Imām Aḥmad transmits—with a sound chain—from Ibn Masʿūd, may Allah be pleased with him, in a marfūʿ report: “Among the worst of people are those upon whom the Hour will suddenly fall while they are still alive, and those who turn graves into mosques.” (1) Abū Ḥātim also recorded it in his Ṣaḥīḥ.
Glossary of key phrases
• “The worst of people”: the plural of sharr, meaning the most evil.
• “Those upon whom the Hour will fall”: i.e., its precursory events, such as the Beast’s emergence and the sun rising from the west.
• “Who turn graves into mosques”: by praying at them or facing toward them.
Overall meaning of the ḥadīth
The Prophet ﷺ informs us that the people upon whom the Last Hour breaks while they are still alive are among the most wicked of mankind, and included among them are those who pray at graves, face graves in prayer, or build domes over them. The ḥadīth therefore warns his community not to treat the graves of their Prophet or their righteous dead in the same way these evildoers do.
Relevance to the present chapter
This narration explicitly cautions against turning graves into places of prayer or seeking blessing in their vicinity, for such practices are a gateway to polytheism.
Lessons derived from the ḥadīth
- A stern warning against praying at graves, for it leads to idolatry.
- Anyone who converts the graves of the righteous into prayer-sites is counted among the worst of creation, even if his intent is to draw near to Allah.
- The Hour will befall the most depraved of people.
(1) ⦗1⦘