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Chapter 5: Construction Of The Graves And Tombs Of Allah's Saints

The honouring of Allah's Saints is as a matter of fact esteeming the worth of faith, piety and spiritual values and the promotion of those qualities and virtues which exist in the saints of Allah.

Allah introduced His Prophet (S) as a noble paradigm and a good specimen and example for the Muslims. Similarly made the love of Ahl al-Bayt and his companions and that of the Saints as essential and binding upon us.

Love is an interior affair and its reflection appearance and advent is the very same respect and honour that we extend to the Saints of Allah. Actually, the respect of the Saints of Allah is the very manifestation of love for them about which the Prophet (S) ordered us and considered it the symbol of faith.

There is no doubt to it that the splendour grandeur and the station which the Saints of Allah have before Allah does not finish up with their death. Those who have made themselves reach this station of nearness to Allah do possess the same even on their death and in the intermediate World and the resurrection day. This is the very reason why their respect and reverence is essential even after their death.

Now, we say that in the same way as visiting of the graves of the Saints of Allah is a form of expression of love and respect for them the, construction of their tomb and preserving their relics too is a symbol of love and gratitude for those whose love has been made essential and necessary for us by the Almighty Allah.

This is a work which is a routine and customary among all the nations. Even before the advent of Islam people used to populate the graves of the Prophets and Saints of Allah and so far, so that they held in reverence and honoured the places of their livelihood. Thus, in this way they cherished and honoured their memories. Of course, a group of them committed excesses in this respect and adorned and worshipped them resulting which they got entangled in polytheism and idolatry.

But their activities are not comparable to the deeds and actions of those who construct the tombs of the Prophets and Saints of Allah only with this aim that they are the pious and decent servants of Allah. Fundamentally, the construction of graves and buildings over the graves of Prophets and Saints does not have any connection with worshipping them

For this reason, we observe that Jesus Christ (‘a) got worshipped by the Christians who declared him the partner of Allah whereas, his place of burial is not known what to speak of it having a dome or a chamber and a building.

On the contrary, Ibrahim (‘a) grave is known, and bad a dome and building even before Islamic era, but he has not been worshipped.

Therefore, the construction of dome, tomb and graves by no means necessitate the worshipping of the owner of the grave. If a grave gets worshipped, it would be idolatry and negation of the monotheistic aspirations of the Prophets even though it may not have a building and dome constructed over it.

The Holy Qur'an ordains that the place of the foot (print) of Ibrahim (‘a) be treated as the place of prayers by us.

وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى

Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing-place of Ibrahim (2:125).

No doubt offering prayers at the place of Ibrahim does not mean worshipping him instead it is kind of respect and honour for someone who was the champion of monotheism.

Again, the Holy Qur’an narrates the words of two groups with regard to the graves, in the story of 'Men of the Cave'. One group of the two said, we must construct a building over the burial place of the 'Men of the Cave' and the other one whose suggestion was materialized held that a mosque must be built upon it.

The Holy Qur’an narrates these two suggestions of the two groups of monotheists of that age and does not object upon them.

 إِذْ يَتَنَازَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ فَقَالُوا ابْنُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بُنْيَانًا رَبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ قَالَ الَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ مَسْجِدًا

When they disputed about their affair and said: Erect an edifice over them their Lord best knows them. Those who prevailed in their affair said: We will certainly raise a mosque over them. (18:21).

Similarly, the Holy Qur’an describes and defines the respect of rites and observances of Allah as a sign of the piety of hearts. The rites of Allah mean the signs and symbols of His religion. In the same way as the Hajar al-Aswad (black stone), Safa, Marwa, Arafat and the Camel which is sacrificed in Hajj all are rites of Allah. Similarly, the Prophets and Saints too are counted and considered to be the rites of Allah. Thus, every kind of respect and reverence shown towards them is the respect shown to the rites of Allah.

