The scholars have discussed this issue, in the past and more recently, and they refuted those who quote the fact that the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is inside his mosque as evidence that it is permissible to take graves as places of worship, or to include graves in mosques. We will quote the fatwas of some of our prominent scholars, which discuss in detail the matter raised in the question.

1 – Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

There is a specious argument put forward by those who worship graves, namely the fact that the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is in his mosque. The answer to that is that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not bury him in his mosque, rather they buried him in the house of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). When al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik expanded the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the end of the first century, he incorporated the room into the mosque, but he did wrong thereby, and some of the scholars denounced him for that, but he believed that there was nothing wrong with it for the sake of expanding the mosque.

It is not permissible for a Muslim to take that as evidence that mosques may be built over graves, or that people may be buried inside mosques, because that goes against the saheeh ahaadeeth, and because it is a means that may lead to shirk by associating the occupants of the graves in worship with Allaah. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 5/388, 389.

2 – Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on praying in a mosque in which there is a grave.

He replied:

Praying in a mosque in which there is a grave falls into two categories:

(i) Either the grave was there before the mosque, and the mosque was built over the grave. It is essential to shun this mosque and not pray therein, and the one who built it must knock it down; if he does not do so, then the Muslim authorities must knock it down.

(ii) Or the mosque was there before the grave, and the deceased was buried after the mosque was built. In the case the grave must be dug up, and the remains taken out and buried with the people (in the graveyard).

As for praying in such a mosque, it is permissible so long as the grave is not in front of the worshipper, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying in the direction of graves.

With regard to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which is incorporated into his mosque, it is well known that the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was built before his death, and was not built over his grave. It is also well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not buried in the mosque, rather he was buried in his house which was separate from the mosque. At the time of al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik he wrote to his governor in Madeenah, who was ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, in 88 AH, ordering him to dismantle the Prophet’s Mosque and add to it the rooms of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). ‘Umar gathered the prominent people and fuqaha’, and read the letter of the caliph al-Waleed to them. That caused them distress, and they said: “Leave it as it is, that is better.” And it was narrated that Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib denounced the incorporation of ‘Aa’ishah’s room into the mosque, as if he feared that the grave would be taken as a place of worship.

Umar wrote a letter to that effect to al-Waleed, and al-Waleed sent word to him ordering him to carry out his instructions, so ‘Umar had no other choice. So you see that the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not placed in the mosque, and the mosque was not built over it, so there are no grounds for those who try to quote this as evidence that people may be buried inside mosques or that mosques may be built over graves.

It is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May the curse of Allaah be upon the Jews and the Christians; they have taken the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.” He said that as he was dying, as a warning to his ummah against doing what they did. When Umm Salamah told him of a church that she had seen in Ethiopia and the images therein, he said: “Those people, if a righteous man among them died, they would build a place of worship over his grave. They are the most evil of people before Allaah.” And it was narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among the most evil of people upon whom the Hour will come when they are still alive are those who take graves as places of worship.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad with a jayyid isnaad.

The believer should not accept to follow the ways of the Jews and the Christians, or to be among the most evil of people.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 12/question no. 292

And Allaah knows best.

1 – The issue of praying at graves

Praying at graves is of two types:

The first type is praying to the occupant of the grave. This is major shirk which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, because prayer is an act of worship, and it is not permissible to do any act of worship to anyone other than Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Worship Allaah and join none with Him (in worship)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:36]

“Verily, Allaah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills, sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allaah, has indeed strayed far away”

[al-Nisa’ 4:116]

The second type is praying to Allaah in the graveyard. This covers a number of issues:

1 – Praying the funeral (janaazah) prayer at the graveside, which is permissible.

Example: if a person dies and you are not able to offer the funeral prayer for him in the mosque, then it is permissible for you to offer the prayer for him after he is buried.

The evidence for this is that this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a black man or a black woman used to clean the mosque, and he (or she) died. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked about him and they said, “He died.” He said, “Why did you not tell me? Show me to his grave (or her grave).” So he went to the grave and offered the funeral prayer. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 458; Muslim, 956).

