Abu Dawud

Benefits and Issues:
➊
Building mosques upon graves or burying the deceased near mosques—both of these situations are impermissible.
It should be noted that the inclusion of the blessed grave of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) within the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid Nabawi) is an incidental occurrence.
His (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) burial in his own chamber was a unique characteristic specific to him.
And at that time, this chamber was separate from the mosque.

➋
It is obligatory for the visitor to the Sacred Mosque of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that even if he prays near the Prophet’s grave,
he should, in his heart, remain devoted to Allah,
and consider the Sacred House (Bayt Allah al-Haram) as his qiblah (direction of prayer).
It is forbidden to make any grave the qiblah and pray facing it.
On this subject, the work of Allamah al-Albani, “Tahdheer al-Masajid,” is an important and worthy book for study.
Its translation under the title “Mosques upon Graves and in the Name of Islam” has already been published.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Building mosques over graves and making them places of worship is excess (ifrat), and disrespecting them by unnecessarily exhuming them is negligence (tafrit).
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade both excess and negligence.
In these hadiths, the excess of the Jews and Christians regarding graves is described.
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) did not establish a separate chapter heading for these hadiths, because they are a result or supplement to the previous chapter.
The common point in these hadiths is that making graves equivalent to mosques is prohibited.
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) expresses the reprehensibility of this act, stating that it is extremely blameworthy, whether images are kept in them or not.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/689)
One reason for not mentioning a heading could also be that the dislike for prayer in the worship places of Jews and Christians is due to the presence of statues and images there; otherwise, in principle, prayer is permissible everywhere. The real reason for prohibition is the presence of evil and unlawful matters.
On this basis, this prohibition is not exclusive to the worship places of Jews and Christians; rather, if such a situation arises in the mosques of Muslims as well, then praying in them will also not be free from dislike. For example:
If a grave is prominently maintained in a mosque.
Thus, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) wants to clarify that maintaining graves in mosques is just like the presence of images in the worship places of Jews and Christians.
Accordingly, a heading for these hadiths could be established as follows:
(Bab Karahiyyat as-Salat fi al-Masajid allati fiha al-Qubur)
“Prayer is disliked in mosques in which graves are maintained.”
➋
There is an objection in the first hadith that both Jews and Christians are blamed for the polytheistic act, whereas in reality, the main culprits in making the graves of prophets places of prostration are the Jews. The Christians did not make any prophet’s grave a place of prostration because ‘Isa (alayhis salam) was raised to the heavens and there was no occasion to make his grave, and after him until the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), no other prophet came. So, in these circumstances, what is the meaning of associating the Christians with the Jews in the crime of making the graves of the prophets places of prostration? There are several explanations for this as follows:
© After ‘Isa (alayhis salam), prophets did come, but they were not messengers.
As some of the Hawariyyun were appointed for this task, as mentioned in Surah Yasin, verses 13 to 18.
Therefore, the blame for making the graves of prophets places of prostration can be directly attributed to them.
© In the hadith, along with the prophets (alayhim as-salam), the major followers are also intended.
As in the hadith of Sahih Muslim, it is mentioned that the Jews and Christians made the graves of their prophets and righteous people places of prostration.
This is why, in hadith number 434, when the Christians are specifically mentioned, reference is made to making the grave of a righteous person a place of prostration, and when in hadith number 436 the Jews are specifically mentioned, the making of the graves of prophets places of prostration is discussed.
© Although the Jews were the ones who actually did this, the Christians followed them in this evil act, so both became partners in this curse.
The Jews as innovators (those who did it first),
and the Christians as followers (those who imitated the Jews).
(Fath al-Bari: 1/689)
➌
It is possible that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) narrated this hadith at the time when Umm Salamah (radi Allahu anha) and Umm Habibah (radi Allahu anha) related their eyewitness accounts regarding the Church of Marya in the land of Abyssinia, which was mentioned earlier in hadith 434, and during his final illness, he came to know through signs or revelation that the time of departure from this world was near. So he warned the ummah not to make his grave a place of festivity and supplicated to Allah, “O Allah! Do not make my grave an idol that is worshipped.”
(Musnad Ahmad: 2/246)
At that time, he also narrated this hadith as a precaution, lest such treatment be done to his grave.
But it is regrettable that the so-called Muslims of the present age, instead of respecting the last wish of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), are engaged in violating it. May Allah grant the government of Saudi Arabia and its officials the best of rewards for preventing people from performing unlawful acts at the blessed grave of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Even more regrettable is that from the innovators comes the demand that Madinah Munawwarah be declared an open city so that they may freely promote their innovations and superstitions there.
➍
If we examine the conduct of common Muslims in the light of this hadith, it becomes clear that today the majority are determined to oppose the Prophetic hadith. For example, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade praying at the graves of the prophets, yet Muslims consider worship at graves to be a source of blessing. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade building structures over graves, but Muslims construct shrines and lodges over them and call them sanctuaries. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade lighting lamps at graves, but Muslims make special arrangements for lamps and lights at graves.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade adding extra soil to graves, yet these people reinforce them with marble and porcelain tiles.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade writing on graves, but our customary Muslims hang plaques containing Qur’anic verses and have the name of the deceased inscribed, and today, even circumambulation (tawaf) of some graves and the performance of “rites of Hajj” there, similar to the Ka‘bah, is carried out.
(hadahumullahu ta‘ala)

