/ Those are a people who, when a righteous slave or a righteous man from among them dies, they build a place of worship

Those are a people who, when a righteous slave or a righteous man from among them dies, they build a place of worship

‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: ’Umm Salamah mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that she had seen a church in Abyssinia called Māriyah, and she mentioned the images that she had seen therein. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Those are a people who, when a righteous slave or a righteous man from among them dies, they build a place of worship over his grave and place those images therein. Those are the most evil people in the sight of Allah."
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

Explanation

’Umm Salamah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that when she was in Abyssinia, she saw a church, called Māriyah, that had images, decorations, and drawings therein and she was amazed at that. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the reason behind using such images. He said: Those people, whom you mentioned, whenever a righteous man among them died, would build a place of worship over his grave and make such images. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that whoever does this is counted among the most evil people in the sight of Allah Almighty because his deed leads to associating partners with Allah Almighty.

Hadeeth benefits

  1. It is prohibited to build mosques over graves, pray at graves, or bury the dead in mosques to block the means to Shirk (polytheism).
  2. Building places of worship over graves and putting images therein are practices of the Jews and Christians. So, whoever does this has acted like them.
  3. It is prohibited to acquire images of living beings.
  4. Whoever builds a mosque over a grave and puts images therein is one of the most wicked people.
  5. The Shariah is keen on fully protecting the soundness of Tawhīd (monotheism), as it blocks all means that may lead to Shirk.
  6. Exaggeration in honoring righteous people is prohibited because it leads to falling in Shirk.