2 – Praying the funeral prayer in the graveyard, which is permissible

Example: a person dies and you are not able to offer the funeral prayer for him in the mosque, so you go to the graveyard and offer the prayer there before he is buried.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “It is permissible to offer the funeral prayer for the deceased inside the graveyard just as it is permissible to offer the funeral prayer for him after he is buried, because it was proven that a woman used to clean the mosque and she died. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked about her and they said, ‘She died.’ He said, ‘Why did you not tell me? Show me to her grave.’ So they showed him and he offered the prayer for her, then he said, ‘These graves are filled with darkness for their occupants, but Allaah illuminates them by my prayer over them.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 956.)

From Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/392

3 – Praying in the graveyard – apart from the funeral (janaazah) prayer – this prayer is invalid and does not count, whether it is an obligatory prayer or a naafil prayer.

The evidence for that is as follows:

(i) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All the earth is a mosque apart from the graveyards and bathrooms.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 317; Ibn Maajah, 745; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 606).

(ii) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May Allaah curse the Jews and the Christians, for they have taken the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 435; Muslim, 529).

(iii) Praying in graveyards may be a means that leads to worshipping the graves, or to imitating those who worship graves. Hence, because the kaafirs used to prostrate to the sun as it was rising and setting, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to pray when the sun is rising or setting, lest that be taken as a means that leads to worshipping the sun instead of Allaah, or to resembling the kuffaar.

4 – Praying towards the graveyard, which is haraam, according to the correct opinion.

Example: you pray with a graveyard or grave in the direction of your qiblah, but you are not praying in the graveyard, rather you are praying on some other ground that is close to the graveyard, with no wall or barrier between you and it.

The evidence for this being haraam:

(i) It was narrated that Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not sit on graves, or pray towards them.” (Narrated by Muslim, 972). This indicates that it is haraam to pray towards graveyards or towards graves or towards a single grave.

(ii) The reason why it is not allowed to pray towards a graveyard is the same as the reason why it is not allowed to pray towards a grave. So long as a person is facing towards the grave or graveyard in such a way that it may be said that he is praying towards it, then this comes under the prohibition, and if it comes under the prohibition then it is not valid, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do not pray …” The prohibition here is on praying, so if a person prays towards a grave, he is combining obedience and disobedience, and it is not possible to draw closer to Allaah in such a manner.

Note: If there is a wall between you and the graveyard, then the basic principle is that it is acceptable to pray in this case and it is not prohibited. Similarly, if there is a street or a considerable distance which would mean that you cannot be regarded as praying towards the graves, then this is acceptable. And Allaah knows best.

See al-Mughni, 1/403; al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/232.

2 – The issue of intercession

You were mistaken when you said that no one will intercede on the Day of Resurrection except the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Rather the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will intercede and so will others among the believers. See Question no. 11931.

But we will add here an issue that was not mentioned there, which is that there are conditions attached to intercession:

1 – Permission must be granted by Allaah to the intercessor to intercede.

2 – Allaah must approve of the one for whom intercession is to be made.

The evidence for these two conditions is the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allaah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with”

[al-Najm 53:26]

“and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:28]

As for the imaginary intercession which the idol-worshippers think their gods perform for them, this is an invalid intercession, for Allaah does not permit intercession unless He is pleased both with the intercessor and those for whom intercession is made.

See al-Qawl al-Mufeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 336-337.

The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the believers will intercede does not justify asking them to intercede, as some people do when they ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to intercede for them even after his death.

Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Do not sit on graves and do not pray facing them.”(Muslim H-972), Narrator Abu Marthad Al-Ghanawi.

Jundub Ibn ‘Abdullaah al-Bajalee said that he heard Prophet (PBUH) said: five days before he died:
“Verily those before you took the graves of their Prophets and righteous people as places of worship, so do not take the graves as places of worship. Indeed I forbid you from this!” (Muslim 2/67-68)

Abu Hurayrah (R.A) says that the Messenger of Allâh (PBUH) said: “O Allâh, do not turn my grave into an idol. May the curse of Allâh be upon those who take the graves of their Prophets as places of worship”
(Ahmad H-7352)

