/ May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship

May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship

‘Ā’ishah and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported: As the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was about to breathe his last breath, he kept drawing his sheet over his face. When he felt uneased, he would uncover his face and say in that very state: "May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship." He wanted to warn against what they did.
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

Explanation

'Ā’ishah and 'Abdullāh ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with both of them) inform us that when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was close to breathing his last, he kept drawing a piece of cloth upon his face. When he found it hard to breathe due to the throes of death, he would remove it from his face. While being in that tough condition, he said: May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians and expel them out of His mercy. Were it not for the seriousness of this matter, he would not mention it in a situation like that. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade his Ummah from emulating this act, because it was done by the Jews and the Christians and because it is a means conducive to association of partners with Allah Almighty.

Hadeeth benefits

  1. It is prohibited to take the graves of the prophets and pious people as places of worship where prayer is offered to Allah, for this is a means to Shirk (polytheism).
  2. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was so attentive and careful about Tawhīd (monotheism) and so fearful about exalting the graves, for this leads to Shirk.
  3. It is permissible to curse the Jews and the Christians and those who follow them in building over the graves and taking them as places of worship.
  4. Building over the graves is one of the customs of the Jews and the Christians, and imitating them is prohibited in this Hadīth.
  5. Offering prayer at the graves or towards them falls under taking the graves as places of worship, even if no mosque is built there.