Lexical Explanation:
«قَاتَلَ» is used in the sense of «لَعَنَ» and «أَهْلَكَ», which means: May Allah's curse be upon them and may Allah destroy and ruin them. Declaring as accursed those who make graves into places of worship is evidence that this act is forbidden (haram).
«زَادَ مُسْلِمٌ وَالنَّصَارٰي» Imam Muslim has narrated the addition of the word "Nasara" after "Yahud" (i.e., Christians after Jews). (The Christians also committed this act.)
«شِرَار» is the plural of «شَرٌّ». This is a superlative noun used in the sense of «أَشَرُّ», which means the worst and most wicked, and «اَلْخَلْق» is used in the sense of "creation," meaning that among all types of Allah's creation, these are the worst of creatures.

Benefits and Issues:
➊ According to the statement of the Qur'an, these are the People of the Book who were given divine scriptures, but these wretched ones, after the death of their noble prophets (alayhim as-salam), made their graves into places of prostration and began to seek their needs from them.
➋ Just as the Jews committed this forbidden act, so too did the Christians. In this way, they became guilty of manifest shirk (shirk jali), which in the sight of the Creator of the universe is the gravest and most unforgivable crime.
➌ Now, Muslims in name should reflect and ponder: by making graves into places of prostration, whose misguided practices are they reviving, and by committing which crime are they including themselves among the worst of creation?
➍ This act resembles idol worship. If a non-Muslim does this, it is worthy of a hundred curses, but if someone calling himself a Muslim does it, it is considered a source of reward and virtue! What is this except deceiving and deluding oneself? The consequences of this grave-worship that are manifesting today are as clear as daylight before everyone: the civilization of idol-worshippers is prevailing, their culture is spreading everywhere, and their customs are being adopted. May Allah grant Muslims the ability to avoid such vile acts.
➎ There can be two meanings to making graves into places of prostration: one is that the acts performed in mosques solely for Allah are performed at graves, for example: prostrating and bowing (ruku‘), or standing with folded hands in reverence before them. The second is that mosques are built near graves, and due to the honor and reverence of the deceased, these are considered more blessed than other mosques. This is not permissible according to the Shari‘ah.

Benefit:
Allah, the Exalted, fulfilled the supplication of His beloved Prophet, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and to this day, the grave of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has not become a place of worship, nor will it ever become a place of worship until the Day of Resurrection. Some grave-worshippers of today claim that the Arab government will come to an end and that their own rule will be established there, and then they will see what they will do with the grave of the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)—meaning, they will make it a place of worship. Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah). This evil assumption can never be fulfilled, alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah). In other words, even their rule cannot be established over Arabia.