a mosque upon them, or by setting out to pray beside them. Rather, the leading authorities of the religion are unanimously agreed on forbidding this, and no one is permitted to intend prayer at anyone’s grave—be that grave a prophet’s or anyone else’s. Whoever asserts that praying at a grave, or in a mosque built (1) over a grave or a shrine, or the like, is a sanctioned act—such that it is recommended and even superior to praying in a mosque that contains no grave—has severed himself from the religion and violated the consensus of the Muslims. He must be summoned to repent; if he repents, so be it, but if he refuses he is to be executed.
Furthermore, no one is allowed to perform prayer in mosques that stand on graves (2) even if he does not intend to pray at the grave itself. One must not do so, whether out of conformity or in the hope of blessing, because this resembles their practice, paves the way to polytheism, and therefore must be openly condemned—just as the imams of Islam from the four legal schools and others have explicitly stated. Among them are those who have declared
(1) Thus, the reading “nabi” is considered the original and more correct, though it is an abridged version.
(2) When the Prophet (pbuh) was ill, some of his wives used to visit a church in the land of Habasha, known as Mariyah – and it so happened that Umm Salamah and Umm Habibah had come to the land of Habasha – and they mentioned her beauty and likeness. The Prophet (pbuh) then raised his head and said: “Those for whom a righteous man has caused a mosque to be built upon his grave, with his likeness also displayed, are the vilest of creation before God on the Day of Judgment.” This hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari (1/416, 422), Muslim (2/66), an-Nasa'i (1/115), Ahmad (6/51), and Ibn Sa'd in his Tabaqat (2/240, 241).
Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab remarks in Fath al-Bari (65/82/2): “This hadith indicates the prohibition of building mosques on the graves of the righteous and of displaying their images therein, as is practiced by Jews and Christians – and there is no doubt that each of these practices is individually forbidden.”
Another hadith reported from Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajli recounts that he heard the Prophet (pbuh), while on his deathbed, saying: “Among you I had brothers and friends, yet I disavow—by God—I have no intimate friend among you; indeed, God has taken me as an intimate friend just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend, and had I chosen any friend from my nation, I would not have chosen Abu Bakr. Beware, for those before you used to make the graves of their prophets and righteous men into mosques; so do not make graves into mosques, for I forbid you this.” This narration is recorded by Muslim (2/67–68), Abu Awana (1/401), and al-Tabarani in his Mu’jam al-Kabir (1/84/2), as well as by Ibn Sa’d (2/340) in an abbreviated version omitting the mention of brotherhood and the term “Khaleel” (intimate friend).
However, al-Hafiz Nur ad-Din al-Haithami omitted it in Majma’ al-Zawaid (9/45), while it appears among the supplications of the Prophet (pbuh): “O Allah, do not let my grave become a place of worship; may God curse those who designate the graves of the prophets as mosques.”