Demolishing a Shrine-Tomb and Incorporating Its Place into the Mosque

Question

Here, inside the mosque, there is the shrine (the tomb of a venerated person) of the respected Bukhari Shah. It is so long and wide that it causes great difficulty for the prayer, and since the mosque is small, the worshippers are inconvenienced. May we cut back this revered shrine and make it a smaller grave as needed, or not?

Answer

Respect for a grave is necessary, especially for the grave of a pious elder. But a grave is only that in which the deceased lies; whatever part of the grave has been made in excess of the deceased is not a grave but a heap of earth, and its ruling is not like that of a grave.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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