The principle in Islam is based upon permissibility customary in any way among the intellectuals and the sacred legislator does not forbid it. We can extend honour to the Saints of Allah one out of which is the construction of their graves and tombs. (Soon we shall discuss the hadith which has been written down by some as the authority regarding the prohibition of the construction of the Saint's graves.)

This is the reason that we observe that the character of the Muslims right from the Prophetic age to the current age has been based upon it that they gave a mark of identification to the graves of the Saint and pious men and constructed those in a certain style. Briefly in those days this act was carried on according to the economic and financial conditions of the age.

Now, you may view a few specimens of it which have been extracted from the hadiths, traditions and the history.

Anas says: The Prophet (S) symbolised and put sign of a stone upon the grave of Uthman Ibn Mazoon. 1

عن أنس بن مالك قال إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أعلم قبر عثمان بن مظعون بصخرة.

Muttalib says: When Uthman passed away his funeral (corpse) was brought our and buried. The Prophet of Allah ordered someone to bring a stone and he could not pick that up. So the Prophet himself got up and picked up the stone and placed it near the head side of Uthman and said: I symbolize (put a sign) the grave by this and whosoever out or my family dies I shall burry him near his grave. 2

عن المطلب قال: لما مات عثمان بن مظعون أخرج بجنازته فدفن أمر النبي صلى الله عليه وآله رجلا أن يأتيه بحجر فلم يستطيع حمله فقام إليها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله ثم حملها فوضعها عند رأسه وقال: أتعلم بها قبر أخي وأدفن إليه من مات من أهلي.

Abu Bakr Ibn Muhammad Ibn Amro says; I saw the grave of Uthman Ibn Mazoon and that there was something high which was placed near it as if it was a sign. 3

عن أبي بكر بن محمد بن عمر وقال: رأيت قبر عثمان بن مظعون و عنده شيء مرتفع يعني كأنه علم.

Ibn Shabab says: The Prophet (S) of Allah placed a sculptured stone, as a sign, over the grave of Uthman Ibn Mazoon. When Mu’awiyah appointed Marwan as the Governor of Madina, he transferred that stone from the grave of Uthman Ibn Mazoon to the grave of Uthman Ibn Affan.4

عن ابن شهاب: أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله جعل أسفل مهراس علامة على قبر عثمان بن مظعون ليدفن الناس حوله فلما استعمل معاوية مروان بن الحكم على المدينة حمل المهراس على قبر عثمان.

Abu Ja’far said: The daughter of the Prophet (S) used to visit the grave of Hamza (s.a.) and construct, reoperate and amend (renovate) it and had symbolized it with a stone. 5

عن أبي جعفر: أن فاطمة رضي الله عنها كانت تزور قبر حمزة ترمه وتصلي وقد تعليقه بالحجر.

When the Prophet (S) passed away his body was buried in the cell (small hut) and that hujra (cell) had walls and roof. Similarly, the corpses of the first and second caliphs were buried over there.

Doubtlessly, if construction of building was prohibited then the Muslims would not have done such a work. This fact that the building before the burial or after it does not make much difference as regard to the real matter. Because in both the cases the existence of a tomb or building over the grave is the sign of its honour.

Furthermore, we see that the Muslims did not demolish the building concerned after the burial of the Prophet (S) and two caliphs. Even to the extent, that they reconstructed the wall of the tomb when it fell down in the age of ‘Umar Ibn Abdulaziz, by his order.6

During the entire length of the Islamic history the place of the burial of the Prophet (S) was reconstructed many times till the green dome building was constructed. When Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib died, he was buried in the house of Aqeel.7

Similarly, four of the Imams, Hasan Ibn Ali (‘a), Ali Ibn ul Husayn (‘a), Muhammad Ibn Ali (‘a), and Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (‘a) were all buried in the same place, which is the house of Aqeel.8

Before them Ibrahim, son of the Prophet (S), was buried in the house of Muhammad Ibn Zaid and Saad Ibn Maaz had been buried in the house of Ibn Aflaj and there was a dome upon his grave.9

