The Grave Mistake: #23 Summary: A) How it all began: It is now clear from the Hadeeth of `Aishah and Ibn `Abbas that all those who were worshipped besides Allaah were actually Prophets and Messengers of Allaah and the pious (Awliyaa) among the people. The Kaafirs, the Mushriks and the people of the Book made their graves as a place of worship. As a precaution against shirk, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took the following steps: i) He had prohibited us from making pictures and statues as in the Hadeeth of `Aishah, and said that those who make pictures will be punished in Hell and will be said to them, “make alive what you have created”. In this even photography is included, which the Muslims have taken lightly, may Allaah protect us from this. ii) The second step he had taken was to destroy all the pictures and statues and to level all the permanent graves, as has been reported by the Hadeeth of Ali. iii) The third step was to prohibit from making the grave as permanent and building any structure over it (like Masaajid and domes). iv) The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was well aware that this Ummah (nation) will follow the steps of the people of the Book, so the fourth step was to prohibit the people to visit the graves. Then he gave them permission only to increase their remembrance of the Hereafter. In the beginning stages of Islam, it was prohibited by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to visit the graves because the people were deeply involved in Shirk, and the Jews and the Christians had the graves of the righteous converted to graves and worshipped them, and sought their help and called them in difficulties. When the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) were in such a bad state, then the state of this Mushriks could well be imagined. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prohibited the new Muslim from visiting the graves because of all that were going on; then in the very same Hadeeth we get the reason for the permission to visit the graves, that it reminds us of the hereafter. It is possible to remember the hereafter if only the grave is simple, which reminds us that we were created of this earth to it we will be returned. But if you go to the graves of the so called Wali (pl. Awliyaa), which is covered in a very costly Ghilaf amounting in thousands and thousands, well built and decorated in marbles and stones, well structured inside a dome, then it is impossible that it reminds us of the hereafter. The example of this is the world famous structure – The Taj Mahal, which is actually a Maqbara (grave site) of the wife of the Moghul king). People all over the world come to it to visit it, not because to remember death, but only to admire its beauty. It has never been reported that anyone visited it and that it caused them to remember the hereafter. So is the case with all the gravesites of these Awliyaa, either in Ajmer or anywhere else in the world. B) Grave worship: Firstly, there are people who make the Wali, who is buried in the grave, to be an intermediate (Waseelah) between them and Allaah, as is mentioned in the Qur’aan in Surah Al-Zumar that, “We do not worship them except that they may bring us closer to Allaah.” They give lame excuses that when you have to approach a judge, you are not allowed to meet him directly, you have to go thru the help (waseelah) of a lawyer or if you want to climb the roof of the house, you need to have a ladder. Do they forget that 17 times a day they recite Surah Al-Fatihah, praying to Allaah saying, “You do we worship and Your help we seek.” Don’t they see that here they are calling Allaah directly without any waseelah. And Allaah has promised to answer our call, then why the need of waseelah. Moreover, those buried in the graves can only listen can only listen to what Allaah allows them to listen and even if they were to listen, they could not respond to your needs. Secondly: There are people who directly worship a Wali, making Sujood for them, doing Tawaf (circumambulation) and making sacrifices for them or near their grave. The answer to them is the Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah, where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that all the actions come to an end except for three. If these dead cannot help themselves, then how can they help us? Thirdly: Allaah has not only mentioned for us in the Qur’aan the noble characteristics of our beloved Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم but He has also informed us that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم cannot benefit nor harm himself or others except by Allaah’s will. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself warned his daughter Fatima and his aunt Safiyyah, that he cannot benefit them, then how can these Awliyaa help us? Are they more noble than the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? C) The ruling of those Masaajid which have graves inside them: If the grave was already there, and the Masjid was later built over it, then the Masjid should be demolished, as the Prophet has said that “All the earth has been made a place of worship for him except the graveyard and the toilets.” And if the Masjid was already there, but later the grave was put inside it, then the grave has to be taken out, as the Prophet did before building the Masjid. The Masjid in which there is grave, then it is not permissible to pray in it, as is proved from the Sunnah that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “but you must not take graves as Masaajid; I forbid you to do that.” and the warning of `Umar to Anas (may Allaah be pleased with them both).
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 05:25:24 +0000