—that this nation would follow the path of the Christians and the idol-worshippers before it by putting up structures over graves, for that inevitably leads to turning them into deities that are worshipped instead of Allah. This is exactly what we see today: graves and mausoleums have become idols and paganism has returned in full force. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.

It is therefore obligatory upon the Muslims to beware of this, to keep far away from such an abhorrent practice, to demolish those polytheistic constructions, and to keep graveyards well away from mosques. Mosques are for worship, sincerity, and the oneness of God: “In houses that Allah has allowed to be raised and in which His name is mentioned” (al-Nūr 24:36). Cemeteries, on the other hand, are for the Muslim dead and must remain distant, just as they were in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the virtuous generations. Burying a person inside a mosque, or building a mosque over a grave after burial, contradicts Islam, opposes the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of the Muslims, and it is a gateway to major shirk that has spread throughout this ummah because of it.

In short, you must eradicate this monstrous wrong. The deceased who was buried inside the mosque after it was built must be exhumed, moved, and re-interred in the cemetery. The mosque has to be cleansed of that grave and set aside solely for prayer, the worship of Allah, and pure monotheism. This is what is required of you.

Question: Before the body is removed, what is the ruling on the prayer?

Answer: Until that grave is removed from the mosque, it is not permissible to pray there, for the Prophet ﷺ forbade taking graves as places of worship—that is, making them places for prayer—even if