why has this happened?

[sweetmadina]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

hope yoyu are in the best health

i have this question needed answering:
a relative of mine died in an army in pakistan, he was martred bt the indians,
after his burial, near the time when they were going to put the headstone on it would'nt go in for some reason

this has put doubt in the minds of the famliy of why this happened some people say that it is because it is forbidden in islam to put a headstone on

is this the reason
please state asap
Wa'alaykum 'Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

[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 Sallam



Jazak'Allah for your question. There is no prohibition in Islam for putting a headstone on a grave, where that grave is not in cemetary where there are all Muslim graves. Muslim graves should always be distinguished from other graves, and the way to distinguish them is by showing the name upon the headstone, and by showing who he/she was.


If the headstone of a grave for some reason does not go in (as was in your question), then this should not cast a doubt in the minds of people, as to whether it is haram or not, because anything that is haram must be proven by nass-e-qat'i, which is from the Qur'an al kareem or Ahadith, otherwise it can not withstand as being haram.


Just look at the graves of the Awliya'Allah, they are made into shrines, have headstones, and also have buildings round them, does this mean that it is haram?


For them it is not, because they are the personalities of Islam, who must be distinguished from normal people. They were the signs of Islam, and their resting places are signs of Islam too, so that people may go there and pray fatehah, al-Qur'an, Ya-Sin etc. and that no bad act is supposed to be committed there.


Opposing this are the graves of the common people. These graves should not have buildings around them, or domes on top of them, or any other addition, simply, a headstone which will make a passer by realise, with some sort of a sign to identify, that the grave is of a Muslim. This will then entail in him in reciting the Fatehah and the Quls etc. However, where a common persons grave is made like a shrine, then this is prohibited. But in order to knock it down is haram, as many people from the middle eastern countries have done to the graves of the sahaba, and awliya'.


Here are a few reasons outlined as to why we should and shouldnt make a grave solid, by placing walls around it, and a dome on top of it. I hope that you understand the difference of it, from having a gravestone, which is permissable. It is permissable so that the correct manner is used when it is approached, and not abused, like old graves, which have no name.


May Allah the Almighty help us all to respect and rever the resting places of Muslims, so that our resting places may be respected, when it is our turn. (Amin)



Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab



M. Waseem Ashrafi