Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Building mosques over graves and making them places of worship is excess (ifraat), and disrespecting them by unnecessarily exhuming them is negligence (tafreet).
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 the result or completion of the previous chapter.
The common point in these hadiths is that granting graves the status of 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 places of worship 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 places of worship 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 state that maintaining graves in mosques is just like the presence of images in the places of worship of Jews and Christians.
Accordingly, a heading for these hadiths could be established in the following words:
(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 the grave of any prophet 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 (rusul).
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 as well.
© 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 mentioned.
© 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 given 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, yet Muslims construct shrines and lodges over them and call them “dargahs.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade lighting lamps at graves, yet 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 ceramic tiles.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade writing on graves, yet 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 observed.
(hadahumullahu ta‘ala)