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Hadith

Do not sit on graves, and do not pray towards them

عن أبي مَرْثَدٍ الغَنَوِيّ رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «لَا تَجْلِسُوا عَلَى الْقُبُورِ، وَلَا تُصَلُّوا إِلَيْهَا».

Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not sit on graves, and do not pray towards them."

Narrated by Muslim · hadeethenc:10647

Grading: Authentic (as published by the source; the grader is not named)

Explanation from the source
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sitting on the graves. He also forbade praying while facing the graves if the grave lies in the direction of the Qiblah for the praying person because this is one of the means leading to polytheism.
  • It is prohibited to offer prayer in the graveyards, between them, or towards them, with the exception of the funeral prayer, as established by the Sunnah.
  • Praying towards the graves is prohibited to block the means to polytheism.
  • Islam prohibited immoderate reverence for the graves or disrespect towards them - neither extremism nor neglect.
  • The inviolability of a Muslim continues after his death, as indicated by the Prophet's statement: "Breaking the bone of a dead person is like breaking it while he was alive."

Topics: Conditions of Prayer

Source: HadeethEnc.com, published by HadeethEnc.com. Version API snapshot retrieved 2026-10-11 (the source publishes no version number) (retrieved 2026-10-11). Published by HadeethEnc.com. Shown unmodified; not reviewed by a scholar.