Why are there domes over the shrines of the awliya’?

Question

If building brick-built graves and domes is haram, then why, in former times and under Islamic governments, were shrines and domes built over [the graves of] the great awliya’ of Allah — such as the mausoleum (rawda) in Baghdad, the mausoleum in Ajmer, the mausoleum in Kaliyar, the mausoleum of Nizam al-Din, and so on and so forth — although in former times there were great, eminent scholars, and also the caliph (?).

Answer

The eminent scholars forbade it, but the government did not heed them; this act of the government is not a proof (sanad).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.