When the Prophet (ﷺ) became ill, some of his wives talked about a church which they had seen in Ethiopia and it was called Mariya. Um Salma and Um Habiba had been to Ethiopia, and both of them narrated its (the Church's) beauty and the pictures it contained. The Prophet (ﷺ) raised his head and said, "Those are the people who, whenever a pious man dies amongst them, make a place of worship at his grave and then they make those pictures in it. Those are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah."
Hadith Commentary: Prohibition of Grave Worship and Images
This profound narration from Sahih al-Bukhari 1341 serves as a foundational text prohibiting two major innovations: constructing places of worship over graves and creating images of animate beings. The Prophet's ﷺ statement came in response to the description of a church containing pictures, demonstrating his vigilance against practices that could lead to shirk.
Scholarly Analysis of the Warning
The phrase "worst creatures in the Sight of Allah" indicates the severe gravity of these actions. Scholars explain that building mosques over graves and placing images therein constitutes imitation of polytheistic practices and serves as a pathway to grave worship.
Classical commentators note that the initial act of honoring a righteous person's grave gradually evolves into sanctification and ultimately shirk. The prohibition includes both making images and utilizing places containing them for worship.
Practical Implications from Islamic Jurisprudence
This hadith forms the basis for the prohibition of constructing domes and elaborate structures over graves in Islamic law. Scholars derive from this that graves should remain simple and distinguishable from places of worship.
The ruling extends to prohibiting the photographic images prevalent today, as they share the same essential prohibition as drawn images according to the majority of scholars. This preserves tawhid and prevents slippery slopes toward shirk.