water upon the grave of his son Ibrāhīm and scattered pebbles on it. He did the same for the graves of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh and ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn, for this stabilizes the soil, preserves it longer, and keeps it from being swept away by wind and rain. The Muslims have continued to follow this practice.
-
Sunan Ibn Mājah (1561) and other compilations report from Anas that “the Prophet ﷺ marked the grave of ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn with a stone.” Abū Dāwūd (3206) and others transmit from al-Muṭṭalib ibn Rabīʿah ibn al-Ḥārith that, “when ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn passed away, the Prophet ﷺ told him to bring a stone. When he was unable to carry it, the Prophet ﷺ rolled up his sleeves, lifted it himself, set it at the head of the grave, and said, ‘With this I mark my brother’s grave, and next to it I will bury those of my family who die.’”
-
The scholars unanimously agree that kindling lights in cemeteries and building mosques atop graves is forbidden. Shaykh al-Islām stated that their removal is obligatory, with no disagreement among the scholars. For in the Sunan it is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that the Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah curse the women who habitually visit graves and those who erect mosques and lamps over them.” The Prophet’s prohibition on this matter is widely transmitted.