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:

Dear brother,

Salamou Alikoum..

It`s well known in Islam that it`s totally not allowed to build a mosque on the top of a grave, or pray in a mosque which is built on grave or has a grave.. However, we see the prophet mosque located in Madina has the prophet grave and millions pray in it.. Why is that?

Jazak Allah Khairen

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Answer:

Prophet grave and mosque

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.

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)

The Messenger of Allah (saws) indeed forbade the believers to turn the graves into shrines, or build places of worship over a grave.

Your Question: However, we see the prophet mosque located in Madina has the prophet grave and millions pray in it.. Why is that?
The case of the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque and grave in Madinah is a completely different case, where the mosque as a place of worship was built first….and when the Prophet (saws) died in the house appointed to Hadrat Aisha (r.a.), which was right next to and adjacent to the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque, the Prophet (saws) was buried there and for years the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque and his grave were in two distinct separate buildings.

With the growth in the number of believers, the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque needed to be extended to accommodate the worshippers who came to it, and it seems that the house of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) where the Noble Prophet (saws) is buried is part of the Mosque. The truth is that the House of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.), where the Noble Prophet (saws) is buried is not part of the Prophet’s (saws) Mosque.

What is absolutely prohibited in Islam is that one build a place of worship over a grave; but in this case the place of worship was built first, and because it is a requirement that the Prophets of Allah be buried in the exact same place where their soul depart from their bodies, the Prophet (saws) was buried in the house of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) where he breathed his last.

If the Noble Prophet (saws) had died and buried in a place other than in Madinah (or in Makkah, or in Jerusalem), it would not have been even permissible for the believers to make a special travel with the intention to visit the Prophet’s grave!

Sa'id bin Al-Musayyib reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (saws) said, "You should not undertake a special journey to visit any place other than the three Mosques: the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, this mosque of mine (in Madinah), and Al-Aqsa Mosque (of Jerusalem)." Related by Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Daw'ud.

Thus beloved brother, when one travels to the blessed city of Madinah, the intention or purpose of the travel of a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day should always be to visit and offer prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, not to visit the Prophet’s grave. When one is in the city or in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, there is no harm if the believer wishes to visit the Prophet’s grave and send greetings and salutations upon him (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 and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan