Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalam o Alaikum, I have heard that it is proven from hadith that Bibi Ayesha (ru) used to spread sheets on the grave. People from sub continent quote this event while paying tributes to mazar.Can you please shed light on this topic and provide references from hadith books. Jazakallah. 

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Answer:

Aisha spread sheets on graves

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Jabir reported: "The Prophet(saws) forbade the whitewashing of a grave, sitting on it, or erecting any structure on it."

(Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa'i, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmidhi.)

Abu Hurairah reported: "The Prophet (saws) said: 'May Allah destroy the Jews, because they used the graves of their prophets as shrines (places of worship).'' (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)

Aishah reported: "Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah mentioned to Allah's Messenger (saws) a church in which they saw drawings while in Abyssinia, whereupon he (saws) said: 'Those people used to build a shrine over the grave of a righteous man among them when he died, and make such drawings in it. These will be the worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection.''

(Related by Bukhari and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Before you there was a group who turned the graves of their prophets and their righteous ones into places of worship. Do not tum graves into places of worship. I forbid you to do that'.''

(Related by Muslim)

Your Question: I have heard that it is proven from hadith that Bibi Ayesha (ru) used to spread sheets on the grave.

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it is absolutely prohibited for the believers to build any sort of structure over the graves of their deceased. To accuse someone who was born and raised in the house of the noble companion of the stature of Hadrat Abu-Bakr as Siddiq (r.a.) and one who was married to and studied the tenets and dictates of the deen directly from none other than the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself…..to accuse such a one of blatantly disobeying the clear Commands and Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) regarding the glorifying or spreading sheets on a grave is an absolute and utter lie and a falsehood!

It is absolutely inconceivable that a believer who was born and raised in Islam, and subsequently married to none other than the Noble Messenger of Allah (saws) himself, and included by none other than the Lord Most High, Most Exalted as one of the ‘mother of the believers’…..it is absolutely inconceivable that this noble and chaste wife of the Messenger of Allah (saws) would ever do such an act as glorifying or spreading sheets on a grave, especially after the Messenger of Allah (saws) had strictly forbidden the believers to do so!

Allah is our witness brother, there is absolutely nothing in the authentic and established recorded history that Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) ever spread sheets on the graves of the deceased; it is a lie someone has invented and attributed this abomination to a member of the noble household and beloved wife of the Messenger of Allah (saws)!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan