Islamic Ruling on building graves on top of Masaajid

Question:

What is the ruling on Masjid build on top of graves?

Answer:

Building Masaajid on [top of] graves, or taking graves as Masaajid is Haram according to the Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijmaa’ [consensus] of the Sahabah, Tabi’een and the four Imams [of the mathaahib].

And this deed [Building Masaajid on graves], is categorized by a group of Fuqahaa [Islamic jurists] as from the major sins.

The following becomes obligatory then: demolishing the Masaajid that are build on the graves, and digging [up] the dead [bodies] if they are buried in the Masjid, because in the religion of Islam the combination Masjid and grave do not go hand in hand, like it is common by the Jews and Christians.

It’s narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Tariq az-Zuhri that he said, ‘Ubaydillah ibn ‘Abdullah has told us that ‘Aisha and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas radiya Allahu ‘anhuma have said:

أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، وَعَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، رضى الله عنهم قَالاَ لَمَّا نَزَلَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم طَفِقَ يَطْرَحُ خَمِيصَةً لَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، فَإِذَا اغْتَمَّ كَشَفَهَا عَنْ وَجْهِهِ وَهْوَ كَذَلِكَ يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، اتَّخَذُوا قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ ‏”‏‏.‏ يُحَذِّرُ مَا صَنَعُوا‏

“When Allah’s Messenger salla Allahu ‘alayhi wasalama became seriously ill, he started covering his face with his woollen sheet, and when he felt short of breath, he removed it from his face and said: ‘That is so! Allah’s curse be on the Jews and the Christians, as they took the graves of their prophets as [places of worship],’ intending to warn [the Muslims] of what they had done.”
 

And in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Tariq Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah, on the authority of ‘Amr ibn Murrah, on the authority of Abdullah ibn al-Haarith an-Najraani who said: Djundub told us, that he heard the messenger of Allah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wasalama say:

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَبِي أُنَيْسَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ النَّجْرَانِيِّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي جُنْدَبٌ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ بِخَمْسٍ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ ‏ “‏ إِنِّي أَبْرَأُ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِي مِنْكُمْ خَلِيلٌ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَدِ اتَّخَذَنِي خَلِيلاً كَمَا اتَّخَذَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلاً وَلَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنْ أُمَّتِي خَلِيلاً لاَتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلاً أَلاَ وَإِنَّ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ كَانُوا يَتَّخِذُونَ قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ وَصَالِحِيهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ أَلاَ فَلاَ تَتَّخِذُوا الْقُبُورَ مَسَاجِدَ إِنِّي أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ

“I stand acquitted before Allah that I took any one of you as friend, for Allah has taken me as His friend, as he took Ibrahim as His friend. Had I taken any one of my Ummah as a friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a friend. Beware 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.”
 

And also in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu’l Hayyaj al-Asadi who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib radiya Allahu ‘anhu has said to me:

عَنْ أَبِي، الْهَيَّاجِ الأَسَدِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ لِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ أَلاَّ أَبْعَثُكَ عَلَى مَا بَعَثَنِي عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ لاَ تَدَعَ تِمْثَالاً إِلاَّ طَمَسْتَهُ وَلاَ قَبْرًا مُشْرِفًا إِلاَّ سَوَّيْتَهُ

Should I not send you on the same mission as Allah’s Messenger salla Allahu ‘alayhi wasalama sent me? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without levelling It.”

And the evidences with regard to the prohibition of building Masaajid are many, and no person of knowledge will dispute this. However, you see some general people and idiots in many of the Islamic communities competing to perform the Salaat in the Masjid with therein a grave, hoping for blessings from the dead and other [similar actions].

And the Salaat in this type of Masaajid is Haram according to the Fuqaha there are two sayings:

• That it is allowed [to pray] but you will be sinning. And this is the saying of the most of them [i.e scholars/jurists]
• That it is not allowed and it should be prayed over, and this is the Madhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and was chosen by Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm rahimahum Allah.

Answered by Sheikh Sulaymaan bin Naasir al-’Alwaan may Allah hasten his release.