Eight Primary Causes of Grave Worship Worldwide

Authored by: Syed Muhammad Dawood Ghaznavi حفظہ اللہ

① Why Grave Worship Spread Across the World: Causes and Reasons​

The means to prevent this grave trial have been mentioned. Today, if any Muslim examines the prevailing destruction and misfortunes among the Ummah and wonders about the solution, then a simple response can be given in the words of Imam Malik (رحمہ اللہ):

"Nothing will rectify the latter part of this Ummah except what rectified its first part."

This implies that the Ummah’s reform in the later times cannot occur unless it adopts the same approach by which the early generations of the Ummah achieved reform. This is simply returning to the Book and Sunnah, and wholeheartedly accepting every command that comes from Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ):

"O you who believe, respond to Allah and His Messenger when they call you to that which gives you life."

(Surah Al-Anfal, Ayah 24)

True capacity and readiness for reform arise only when the love for Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and respect for their commands overshadow all other loves and reverences. This love should be so deeply embedded that worldly attractions and respect lose significance in comparison to the affection for Allah and His Messenger.

"Say, if you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you."

(Surah Al-Imran, Ayah 31)

② The Efforts of the Pious Predecessors (Salaf as-Salihin)​

The early period of Islam was marked by divine blessings, guidance, and prosperity, free from any innovations or customs. The Salaf as-Salihin, including the Sahabah, Muhaddithin, and the Imams of the religion (رحمہم اللہ), made every effort to preserve the true teachings of Islam from external deviations. Understanding that this was the foundational phase of Islam, they realized even a slight deviation could eventually disrupt the source of Islamic purity.

③ The Fitnah of Graves​

One of the significant issues that led Muslims astray from the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah and the exemplary path of the Sahabah is the practice of building structures on graves, praying earnestly at these sites, and considering these graves as intermediaries to reach Allah.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمہ اللہ) and his notable student, Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمہ اللہ), discussed this topic in detail in several of their works. Today, I intend to briefly present some key aspects of this discussion.

Causes of Grave Worship​

This fitnah first emerged among the people of Prophet Nuh (عليه السلام), as mentioned in the Qur’an:

"Nuh said, 'My Lord, they have disobeyed me and followed those whose wealth and children only increase them in loss. And they devised a mighty plot, and they said, 'Do not abandon your gods, and do not abandon Wadd or Suwa or Yaghuth and Ya’uq and Nasr.'"

(Surah Nuh, Ayahs 21-23)

According to narrations from Abdullah ibn Abbas and other Sahabah and Tabi’in, these were names of righteous individuals from the people of Nuh. When these individuals passed away, people began sitting by their graves and considering them holy sites for worship and supplication. Eventually, this reverence grew into idol-making and ultimately led to idol worship.

Steps to Combat the Fitnah of Grave Worship​

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) provided several guidelines to prevent this grave fitnah. The primary solution for saving the Muslim Ummah from this crisis lies in these teachings.

The Key Methods to Prevent Grave Worship​

1. Prohibition of Building Mosques Over Graves
   Narrated in Sahih Muslim from Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Jubali (رضي الله عنه), who reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said five days before his death: “Beware! Those before you would take the graves of their Prophets as places of worship. I prohibit you from doing this.”
2. Prohibition of Lighting Lamps at Graves
   Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the Sunan from Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما): The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed those who visit graves, build mosques over them, or light lamps on them.
3. Prohibition of Building Structures Over Graves
   Narrated in Sahih Muslim from Jabir (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited building structures over graves.
4. Prohibition of Writing on Graves
   Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud from Jabir (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited the fortifying of graves and writing upon them.
5. Prohibition of Adding Extra Soil to Graves
   Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud from Jabir (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade covering graves with additional soil.
6. Prohibition of Praying at Graves
   Narrated in Sahih Muslim from Marathad al-Ghanawi (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Do not sit on graves or pray toward them.”
7. Command to Level Elevated Graves
   Narrated in Sahih Muslim from Abu’l-Hayyaj al-Asadi, who said, “Ali (رضي الله عنه) instructed me to destroy every raised grave.”
8. Prohibition of Making Graves Places of Festivities
   Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud from Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Do not make my grave a place of festivities.”

Through these steps, the Prophet (ﷺ) provided his Ummah with clear means of protecting the religion from becoming tainted with shirk and innovation, keeping it on the path of pure monotheism.