As the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was about to breathe his last, he drew his sheet upon his face and when he felt uneasy, he uncovered his face and said in that very state: Let there be curse upon the Jews and the Christians that they have taken the graves of their apostles as places of worship. He in fact warned (his men) against what they (the Jews and the Christians) did.
Hadith Commentary: The Prohibition of Grave Worship
From The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer in Sahih Muslim (Hadith 531), this profound narration contains the final prophetic warning against innovations in religion, particularly regarding places of worship.
Context and Significance
This hadith was uttered during the Prophet's final illness, indicating the supreme importance of this matter. When a person is near death, they speak only of what is most essential, making this warning particularly weighty in Islamic jurisprudence.
The drawing of the sheet and subsequent uncovering demonstrates the Prophet's physical discomfort while simultaneously emphasizing his spiritual concern for his ummah's future adherence to pure monotheism.
Scholarly Interpretation
Imam An-Nawawi explains that the curse mentioned is directed specifically at those who took graves as mosques, not all Jews and Christians universally. The prohibition serves to protect tawhid (divine unity) from any form of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Ibn Taymiyyah elaborates that building structures over graves, praying toward them, or using them as mosques constitutes the prohibited "taking graves as places of worship" mentioned in the hadith.
Legal Rulings Derived
Scholars unanimously prohibit building mosques over graves or burying prophets and righteous people within mosques. This prevents any potential deviation toward grave worship.
The hadith establishes that prayer in graveyards is forbidden unless the grave is behind the prayer direction, following specific conditions outlined by jurists.
This narration forms the primary evidence for prohibiting excessive veneration of graves, constructing domes over them, or making them destinations for seeking blessings.
Contemporary Application
Muslims must maintain the purity of mosques as places dedicated solely to Allah's worship, free from any elements that could lead to shirk. Graves should remain simple, without structures that might invite inappropriate veneration.
This prophetic warning serves as eternal guidance to preserve Islamic monotheism against the deviations that affected previous nations, ensuring the Muslim ummah maintains correct belief and practice regarding worship places.