Written by: Sheikh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani (May Allah preserve him)
① Narrated by Sayyidah Aisha (RA): Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah (RA) mentioned a church in Abyssinia and the images within it to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) said:
"Indeed, when a righteous man from among them would die, they would build a mosque over his grave and make images in it. These are the worst of creation in the sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment."
(Bukhari, Book of Salah; Muslim 528; Nasa'i 705)
② Narrated by Sayyidah Aisha (RA): The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
"May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship."
(Bukhari, Book of Funerals; Muslim 1186)
③ Narrated by Abu Huraira (RA): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"May Allah destroy the Jews and Christians, for they turned the graves of their prophets into mosques."
(Muslim, Book of Mosques)
④ Narrated by Sayyiduna Jundub (RA): In a longer narration, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said shortly before his demise:
"Indeed, those before you used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous people as mosques. Beware! Do not take graves as mosques. I forbid you from this."
(Muslim, Book of Mosques, 1188)
From these Ahadith, it becomes clear that building mosques over graves is explicitly prohibited in Shariah, and consequently, praying in such mosques is even more discouraged.
Avoiding such mosques and locations for prayer is a matter of utmost importance.
Question:
Is it permissible to pray in mosques where graves are present? Will the Salah performed in such mosques be valid?Answer:
One should avoid offering Salah in mosques that contain graves. Before delving into the reasoning, let us review a few Ahadith regarding performing prayers at locations with graves or facing them:Ahadith Regarding the Prohibition of Graves in Mosques:
① Narrated by Sayyidah Aisha (RA): Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah (RA) mentioned a church in Abyssinia and the images within it to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) said:
"Indeed, when a righteous man from among them would die, they would build a mosque over his grave and make images in it. These are the worst of creation in the sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment."
(Bukhari, Book of Salah; Muslim 528; Nasa'i 705)
② Narrated by Sayyidah Aisha (RA): The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
"May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship."
(Bukhari, Book of Funerals; Muslim 1186)
③ Narrated by Abu Huraira (RA): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"May Allah destroy the Jews and Christians, for they turned the graves of their prophets into mosques."
(Muslim, Book of Mosques)
④ Narrated by Sayyiduna Jundub (RA): In a longer narration, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said shortly before his demise:
"Indeed, those before you used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous people as mosques. Beware! Do not take graves as mosques. I forbid you from this."
(Muslim, Book of Mosques, 1188)
From these Ahadith, it becomes clear that building mosques over graves is explicitly prohibited in Shariah, and consequently, praying in such mosques is even more discouraged.
Understanding Through Example:
Prohibition of selling alcohol includes prohibition of drinking it, as selling is a means to the consumption of alcohol. Similarly, building mosques over graves is a means, while offering prayers in them is the intended action. When the means are forbidden, the resulting action is also prohibited.Scholarly Consensus:
- Imam Ibn Hazm (RA) reports from Imam Ahmad (RA):
"Whoever prays in a cemetery or towards a grave must repeat their prayer."
(Al-Muhalla 4/27-28) - Sayyiduna Abu Marthad Al-Ghanawi (RA) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
"Do not pray facing graves or sit on them."
(Muslim, Book of Funerals; Abu Dawood 3229; Nasa’i 761) - Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (RA): The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
"The entire earth is a mosque, except for graveyards and bathhouses."
(Tirmidhi 317; Abu Dawood 492)
Explanation by Scholars:
- Imam Nawawi (RA): In his commentary on Muslim, he states that when a narration is transmitted as both Mursal and Mawsul, the ruling is based on the Mawsul version.
(Sharh Muslim 1/256) - Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (RA):
"Neither prayer in a graveyard nor facing a grave is valid because it serves as a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). Even a single grave makes the prayer invalid, not just an area containing multiple graves."
(Al-Ikhtiyarat Al-Ilmiyyah, p. 25)
Conclusion:
Based on the Quran, Ahadith, and scholarly opinions, it is evident that praying in mosques with graves or in graveyards is strictly prohibited. Such locations are associated with practices that can lead to shirk and are therefore to be avoided at all costs.Avoiding such mosques and locations for prayer is a matter of utmost importance.