to about a meter, or perhaps more. Then, after several years, his son demolished this small mosque and rebuilt it as a larger congregational mosque, placing the grave in a separate room inside the mosque. What is the ruling on this action, and what is the ruling on praying in this mosque?
A169: Building mosques over graves or burying the dead in mosques; this is something forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and by the consensus of the Muslims. This is a remnant of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, for the Christians used to build mosques over their prophets and righteous people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when Umm Salimah (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned a church she had seen in the land of Abyssinia and the images in it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 434 And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muwatta Malik 9:93 And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 532 and other hadiths in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned that this Ummah would follow the path of the Christians and the polytheists before them in building over graves. Indeed, this leads to making them gods to be worshipped besides Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), as is the observed reality today. These graves and shrines have become idols, and polytheism has returned to its most intense form. There is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Great. It is obligatory upon the Muslims to beware of this, to stay away from this abominable action, to remove these polytheistic structures, and to keep the graveyards far from the mosques. Mosques are for worship, sincerity, and the oneness of Allah. Allah the Exalted said:
[An-Nur 24:36] , and the graveyards for the dead of the Muslims should be unified as they were in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the blessed generations. As for burying the dead in the mosque, or establishing a mosque over a grave after burial, this is contrary to the religion of Islam, contrary to the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Muslims. It is a means to major shirk, which has spread and occurred in this Ummah due to this. It is obligatory upon you, O questioner, and every Muslim who hears this, perhaps it is obligatory upon you to remove this abominable evil. This dead person who was buried in the mosque after the mosque was built and used as a mosque, then the dead person was buried in it. It is obligatory to dig up this dead person, move him, and bury him in the graveyards, and to purify the mosque from this grave, so that it is emptied for prayer, the oneness of Allah, and worship. This is what is obligatory upon you. And before removing this corpse from the mosque, prayer in it is not permissible. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade taking graves as mosques; meaning taking them as places of prayer, even if the one praying does not intend the grave with his prayer, but intends Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because his prayer at the grave is a means to exalting the grave?
And until the grave is taken as an idol to be worshipped besides Allah. Likewise, raising it from the ground: the established Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the grave is buried and raised from the ground by the width of a hand, and it is made prominent, so that it is known to be a grave, and it is not raised more than that, nor is anything built over it, nor is a wall or enclosure made over it except to the extent that preserves the grave from desecration. As for building a high structure over it, or establishing a mosque over it; this is all from the remnants of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance that contradict the guidance of Islam. For the religion of Islam is established on the oneness of Allah, the sincerity of worship to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and blocking the paths that lead to shirk. This is the true religion of Islam.
A169: Building mosques over graves or burying the dead in mosques; this is something forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and by the consensus of the Muslims. This is a remnant of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, for the Christians used to build mosques over their prophets and righteous people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when Umm Salimah (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned a church she had seen in the land of Abyssinia and the images in it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If any righteous pious man dies amongst them, they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it; they are the worst creatures in the sight of Allah.
أولئك إذا مات فيهم العبد الصالح، أو الرجل الصالح بنوا على قبره مسجداً، وصوروا فيه تلك التصاوير، أولئك شرار الخلق عند اللهThe anger on those who took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration was terrible.
اشتد غضب الله على قوم اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدbut you must not take graves as mosques; I forbid you to do that.
ألا لا تتخذوا القبور مساجد، إني أنهاكم عن ذلك[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings
فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِAnd until the grave is taken as an idol to be worshipped besides Allah. Likewise, raising it from the ground: the established Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that the grave is buried and raised from the ground by the width of a hand, and it is made prominent, so that it is known to be a grave, and it is not raised more than that, nor is anything built over it, nor is a wall or enclosure made over it except to the extent that preserves the grave from desecration. As for building a high structure over it, or establishing a mosque over it; this is all from the remnants of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance that contradict the guidance of Islam. For the religion of Islam is established on the oneness of Allah, the sincerity of worship to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and blocking the paths that lead to shirk. This is the true religion of Islam.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.