Wise people all over the world make an effort to preserve the works of their ancestors, protecting such monuments against decay, doing so in the name of their 'cultural heritage'. They guard such works by spending large sums of money on what they now call 'national' monuments, for such monuments act as a link connecting the past to the present, giving an impetus to nations in their effort to trace out more clearly the path towards advancement and progress. When such ancient monuments pertain to the Prophets and saints, they have an influence over and above that of simply reminding people of their past: they also enhance faith and orientation towards these great individuals. Were such monuments not to exist, the spirit of doubt and skepticism would, after some time, afflict the followers of the personages associated with the monuments, causing them possibly to begin to question even the principles of the faith. This might be said to be a contributory factor to the decline of religious orientation in the West; today the very historical existence of Jesus is even being disputed by some skeptics.
When such ancient monuments pertain to the Prophets and saints, they have an influence over and above that of simply reminding people of their past: they also enhance faith and orientation towards these great individuals. Were such monuments not to exist, the spirit of doubt and skepticism would, after some time, afflict the followers of the personages associated with the monuments, causing them possibly to begin to question even the principles of the faith. This might be said to be a contributory factor to the decline of religious orientation in the West; today the very historical existence of Jesus is even being disputed by some skeptics.
The Muslims, on the other hand, have been able to proceed with dignity and honour in this regard, having successfully preserved the sacred places connected with the Prophet and his descendants from decay. They can claim that a holy personage was indeed selected to be a Prophet over fourteen centuries ago; that he launched an extremely advanced programme of social betterment; and brought about a profound spiritual and moral transformation, from the effects of which people all over the world still benefit to this day. And there can be no doubt whatsoever as regards the existence of this righteous individual and the veritable transformation he initiated. For his birthplace, the places where he prayed and worshipped, the very spot where he received his prophetic mission, the places where he preached, the areas where he defended honourable people, and the very material on which he wrote letters to the world leaders of his age, along with hundreds of other relics and traces of his life-all have been kept intact with special care as tangible, concrete signs of his presence. Taking note of the importance of this principle, Muslims throughout the world have a duty to take all possible measures to preserve these traces of his life.
The points raised above can help to clarify the importance of preserving sacred monuments from the point of view of social philosophy also. The Qur'an, incidentally, along with other clear textual evidence from the Prophet's life, confirms this principle. In certain verses, the Qur'an refers to 'houses elevated by God', as in the following:
[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings. [Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about -(Sura al-Nur, 24:36-37)
It is clear that 'houses' in this verse does not mean 'mosques', for the two words are clearly distinguished in the Qur'an, the 'Sacred Mosque' (al-Masjid al-Haram) being other than the 'Sacred House of God' (Bayt Allah al-Haram}. According to hadiths, the meaning of houses here is 'houses of the Prophets', especially those of the prophet of Islam and his pure progeny. Suyuti transmits a saying of Abu Bakr: 'When this verse was revealed to the Prophet, we were all in the mosque. A man rose and asked the Prophet: "Whose houses are these?" The Prophet replied: "They are the houses of the Prophets." Then I rose and said: "Is the house of 'Ali and [Fatima] Zahra' also amongst these houses?" He said in reply: ''Yes, it is amongst the best of them". '[1]
Now that the meaning of 'houses' has been clarified, we shall address what is meant by their being 'elevated' (tarfi'). There are two possible meanings to consider. The first is elevation in the sense of constructing and setting up; the Qur'an uses the word raf' in this sense, as in the following verse:
And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising (yarfa 'u) the foundations of the House ... (Sura al-Baqara, 2: 1 27)
Since the houses of the Prophets were already built, bringing such houses into being cannot be intended here; instead, it can only mean the safeguarding of such houses against ruin and desolation.
The second meaning of elevation is in the sense of being sanctified and protected. One understands that, in addition to preserving the houses against destruction, they are protected against any kind of impurity that would be incompatible with their sanctity.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon Muslims to honour and preserve houses connected with the Prophet, embracing this duty as a means of gaining proximity to him.
In this regard, it would be of benefit to consider the verse concerning the 'Companions of the Cave' (Ashab al-Kahf), when their concealed spot was discovered [2] There were two groups who differed over the manner in which the spot was to be honoured. One group said that a memorial to them should be built over their graves, and the other group said that a mosque should be built over their graves. The Qur'an refers to both of these proposals with approval. If these two opinions were contrary to the principles of lslam they would have been related in the Qur'an in quite a different tone, or they would have been criticized outright. The verse is as follows:
...As they disputed among themselves about their matter, they said, ‘Build a building over them. Their Lord knows them best.’ Those who had the say in their matter said, ‘We will set up a place of worship over them.’ (Sura al-Kahf, 18:21 )
In this regard, it would be of benefit to consider the verse concerning the 'Companions of the Cave' (Ashab al-Kahf), when their concealed spot was discovered.[2] There were two groups who differed over the manner in which the spot was to be honoured. One group said that a memorial to them should be built over their graves, and the other group said that a mosque should be built over their graves. The Qur'an refers to both of these proposals with approval. If these two opinions were contrary to the principles of lslam they would have been related in the Qur'an in quite a different tone, or they would have been criticized outright.
These two verses-along with the deeply rooted history, starting from the time of the Prophet and continuing to this day, of Muslims making every effort to preserve all traces of the Prophet and to safeguard and honour houses connected with him and his progeny-are clear testimony in themselves to the Islamic authenticity of the principle in question. Therefore, the construction of graves for the Prophets, of edifices connected with the Holy Prophet and his pure progeny, and the building of mosques over or alongside their graves-all of these actions proceed from this Islamic principle.
1. al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-manthur, vol. 5, p. 203.
2. For the Qur'anic story regarding certain youths who were kept hidden, miraculously, by God in a cave, see Sura al-Kahf
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