Mujanabat Ahl al-Thubur al-Musallin fi al-Mashahid wa inda al-Qubur
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- Maktabat al-Rushd
Mujanabat Ahl al-Thubur al-Musallin fi al-Mashahid wa inda al-Qubur (Avoiding the People of Perdition Who Pray in Shrines and at Graves) is a theological and legal treatise written by Abd al-Aziz bin Faisal al-Rajhi to refute the permissibility of praying in cemeteries, at graves, and within shrines built over tombs .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed in response to a contemporary article whose author claimed that the majority of early Muslims (al-salaf) permitted praying in cemeteries—with only Ahmad ibn Hanbal holding it to be prohibited—and cited evidence such as the general hadith on the earth being made a mosque, while referring readers to a treatise titled al-Jawharah fi Jawaz al-Salah fi al-Maqbarah . Al-Rajhi also added observations refuting contemporary works with similar views, specifically noting Mahmud Said Mamduh’s book Kashf al-Sutur 'amma Ushkila min Ahkam al-Qubur .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into distinct chapters examining both agreed-upon and disputed rulings concerning graves, shrines, and prayers :
- Point of Dispute and Scholarly Consensus: The author distinguishes between points of consensus and points of disagreement. He establishes that building mosques over graves and believing that prayer at graves carries specific virtue are strictly prohibited by consensus, while the disagreement among jurists concerns performing regular prayer (with bowing and prostration) in a cemetery without intending veneration or seeking blessings .
- Textual Evidence and Underlying Rationale: The author compiles prophetic hadiths forbidding taking graves as places of worship and establishes that the core rationale ('illa) is blocking the means to polytheism (shirk) and avoiding resemblance to past nations .
- Rulings on Mosques and Prayer: The treatise addresses the invalidity of prayer in any mosque built over a grave or containing a tomb, as well as the rulings on praying near a grave unknowingly, unintentionally, facing graves, or praying on the elevated roof of a cemetery .
- Shrines, Endowments, and Travel: The text covers the obligation of Muslims toward structures erected over graves, the prohibition of establishing religious endowments (waqf), vows (nadhr), or lamps (israj) for shrines, and the prohibition of undertaking journeys (shadd al-rihal) specifically to visit graves or shrines, in contrast to the legislated manner of visiting graves without travel .
- Historical and Contemporary Observations: The author addresses historical precedents—such as Umar ibn al-Khattab hiding the tomb of Daniel and cutting down the tree of the Pledge of Ridwan to prevent trial—and warns against colonial exploitation of shrines as well as contemporary discussions on internet forums .
Reception and Publication
The work was prefaced and commended by Salih al-Fawzan, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta in Saudi Arabia, who described it as a beneficial rebuttal that refutes misconceptions and closes avenues leading to polytheism .
The treatise was published by Maktabat al-Rushd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a first edition in 1425 AH / 2004 CE .
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