Hadith 142

Sahih Bukhari

Book 23: Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz)

Chapter 96

The graves of the Prophet (pbuh), Abu Bakr, and Umar Radiyallahu Anhu

باب مَا جَاءَ فِي قَبْرِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما

Fa aqbara-hu (“then He assigns to him a grave” — the Qur’ān, 80:21). Aqbartu ar-rajula uqbiru-hu means “I made a grave for him”. And qabartu-hu means “I buried him.” Kifāt-an (“draw to itself” — 77:25) means that they (human beings) exist in it (i.e., in the earth) when living, and are buried in it when dead.
{فَأَقْبَرَهُ} أَقْبَرْتُ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا جَعَلْتَ لَهُ قَبْرًا، وَقَبَرْتُهُ دَفَنْتُهُ. {كِفَاتًا} يَكُونُونَ فِيهَا أَحْيَاءً، وَيُدْفَنُونَ فِيهَا أَمْوَاتًا.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1390
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ هِلاَلٍ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي مَرَضِهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَقُمْ مِنْهُ ‏ ‏‏.‏ لَوْلاَ ذَلِكَ أُبْرِزَ قَبْرُهُ، غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ خَشِيَ أَوْ خُشِيَ أَنَّ يُتَّخَذَ مَسْجِدًا‏.‏ وَعَنْ هِلاَلٍ قَالَ كَنَّانِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ لِي‏.‏
"‏ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى، اتَّخَذُوا قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ ‏"
`Aisha:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in his fatal illness said, "Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians, for they built the places of worship at the graves of their prophets." And if that had not been the case, then the Prophet's grave would have been made prominent before the people. So (the Prophet (ﷺ) ) was afraid, or the people were afraid that his grave might be taken as a place for worship.