When the Muslims conquered the cities of Palestine and Syria, there were the graves of some

Prophets situated in those cities, for instance A1 Khalil where the grave of Ibrahim (‘a) was located or Bait ul-Muqaddas and Bait ul-Laham wherein the graves or Yaqoob (‘a), Yousuf (‘a), Dawood (‘a) and Sulayman (‘a) were situated, each one with a building constructed over it.10

The Muslims did not demolish any one of those. Even to the extent, that the second Caliph who was personally present on the occasion of the conquest of Bait ul-Muqaddas (Jeruslam) offered prayer in a corner of a synagogue which was in Bait ul-Muqqadas (Al-Quds) and constructed a Mosque over there and gave the permission of repairs, constructions, cleanliness and lightening of that place to its in-charge and custodians.

That corner was the place where Prophets Dawood (‘a) and Sulayman (‘a) are buried.

We find plenty or these examples in the traditions and history which all proclaim and reject that the construction of graves to the extent of economic conditions of those times, was a usual routine.

Also, this fact becomes evidently clear that the presence of walls and roof over the graves of Prophets and Saints of Allah was not an object of objection or prohibition in the age of the Prophet (S) Sahaba (his companions) and Tabiyin (the disciples). They themselves would, on occasions, do it and practice upon it, considering it an honour and kind of show of respect to the Allah's Saints.

Consideration Of The Traditions Of Prohibition

There are some traditions narrated in some hadith books which are presented by a group as a proof and logic of the prohibition of constructing the graves of Prophet and Saints. Whereas, those traditions are weak from their authority point of view and are lacking logic. We copy the text of a few of those traditions before discussing and stating their weakness of chain (authority) and lack of logic.

عن أبي الهياج الأسدي قال قال لي علي بن أبي طالب ألا أبعثك على ما بعثني عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أن لا تدع تمثالا إلا طمسته ولا قبرا مشرفا الا سويته.

Abu Hiyaj says: Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a) said to me: Should I not send you on what the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers be upon him and his family, sent me, that you do not leave a statue without obliterating it, and a noble grave without levelling it. 11

عن أبي الزبير عن جابر قال: نهى الرسول صلى الله عليه وآله أن يجصص القبر وأن يقعد عليه وأن يبنى عليه.

Jabir said that: The Prophet (S) prohibited from the cementing of grave and sitting over it and constructing a building upon it. 12

عن ام سلمه قالت نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أن يبنى على القبر أو يجصص.

Umm Salama said: The Prophet (S) forbade the construction of building upon grave or cementing it. 13

These traditions are weak from the authority chain point of view because: In the authority chain of the first hadith there are some persons present who have already been discarded and disqualified in the books or Rijal, (Knowledge of personalities). For example, Wakeeh about whom Allama Ibn Hajar Makki quotes Ahmed Ibn Hanbal saying: Wakeeh committed faults and errors in five hundred hadiths. 14

Similar is Habib Ibn Sabir, about whom Allama Ibn Hajr Makki quotes Abu Hayan as saying: He committed guile (concealing facts) in Hadith. 15

In addition to that, there has been no hadith narrated by Abul Hiyyaj in all the books of traditions, except this single hadith. 16

In the authority chain of the second hadith too, discarded men have set their foot in, for example Ibn Jareeh who according to Zahabi: He used to conceal facts. 17 And the likes of Abu Zubair about whom Zahbi quotes Abuzara and Abu Hatim’s saying: One can not do argumentation with the help of his (quoted) hadith. He writes quoting others that he concealed facts. 18

In the authority chain of the third Hadith we find Ibn Laheya. According to Zahbi one cannot perform any argumentation with the help of hadith quoted by him.19 He quotes Ibn Moyeen about his weakness. 20

Now overlooking the poor authority of these Hadith for the reason of their being accommodated in the books of Sihah, we discuss their significance.

