Local clerics warn against shifting the Prophet’s tomb

Dar es Salaam. Local Muslim leaders have warned that a proposal to demolish the tomb of the holy Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and shift his remains to an anonymous grave, saying the plan is unacceptable and might spark chaos.

According to the British newspaper, The Independent, the controversial proposal is part of 61-page consultation document for the al-Nnabawy Mosque in Medina, by the leading Saudi academic, Dr Ali bin Abdulaziz al-Shabal of Imam Muhammad in Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

The newspaper report claims that the proposal has already been circulated to members of the Committee of the Presidency of the Two Mosques (in Mecca and Medina).

Several pages of the document have just been published in the presidency’s journal. They call for the demolishing of the rooms surrounding the tomb – which were used by the Prophet’s wives and daughters, and venerated by the Shia because of their association with his youngest daughter, Fatima.

Hard line Saudi clerics have long preached that the country’s strict ‘Wahhabi’ interpretation of Islam – an offshoot of the Sunni tradition – prohibits the veneration or worship of any object or “saint”, a practice considered “shirq” or idolatrous.

The document also calls for the ultimate removal of the Prophet’s body to a nearby al-Baqi cemetery, where they would be interred anonymously. The cemetery holds much significance. It contains many of Prophet Muhammad’s relatives and companions, but in 1925 under the directive of the Royal House all the grave markers were removed, so pilgrims would not know who was buried there, and so be unable to pray to them.

National Muslim Council (Bakwata)’s regional Sheikh for Dar es Salaam, Mr Alhadi Musa, said that he was against the proposal and believed that Muslims around the world would be angered if it was implemented.

“It is not acceptable. I doubt the intentions of those proposing it and I suspect that they are doing it for a good cause. They might be used to instigate chaos in the Muslim world,” he said, cautioning:

“That will only create enmity to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the vast population of Muslims from the entire world.”

Sheikh Musa said, there was no true believer who would worship the Prophet or any of his relatives and companions, instead of Allah. He said, during his past visits to the Nnabawy, which is the world’s second holiest Mosque, where the tomb is located, the situation there didn’t allow anyone to get closer or do any kind of worship.

“There is maximum security there. No one is allowed to perform rituals which are not allowed, and that is why I don’t believe them saying that they want to demolish it because people worship the dome, they are already prohibited,” he explained.

Secretary general of the Foundation of Sheikhs and Islamic Scholars of Tanzania, Mr Khamis Mattaka, said that if the visitors to the site were doing what was not right, then the solution is to direct them to the right path, not to demolish or shift the tomb. “The Prophet himself said if anyone visits him in death,they will be blessed the way he would have done when he was still alive. So, visiting the site is recommended,” he said, but reminded, “Worshipping graves and saints is indeed wrong, and was prohibited by the Prophet himself.”

He warned that the demolition would spark violence which can be easily prevented by making sure no one is doing what is not religiously acceptable.

Sheikh Nassir Amri Nassir, who is the member of the Council of Ulamaa, a group of highly respected scholars in the country, believes the document “is a mere propaganda” intended to create more tensions in the Muslim world.

“We know that there is hostility between Muslims in some parts of our world. This move might inflame clashes amongst Muslim masses,” he warned. Sheikh Nassir, a graduate from the Faculty of Islamic Law of the University of Medina, a city where the tomb is located, said he was certain that scholars in Saudi Arabia wouldn’t allow that to happen since it’s well known that Prophets are buried exactly where they die.

He said the tomb, which was inside the prophet’s house at first, was not inside the Nnabawy Mosque, but it found itself in after expansions to accommodate the growing number of visitors, especially during pilgrims.

“Some people, indeed, venerate the green dome which is ‘shirk’ or idolatrous, but security steps have been put in place to check that, but crushing the site to the ground is not acceptable and I’m sure with the grace of the Almighty God, that won’t happen.”

The Prophet, who was born in another Muslim holy city of Mecca, died in Medina in 632 AD and was buried inside a room of his house, which then was close to the Nnabawy Mosque. The formal custodian of the Mosque is Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and there is no suggestion that any decision has been taken to act upon the plan. The Saudi government has in the past insisted that it treats any changes to Islam’s holiest sites with “the utmost seriousness”.

The plans of demolition were brought to light by another Saudi academic who has exposed and criticised the destruction of holy places and artefacts in Mecca.

For centuries Muslim pilgrims have made their way to Mecca in order to visit the Kaaba – a black granite cubed building said to be built by Abraham, around which al-Masjid al-Haram, or the Grand Mosque, is built, and towards which every Muslim faces during prayers.

This pilgrimage, or hajj, is a religious duty that has to be carried out at least once in a lifetime.

Many Muslims performing Hajj go to Medina as well to visit the Prophet at the tomb under the green dome inside the Nnabawy Mosque.