This excerpt is taken from Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah's book Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
Testimony of Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyida Aisha
It is narrated from Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha Siddiqah and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that when the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was in the throes of death and suffering greatly, he would soak his cloth and place it over his radiant face, and when he felt a little relief, he would uncover his blessed face and say:
لعنة الله على اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد يحذر ما صنعوا
“May Allah's curse be upon the Jews and Christians! They have made the graves of their prophets places of worship.” The Prophet, peace be upon him, was fearful of their evil practice.
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Prayer: Chapter (55) (Hadith: 436); Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on the prohibition of building mosques over graves (Hadith: 529)
Testimony of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah and other Companions
See the wisdom of Allah that the Mother of the Believers, in whose chamber the Mercy to the Worlds, صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, rested, has her gaze upon these hadiths. These are the very hadiths that Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, heard directly from the blessed tongue of the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. Although some other companions also narrated these traditions, such as Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Jundub ibn Abdullah, and Ibn Mas'ud, etc. Accordingly, in the Sahihayn, it is narrated from Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم, said:
قاتل الله اليهود اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد
"May Allah destroy the Jews; they have made the graves of their prophets places of worship."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prayer: Chapter (55) (Hadith: 437) Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on the prohibition of building mosques over graves (Hadith: 530)
Testimony of the Mothers of the Believers
In Sahihain, a famous hadith from Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) is narrated in which Umm al-Mu'minin Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them) recount their eyewitness account that they saw a church in Abyssinia which had pictures of many prophets and righteous people. Upon hearing this incident, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إن أولئك إذا كان فيهم الرجل الصالح فمات بنوا على قبره مسجدا وصوروا فيه تلك الصور أولئك شرار الخلق عند الله يوم القيامة
“They were such people that if a righteous person among them died, they would make his grave a place of worship and hang his picture there. On the Day of Judgment, these will be considered the worst people in the sight of Allah.”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Prayer: Chapter on Prayer in the Pledge (Hadith: 434, 427) Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on Prohibition of Building Mosques on Graves (Hadith: 528)
Will five days before death
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim from Jundub bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say this five days before his death:
إني أبرأ إلى الله أن يكون لي منكم خليل فإن الله قد اتخذني خليلا كما اتخذ إبراهيم خليلا ولو كنت متخذا من أمتي خليلا لاتخذت أبا بكر خليلا ألا وإن من كان قبلكم كانوا يتخذون قبور أنبيائهم وصالحيهم مساجد ألا فلا تتخذوا القبور مساجد فإني أنهاكم عن ذلك
"I am free from the responsibility that any of you should be my close friend, for Allah has made Me His close friend just as He made Ibrahim His close friend. If I were to make anyone from my Ummah a close friend, it would have been Abu Bakr. Beware! The people before you used to make graves places of worship. So beware! Do not make graves places of worship, I forbid you from that."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on the prohibition of building mosques on graves, Hadith: 532)
Martyrdom of Sayyiduna Abu Marthad Ghannawi
In Sahih Muslim, it is narrated from Abu Marthad Ghannawi, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
لا تجلسوا على القبور ولا تصلوا إليها
"Do not sit as neighbors on graves, nor pray facing the graves."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Book of Funerals: Chapter on the prohibition of sitting on the grave and praying towards it, Hadith: 972)
It is narrated in Musnad and Sahih Ibn Hibban that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
إن من شرار الناس من تدركهم الساعة وهم أحياء والذين يتخذون القبور مساجد
"The worst people will be those in whose lifetime the Day of Judgment will occur and who make graves places of worship."
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad 405/1, 435, Sahih Ibn Hibban 340, and its commentary in Al-Bukhari's Book of Tribulations: Chapter on the emergence of tribulations, Hadith: 7067, summarized)
A complete discussion on the prohibition of making graveyards into Eid grounds and prayer places has already been presented on previous pages. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, knew that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade making his grave a place of worship for performing obligatory prayers. Performing obligatory prayers is an act through which closeness to Allah Almighty is attained. This prohibition was made so that Muslims would not resemble the polytheists, because they used to call upon the people of the graves, pray for them, and offer sacrifices in their names. Therefore, it was extremely necessary to prevent Muslims from such acts concerning the honored grave. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade praying at sunrise and sunset so that Muslims would not resemble those who worship the sun and the moon. Hence, preventing resemblance to grave worshippers was even more important.
