Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
Is it harām to build a mosque over a grave or to have a grave inside a mosque?
And how should one respond to those who use the burial of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in al-Masjid al-Nabawī as evidence?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
This doubt can be addressed in several ways:
◈ The Prophet’s Mosque was built during the blessed life of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ At that time, there was no grave at the mosque site.
◈ Therefore, the claim that the mosque was built on a grave is incorrect.
◈ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was buried in his house, not in the mosque.
◈ Thus, this cannot be used as proof that righteous people may be buried in mosques.
◈ The house of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها, where the Prophet ﷺ is buried, was not originally part of the mosque.
◈ Its inclusion was not by unanimous agreement of the Companions.
◈ This happened after 94 AH, when most of the Companions had already passed away.
◈ Some Companions and Tābiʿīn objected to this, including the prominent Tābiʿī, Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib رحمه الله.
◈ The grave was never directly incorporated into the mosque; it remains within a separate chamber (ḥujrah).
◈ Although the chamber of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها was later encompassed by the mosque expansion, the grave was secured by three walls.
◈ The enclosure was designed in such a way that worshippers would not face the grave:
The argument of those who try to use this incident to justify building mosques over graves or burying within mosques is invalid and baseless.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Question
Is it harām to build a mosque over a grave or to have a grave inside a mosque?
And how should one respond to those who use the burial of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in al-Masjid al-Nabawī as evidence?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
This doubt can be addressed in several ways:
1. Al-Masjid al-Nabawī was not built over a grave
◈ The Prophet’s Mosque was built during the blessed life of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ At that time, there was no grave at the mosque site.
◈ Therefore, the claim that the mosque was built on a grave is incorrect.
2. The Prophet ﷺ was not buried in the mosque
◈ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was buried in his house, not in the mosque.
◈ Thus, this cannot be used as proof that righteous people may be buried in mosques.
3. The chamber of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها was added later
◈ The house of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها, where the Prophet ﷺ is buried, was not originally part of the mosque.
◈ Its inclusion was not by unanimous agreement of the Companions.
◈ This happened after 94 AH, when most of the Companions had already passed away.
◈ Some Companions and Tābiʿīn objected to this, including the prominent Tābiʿī, Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib رحمه الله.
4. The grave is still not part of the mosque
◈ The grave was never directly incorporated into the mosque; it remains within a separate chamber (ḥujrah).
◈ Although the chamber of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها was later encompassed by the mosque expansion, the grave was secured by three walls.
◈ The enclosure was designed in such a way that worshippers would not face the grave:
- The outer wall was built in a triangular shape.
- One of its corners faces north so that those facing the qiblah cannot directly face the grave.
Conclusion
The argument of those who try to use this incident to justify building mosques over graves or burying within mosques is invalid and baseless.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
