EVIL OF GRAVE WORSHIP

By

Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

The hypocrisy associated with Islamic funeral services in our community is that the bodies of poor and young persons are burried at the cemetery, while heroes among Alfas, politicians and wealthy people are burried in their houses or masaajid for constant visits by their fans, which often lead to shirk of grave worship that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم warn us against.

It is very important for us to note the fact that a lot of people are ignorant of the various class of shirk as mentioned by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم variety of hadiths. Due to this ignorance, they visit graves of their heroes and do all sort of things that are not permissible in the shari'ah. Some people direct their requests to the occupants of the graves who can't even hear them, talkmore of providing what they need for them. This is as a result of exaggeration in loving human beings beyond limitation and burial of those people in conspicuous parts of their houses and masaajid. Allaah says about grave worshippers:

وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍ, إِنْ تَدْعُوهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُوا دُعَاءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ

And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed. If you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters]. [Surat Fatir, Q35: 13- 14]

May Allaah guide us aright