When our Prophet (PBUH) claims that he doesn’t know the unseen(Ghaib), he doesn’t have the treasures of Allâh, Don’t take my grave as idol worship. Then how could we attribute such things to saints in graves and believe in these listed below:
They listen (dead) to us inside the earth 7 feet depth.
They understand the language whatever you speak English, Urdu, Hindi, Gujrati, Maharathi, etc when one invoke to them to seek help.
They see us from the grave and reply us.
They help us in our afflictions, and solve our problems.
They grant us treasures, and bounties etc. These are the false claims made by “grave worshippers”, they deceive the innocent Ummah of Islam, fill their stomach with fire of what they earn by.They erect huge structures (Mazars), with decorations and fancies, that none could remember death when one who goes there, only we loose our Iman (believe).

hope all this will help your dirty minds muslim grave worshippers

may Allah forgive u.
take care

Prophet Mohammad forbade shirk in the severest manner. He forbade prayer towards a grave, he forbade making oath in the name of anyone other than Allah, he forbade building mosques over tombs and graves, he ordered the destruction of statues and the levelling of graves that were raised.

Books of hadith are full of duas that a person can ask Allah from (directly). A person can also pray salatul hajah and/or tahajjud.

Yes, people worship the grave directly. Many people all over the world including educated people ask the dead saint directly for their needs. Followers of abdul qadir jilani tell us that they never asked anyone for their need except abdul qadir jilani (astaghfirullah and nauzubillah).

Doing Zikr of Allah for protection and cure is mentioned is many ahadith. It is a source of sawab and it creates noor. I’m sure you know that.

People who do visit the graves of pious ones happen to be the majority in the WHOLE MUSLIM WORLD, NOT JUST PAKISTAN. RasulAllah SAW said, “my ummah will never agree on a mistake” This hadith is the basis of the Sharia principle of “Ijma”. So, can someone explain how it is that 65-70% of Pakistan’s population has belief in a “mistake/bida/shirk”? (Deobandi make up only about 15%, mostly in the pashtun areas, and those only due to wahhabi money during the jihad times. They are “simple” deobandis, and yes, even they go to the graves of holy people. Across the border in afghainstan, pashtuns there aren’t deobandi at all, by and large) Also, majority of the rest of the muslim world also do this thing that the human shayateen like Yusha call “grave-worship”, millions upon millions of muslims from morrocco to Egypt to nigeria to yemen to syria, to indonesia.

The fact remains, when an idiot like Yusha asks rhetorically, “Should a person not ask Allah for his/her needs?” One should answer “you idiot, who says not to ask Allah? We do ask Him, directly, everyday in our regular duas, but when we visit the holy darbar of a friend of Allah’s, we ask Allah for our needs, thru the wasila of this holy person thereby increasing likelihood of acceptance of our dua”. (going to visit the graves of holy people is sunnah, (not to mention common sense) and firmly established religious practice, regardless of what ignoramusses like Yusha wish. RasulAllah SAW used to visit the grave of his uncle, Hazrat Hamza RA regularly, as did his blessed daughter Fatima RA. one among many examples).

Regarding making sajda to the grave, and tawaf around the grave, this is something over which there is disagreement within, with those who do it saying it is sajda of love, and there are many types of sajdas, and also if doing sajda to someone or something automatically means you are worshipping that someone or something, then what you are saying is that Allah SWT commanded the angels to commit shirk by making sajda to Adam AS (NAUZUBILLAH MIN THAALIK) . Obviously, the act of doing sajda doesn’t automatically mean worship, but pea-brained losers like Yusah can’t seem to get past their egos to look at the issue objectively.

When someone does sajda to the kabaa directly, they must be worshipping the brick and stone of the kabaa right??? LOL Truly, deobandis make the rest of us laugh with their idiotic “logic”. RasulAllah SAW said “Actions are but intentions”. You go to a darbar and you tell the people “you are worshipping this grave?” and they will probably lynch you on the spot. If they say they aren’t “worshipping the grave”, then who is an idiot like Yusha sitting at his computer, to say that is what they are doing?

Yusha says: “A person does not become a Muslim simply by worshiping Allah. To be a Muslim a person has to worship Allah ONLY”

No one of those people worship anyone but Allah. To suggest that the followers of Abdul Qadir Jilani RA (for example) are mushriks, what are you saying about Abdul Qadir Jilani RA himself then? What are you saying about his teachings? Same for Hazarat Sultan Bahu RA, Hazrat Lal Shah Baz Qalandar RA, etc etc etc.

LOOOOOOL!