“Indeed, the mosques belong to Allah, so do not call upon anyone alongside Allah.”

The mosques are the houses of Allah; they are the places set aside for prayer, the most beloved spots on earth to Him. They are houses whose elevation and in which His name is remembered Allah Himself has permitted. Therefore, these mosques must remain venues for worshipping Allah alone, with nothing carried out in them for anyone other than Him. Graves and shrines must not be built over them, for the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—cursed those who do so and informed us that it was the practice of the Jews and Christians. He forbade it near the end of his life, while enduring the agonies of death, saying, “Indeed, those before you used to turn graves into mosques. Beware! Do not take graves as mosques, for I forbid you to do that.” He also said, “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they took the graves of their prophets as mosques.”

Accordingly, the mosques must be purified of every trace of polytheism and idolatry. They are not to be built upon graves, nor are the dead to be buried within them after construction. Rather, they must remain places where Allah alone is worshipped, where the prayer is established and His name is remembered