donating money for building a mazar

[saml]

assalam u alikum

i hope u are fine by the grace of god.

my question is; there is the grave of this sufi in our town who passed away a few years back, the boundry wall surrounding it is in bad shape as it is located in a very poor neighbourhood ( where as he lived in a reasonably nice house and people say that he wanted to be buried among the poor thats why he was buried there) there is just one room inside which ths grave is located, a lot of people both rich and poor visit this mazar, no body is allowed to give any gifts or any money to either the caretaker or anyone else ( because the sahib-e-mazar had forbidden it ) except for the food that is cooked out in the open and distributed among the poor there and then, now the caretaker wants to make a darbar( a building surrounding the grave) and beautify the place, he has not asked anyone for any kind of money but i want to donate sum money, i am concerned that if it is allowed in islam to donate money for beautifying a grave as prophet Muhammad S.A.W has forbidden us to worship the graves so if such a structure is build there, people coming there might end up doing sum unislamic action which might amount to shirk and cause gunahh for people who helped build it( building a mosque or isnt a part of the plan and people say their prayers in the same room where this grave is located, can u pls tell me if it is ok to donate money for such a cause? and can it be called a sadaqah? and is it ok to make a mannat at a mazar like if sumones wish is fulfilled they feed a few poor people at the mazar and is it true that we can only promise actions in a mannat that are included in the regular prayers of a muslime like praying nafals or reading quran? pls guide. thnx


saml

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu



All Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Most Beloved, and Final Messenger of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam


Jazak'allah for your question. If the caretaker wants to build a more beautified place and does not want any donations, but you would like to contribute some, then that is your choice, as long as you both agree.


However, your intention should not be inclined towards what silly people might do there, since it is shirk to worship graves no one should, and no one would, and the caretaker should prevent them from doing so, nevertheless, it is a donation for a good cause, there is reward in it, people will pray surah al fatiha there, and pay respect, they will pray salaah there, it will be a place of peace, and a sign of Islam, for this, you will be rewarded. Allah the Almighty says:

'Innas safa wal marwata min sha'airillah'

'Indeed Safa and Marwah, are the signs of Allah'

This is due to the fact that Hadrat Hajira Radi Allahu anha, ran between these two places, looking for water, and her ennobled feet were the cause of zamzam to sprout. It is because of these deeds, that the places became the signs of Allah. So if a place where a Beloved of Allah is buried, if that is not the sign of Allah the Almighty, then what is? You are not responsible for the wrong actions of people, just because a few uneducated people relate an act, which is unqualified, although they may just be showing there devotion, it nevertheless should not prevent you from carrying out your generous act of donating money.


The people who build it do not receive any form of sin. Look, Hadrat Ibrahim alayhis 'salam helped build the Ka'bah Shareef, people worshipped there. Later three hundred and sixty idols were placed there and idolised. We do not say that Hadrat Ibrahim alayhis 'salam bore the sin. The 'Haramayn' was in the control of mainstream Muslims for over a thousand years, later the Najdis [Wahhabis] placed there Imams there, we do not isolate ourselves from it, or say it is a sin to go there.


In relation to prayers, then all salaah is for Allah the Almighty, and non for the person who is in the grave. There is nothing wrong with performing salaah at a place where someone is buried, so long as there is a Mosque there. There is nothing wrong with building a Mosque where there is a place of burial, as this will attract people for salaah, when it is time to worship. It is stated in the hadith that ''the whole Earth is a Masjid, you may worship wherever you wish.''


No sadaqah is allowed for the emanation of a mazaar, not for its renewal, nor for its renovation, nor for it's decoration. However sadaqah is allowed for the distribution of water, milk, sweets, food, and other consumables if it were to be distributed amongst the poor, as you have already stated.


Pledges (manat) can be made for feeding poor people, whether they are of the mazaar or not. However, once it is intended, it must be fulfilled. Any intention made to fulfill a manat must be fulfilled, whether it is praying salaah, performing tawaf, distributing water, giving out food, or making a well or other object, and there is a great wealth of ahadith to prove this.


May Allah the Almighty give us a true understanding of what Islam requires from us, and may He prevent us from foolish and devilish thoughts of others.



Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab



M. Waseem Ashrafi