Is the ruling on visiting the graves

Q 2: What is the ruling on building over graves, decorating them with marble and writing an Ayah (Qur'anic verse) or more on them?


A 2: It is impermissible to build Masjids (Mosques) or establish domes over graves, because of what was narrated by `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah has cursed the Jews and the Christians for making the graves of their prophets as Masjids. Agreed upon its authenticity (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim). It was also reported in Sahih (Authentic book of Hadith) Muslim on the authority of Jundub Ibn `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: " The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Beware of those who preceded you and used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous men as places of worship, for you must not take graves as Masjids. This practice includes excessiveness in [honoring] the deceased. Accordingly, it is impermissible to build over them except with something that denotes the existence of graves in the area. Doing so would help people avoid walking on them or using them as places for urination or defecation. It is authentically reported that `Aly (may Allah be pleased with him) told Abu Al-Hayyaj Al-Asady : Should I not send you on the same mission that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent me on? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without leveling it. Related by Muslim .It is also prohibited to decorate graves with marble because of what is authentically reported in Sahih (Part No. 9; Page No. 106)  Muslim on the authority of Jabir Ibn `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with both of them), That the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade plastering the graves, and sitting or building over them. This is because excessiveness in glorifying the deceased can be a means to Shirk (Associating others in worship beside Allah). It is also impermissible to write an Ayah or more of the Qur'an on the walls of the graves, for this degrades and violates the sanctity of the Qur'an, and leads to using it for another purpose than that for which it was revealed; which is for worshiping Allah (Exalted be He) by reciting it, interpreting it and contemplating its meaning, deriving rulings from it and resorting to it in arbitration. It is also absolutely prohibited to write anything on the graves, whether the Qur'an or any other writing, because of the general prohibition of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to do so. Related by Al-Tirmidhy and others with a Sahih (authentic) Isnad (chain of Narrators).


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