What is the religious ruling on praying in mosques that contain graves of saints or imams, and is the justification for its permissibility, based on the presence of the Maqam of our master Abraham within the Holy Sanctuary and the graves of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, and Omar in his mosque, correct?
It is forbidden to build mosques over graves, to pray in them, or to bury the dead within a mosque, due to the prohibitions and curses issued by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, against those who do so. The claim that the Prophet's grave, peace and blessings be upon him, is inside the mosque is incorrect. He and his two companions were buried in the house of 'Aisha. Then, the chamber was incorporated into the mosque during its expansion in the era of Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, but they were not moved into the mosque's actual ground. Therefore, this does not serve as an argument for the permissibility of building over graves, or establishing mosques upon them, or burying within them. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah affirmed that prayers are not permissible in mosques built over the graves of prophets and righteous people, and building them is forbidden due to the explicit hadiths prohibiting such actions. As for Maqam Ibrahim in Mecca, it is not a grave, but rather the imprint of his footsteps.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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