Some people say that there is nothing wrong with building mosques over graves, basing that on the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“(then) those who won their point said (most probably the disbelievers): ‘We verily, shall build a place of worship over them’” [al-Kahf 18:21]
Is what they say correct? What is the answer to that?
Building mosques over the graves of Prophets and righteous
people, or over places connected to their lives, is something which the
perfect sharee’ah of Islam came to forbid and warn against, and curses those
who do that, because it is one of the means that lead to shirk and
exaggeration about the Prophets and the righteous. Reality confirms the
soundness of the message brought by sharee’ah, and proves that it is from
Allaah, and offers definitive proof that what the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought from Allaah and conveyed
to the ummah is true. Everyone who looks at the state of the Muslim world
and the shirk and exaggeration that have come about because of building
mosques over tombs, venerating them, adorning them and appointing custodians
for them, will realize that this is indeed a means that leads to shirk, and
that one of the beauties of sharee’ah is that it forbids this and warns
against it.
Among the reports that
were narrated concerning that was the hadeeth narrated by the two Shaykhs,
al-Bukhaari (1330) and Muslim (529) – may Allaah have mercy on them both –
from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: “The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘May Allaah
curse the Jews and the Christians, for they have taken the graves of their
Prophets as places of worship.’” ‘Aa’ishah said: “He was warning (the
Muslims) against (doing) what they had done.” And she said: “Had it not
been for that, the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) would have been made prominent but he was afraid it might be
taken (as a) place of worship.”
In al-Saheehayn it is also narrated that Umm Salamah
and Umm Habeebah (may Allaah be pleased with them) told the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about a church that
they had seen in the land of Abyssinia, and the images that were in it. He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a righteous man
died among them, they would build a place of worship over his grave and put
those images in it. They are the most evil of mankind before Allaah.” (Al-Bukhaari,
427; Muslim, 528)
In Saheeh Muslim (532) it is narrated that Jundub ibn
‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘I stand
acquitted before Allah that I took anyone of you as a close friend (khaleel),
for Allah has taken me as His close friend, as He took Ibraaheem as His
close friend. Had I taken any one of my ummah as a close friend, I would
have taken Abu Bakr as a close friend. Those who came before you used to
take the graves of their Prophets and righteous men as places of worship,
but you must not take graves as places of worship; I forbid you to do
that.’”
There are many ahaadeeth on this subject. The leading
scholars of the Muslims, the imams of all four madhhabs (schools of thought)
and others, have stated that it is forbidden to build mosques over graves,
and they have warned against that, following the Sunnah of the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), sincerely advising his
ummah and warning against falling into the same trap as those who came
before us, the extremists among the Jews and Christians and their ilk among
those of this ummah who have gone astray.
Some people use the story
of the People of the Cave to support their specious argument that this is
allowed:
“(then) those who won their point said (most probably the
disbelievers): ‘We verily, shall build a place of worship over them’”
[al-Kahf 18:21 – interpretation of the meaning]
The answer to that is: that Allaah has told us about the
leaders and powerful people of that time, and that they said these words.
That does not imply that He liked that or approved of them, rather He said
that by way of blaming them and condemning their action. This is indicated
by the fact that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to whom this verse was revealed and who was the most knowledgeable of
people as to how it should be interpreted, forbade his ummah to build
mosques over graves, warned them against doing so, and cursed and condemned
those who did that.
If that had been permissible, then the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not have discouraged
it in such emphatic terms, and gone to the extent of cursing those who did
it, and said that they are the most evil of mankind before Allaah. This is
sufficient to convince the seeker of truth. Even if we were to assume that
building places of worship over graves was permitted to those who came
before us, it is not permissible for us to follow their example in that,
because our sharee’ah abrogates the laws that came before it, and our
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Final
Messenger whose sharee’ah is complete and universal. He has forbidden us to
build mosques over graves, so it is not permissible for us to go against
him. We must follow him, adhering to that which he brought and abstaining
from anything from the ancient laws that goes against that or any custom
that appeals to the one who does it but goes against that. For there is
nothing more perfect than the laws of Allaah and there is no guidance better
than the guidance of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Allaah is the One Whom we ask to help us and all the Muslims
to adhere firmly to His religion and to follow the sharee’ah of His
Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in all
that we say and do, both outwardly and inwardly, in all our affairs, until
we meet Allaah, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Near. May Allaah send
blessings and peace upon His slave and Messenger Muhammad and his family and
companions, and those who follow his guidance, until the Day of
Resurrection.
From Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li
Samaahat al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 1/434.
For the ruling on praying in mosques in which there are
graves, see Question no.26324 .
No comments:
Post a Comment