The Hadith of Abu Hiyaj is about the graves of the polytheists. The manner of its description indicates the levelling of graves along with the erosion and evading the pictures and portraits. Such a thing was never at all a routing in any of the ages of Muslim history neither in the period of the Prophet himself nor in that of the Sahabah and disciples and thereafter.

Instead, these were the idolators who fixed the portraits and pictures of some of their dead ones upon their graves and used to worship them. Therefore, this hadith is totally alien and unconcerned to the topic under discussion.

Therefore, we see that the Muslims did not prepare the graves of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar in a levelled condition instead they made them in the Tasneem condition (upraised like the hump of a camel).

Sufian Ibn Tammar say: He has seen the grave of the Prophet (S) in Tasneem (humped) condition.21

عن سفيان بن تمار: أنه رأى قبر النبي صلى الله عليه وآله مسنماً

Ibn Hatas says: ·'The grave of the Prophet (S) and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were upraised and there were some stones lying upon them. 22

عن أبي بكر بن حفص قال كان قبر النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وأبي بكر وعمر مسنمة وعليها نقل

This is the reason that some of the Jurisprudents have considered the tasneem (upraised) condition of graves as being disabled. Of course, there are some who have preferred the even and levelled condition which is again another independent topic.

Therefore, the hadith of Abu Hiyyaj does not pertain to the graves of Muslims and definitely does not signify and guide towards the demolishment of the constructions around the graves of Prophet and Saints.

Additionally, those traditions in which the buildings upon graves or their cementation has been forbidden, are about the common and ordinary graves the construction of building upon which is invalid, futile and a sort of extravagant expenditure.

But as for the graves of Prophets and saints of Allah is concerned which are the sources of important benefits and boons and (construction over them) is a kind or respect shown to the rites and observances of Allah and manifesting of love to them, this hadith cannot be extended and generalised over it.

The logic is this that the Muslims, right from the Prophet's (S) period to this day, have been practicing it and we have already presented examples of the same concerning the periods of Prophet and Sahaba before this.

The main indicator of it is the grave of the Prophet (S) itself which had a still walls and roof as described before.

If the prohibition of grave construction consisted and concerned even the graves of Prophets and Saints, had this been an established and admissible problem, the conducts and way of life of Muslim would never have taken this course i.e. construction of graves and this is a matter quite evident.

  • 1. Sunan Ibn Maja. Vol. 1, p. 498.
  • 2. Sunan Abi Daud. Vol. 2 p. 69.
  • 3. Tabqat Ibn Saad, vol. 3, p. 397.
  • 4. Wafa ul wafa, vol. 3, p. 914.
  • 5. Wafa al-Wafa, vol. 3, p. 932.
  • 6. Tabaqat Ibn Saad vol. 2, p. 307.
  • 7. Wafa al-Wafa, vol. 3, p. 910.
  • 8. Wafa al-Wafa, vol. 3, p. 843.
  • 9. Wafa al-Wafa, vol. 3, p. 915.
  • 10. Mujam al Buldan vol. l, p. 522.
  • 11. Sahih Muslim vol. 3, p. 61.
  • 12. Sahih Muslim vol. 3, p. 62.
  • 13. Musnad Ahmed Ibn Hanbal vol. 6, p. 299.
  • 14. Tehzeeb ul-Tehzeeb, vol 2, p. 125.
  • 15. Tehzeeb ul-Tehzeeb, vol. 3. p. l 79.
  • 16. Marginal notes of Sayuti over Sunan Nasai vol. 4, p. 89.
  • 17. Tazkrat ul-Haffaz vol. 1, p. l70.
  • 18. Tazkrat ul-Haffaz vol. l, p. 127.
  • 19. Tazkrat ul-Haffaz vol. 1, p. 239.
  • 20. Meezan ul Etidal vol. 2, p. 476.
  • 21. Sahih Bukhari vol. 2. p. 212.
  • 22. Taqhat Ibn Saad vol. 2, p. 306.