Knowledge Every Muslim Should Have (Book One)

The Controversy of the Prophet's Grave

What is now known as the Green Dome of Masjid Nabawi was built by the Sultan by the name of Al-Zahir Al-Mansoor Qalawoon Al-Salihi in the year 678 AH, more commonly known as Sultan Qalawoon or King Mansoor [1]. The dome started out as the color of wood, then it was white, afterward blue, and then finally green, as it is now [2]. Prior to the year of 678 AH, there was no dome on the masjid. In its original state after the expansion that had included the house of Aisha to it in the time of Al-Waleed, Masjid Nabawi had a roof of enclosed brick to distinguish the chamber of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) grave from the rest of the masjid [3].  The king (i.e., Qalawoon) had seen the adornment of the churches in both Syria and Egypt, and he was influenced by what he had seen, and he copied them out of his ignorance [4].

 His imitation of the Christians and their churches in itself was already against the Sunnah and Shariah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was reported to have said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them [5].”

Sultan Qalawoon was the first to erect the dome over the grave, and the structure was first made of wood and built over the pillars of the chamber, and the bricks that had been used as the previous enclosure of the chamber were then replaced by wood. Lead plates were placed over planks of wood that had been nailed to the structure (i.e. the dome). In the time of another ruler, Al-Nasir Hasan ibn Muhammad Qalawoon, the dome was refurbished. Later on, the lead plates that had been placed there when it had first been made slipped, and they were fixed as well as the whole structure being refurbished, and that was in the time of the ruler Al-Ashraf Sha’ban ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad in 765 AH. It was then renovated in 881 AH at the time of Sultan Qayit Bey when it had fallen into disrepair [6].

In 886 AH, a fire swept through the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) masjid, and both the chamber and the dome were burned as a result. A year later, in 887 AH, the dome was rebuilt and strong supporting pillars were constructed which were built of bricks. Cracks appeared in the upper part of the dome afterward, however, and that part was ordered to be demolished and remade with white plaster by Sultan Qayit Bey after it became clear that it was impossible to refurbish it. In 892 AH, the structure was constructed solidly with white plaster as ordered. It was in 1253 AH, during Ottoman rule, when it was painted green for the first time by the order of the Ottoman ruler, Sultan Abdu Al-Hameed. After that, the color was renewed whenever it faded, and it has become known as the green dome since. It was previously known as the white dome, blue dome, and also fragrant dome [7].

The green dome of the masjid, according to the agreed upon opinion of the scholars, clearly goes against the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). From the building of the dome to the present, learned scholars have argued against its presence as well as it being painted a color. One of their arguments is that the dome was not constructed either by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), his companions, the students of the companions, or the early generations of scholars and imams—of whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had said, “The best generation is my generation and those who follow them, and then those who follow them [8].” Instead, it had been constructed by later generations when bid’ah became widespread and common. It is not part of the Sunnah, and some people take the existence of the dome above the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as evidence that it’s permissible to construct domes over other graves of people they believe to be righteous or those they have elevated to the status of saints [9]. The dome was made by a later king of Egypt who was ignorant of the Sunnah, and there is not support for it in the Shar’iah; in fact, there is clear evidence that goes against it instead [10].

It is proven in an authentic Hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade for structures to be built over graves [11], and he also instructed his followers to level the graves and demolish such structures if they were found. Ali ibn Talib was reported to have said, “Shall I not send you on the same mission the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent me? He ordered me not to leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it [12].”