Extract from ‘An
Explanation of the Creed of Muhammad bin ‘Abdil Wahhaab’
p150 شرح عقيدة الإمام المجدد محمد بن عبد الوهاب
p150 شرح عقيدة الإمام المجدد محمد بن عبد الوهاب
By the Noble Shaykh Dr.
Saalih bin Fawzaan al Fawzaan
Translated by Umm ‘Abdir Rahmaan Tara Hashim
The author’s saying,
‘If I were able to destroy the dome of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم I would do it.’ This is a big
lie against the Shaykh because it is known that the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
was buried in his house as a protection for him from people going to extremes.
His house consisted of walls and a roof and the roof existed at the time he صلى الله عليه وسلم
was buried. All that happened, was that the roof was removed and it was made
into the shape of a dome. The Shaykh did not hold that this was something evil.
The Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم was buried in his
house and he continues to be buried there protected from people going to
extremes. As ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said when she
mentioned the Messenger’s صلى الله عليه وسلم prohibition of going
to extremes at graves, ‘If it were not for that, his grave would have been made prominent, but
I am afraid that it would be taken as a place of prayer.’[1]
So he was buried in his house as a protection against people going to extremes.
People accused the Shaykh and compared the dome of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
to those on the graves which have been built upon in order to exalt them. This
is wrong. Domes built upon graves are against the legislation. Meaning that the
dead person is buried and a structure with a dome is built over his grave or it
is made into a masjid.
This is what the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
prohibited because this is a means to shirk.
The best generation of this Nation, the Companions, were buried in Baqee Cemetary with nothing on their graves whilst the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
was kept separate and buried in his house as a protection against people going
to extremes. There is a difference between what is built over him out of going
to extremes regarding him and being buried in his house as a protection for him
against people going to extremes.
Building over the graves to exalt them is prohibited and is one of the
means to shirk and it is something that the masses have
attached themselves to. However, the Messenger’s صلى الله عليه وسلم
grave was not built upon, he was buried in his صلى الله عليه وسلم
house and we know the reason for it: to protect him. What do you think would
happen if the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم was buried in Baqee
cemetery? There would be crowding, people going to extremes and what would the
ignorant people do? Allaah answered the supplication of His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
when he صلى الله عليه وسلم
said, ‘O Allaah, do not make my grave an
idol to be worshipped.’[2]
Ibn al Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy upon him) said:
The Lord of the Worlds answered his
supplication and surrounded him with three walls until the whole area was
filled with honour, protection and security because of his supplication.[3]
This is the
difference between the grave of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم
and other graves which have been built upon. We should not be
in doubt about the two and say that the Messenger’s صلى الله عليه وسلم
grave had a structure over it and on top of it is a dome, means that we can
also build over other graves and place domes on top as the people of
superstitions claim.
[1] Collected by al Bukhaaree (1330) and Muslim (529) from
the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).
[2] Collected by Imaam Maalik in al Muwatta (414) in mursal form, from the hadeeth of ‘Ataa’ bin Yasaar (t). Ibn abdul Bar collected it with a Muttasil chain from the hadeeth of Aboo
Sa’eed al Khudree (t) in ‘at Tamheed’ (5/43). See ‘al
Istidthkaar’ by him (2/359). Imaam Ahmad collected
something similar to it in ‘al Musnad’
(2/246 no. 7358). Al Humaydee in his ‘Musnad’
(2/445 no. 1025) and ibn Sa’d in ‘at Tabaqaat al Kubraa’ (2/241) from the
hadeeth of Aboo Hurayrah (t) where the words ‘to be worshipped’ were not found.
Listen to an explanation of how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was not buried in the masjid by Abu Khadeejah click here.
