then the prohibition of drinking it is automatically entailed, as is plain to see; in fact, abstaining from it is even more pressing.

It is likewise perfectly clear that the ban on building mosques over graves is not intended for its own sake, just as the command to build mosques in houses and localities is not intended for its own sake. Both rulings revolve entirely around prayer—whether by negation or affirmation. This is illustrated by the following example: suppose a man were to erect a mosque in a desolate, uninhabited place where no one ever comes to pray. Such a man would earn no reward for building that mosque; on the contrary, in my view he would be sinful for squandering wealth and putting a thing where it does not belong.

Accordingly, when the Lawgiver commands the construction of mosques, He implicitly commands that they be used for prayer, for that is the very purpose of their construction. In the same way, when He forbids building mosques over graves, He implicitly forbids praying in them, because prayer is likewise the purpose for which they are built. This is manifest and should not escape the discerning mind, God willing.