397. Can a super structure be built over a grave?

In this verse (18:21) it is being stated that some were saying ‘We will raise a place of worship over the grave of these dead pious people. Some foolish men hold on to this verse to justify their act of building a shrine and mausoleum over the grave of supposedly pious people.

These people try to justify burial site worship by citing this verse. The argument of these people is, just because the people of the cave were pious did Allah say a super structure be built over their grave.

There is absolutely no connection with the raising of a place of worship over the graves of the pious and the erstwhile pious. Allah says those who raised the superstructure over the graves were stronger and powerful at the time. Allah does not say the people who built the super structures were pious.

The details of people who, built super structures over the graves of the dead, such as whether they are good or evil, the reason for them to construct a building can be found in the guidelines by Prophet Muhmmad regarding this matter, because he said, God brought down His wrath upon Christians and Jews, because they transformed the burial site of messengers of God into places of worship.

The message conveying that, hadn’t this warning been sounded, the grave of Prophet Muhmmad would have been adorned with a super structure

This message can be found in the following hadiths:

Bukhari: 436, 437, 1330, 1390, 3454, 4441, 4444, 5816.

Muslim - 921, 922, 923, 924, 925 

Abu Dawood- 3227 

Nasaye - 703, 2046, 2047 

Mu-Ahda- 414, 1583 

Darami - 1403 

Ahmad - 1884, 7813, 7818, 7822, 7894, 9133, 9849, 10726, 10727, 21667, 21822, 24106, 24557, 24939, 25172, 25958, 26192, 26221, 26363 

Ibn Hibban - 2326, 2327, 3182, 6619 

Nasaeein Kubra- 782, 2173, 2174, 7089, 7090, 7091, 7092, 7093

Baihakki- 7010, 7011, 11520, 18530 

Abu Yahla- 5844 

Tabrani (Kabir)- 393-411, 4907. There are numerous other books where this message can be found. 

From these messages we come to understand that it was the convention of Jews and Christians to build super structures over the graves of saints and transform those sites into places of worship. Following the same custom, they raised a building over the grave of the cave people, transforming it into a place of worship.

There were certain deeds that were allowed in the former communities, only to be prohibited later; this act of constructing structures over graves cannot be included in this list. This was prohibited in the previous times also, can be found by Prophet Muhammad’s words ‘The people who built superstructures over graves of the dead are ones who earn the wrath of God.

Hence people who built superstructures over the graves of the cave people are those who earned the wrath of God and not the pious. 

Prophet Muhammad prohibited people from raising buildings over graves. 

(Muslim 1765, Tirmidee 972) 

Prophet Muhammad at that time, commanded the structures already built over graves be demolished.

(Muslim1763, 1764, Tirmidhi 970) 

Prophet Muhammad has severely warned not to transform his grave into a place of worship.

(Ahmad: 7054)

'Allah in the Quran has pointed out that Firoun declared as ‘I am the God’, this cannot be taken as one can also say ‘I am the God’.

In the same way Allah points out the act of these evil people, this cannot be taken as an example to emulate in the form of building shrines and mausoleums on the graves of dead people.

To know more about the fallacy in worshiping at shrines please refer points 17, 49, 79, 83, 100, 104, 121, 122, 140, 141, 193, 213, 215, 245, 269, 298, 327, 427, 471.