1 . أَخْبَرَنَا وَلِيدُ بْنُ مَحْمُودٍ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، قَالَ: نَهَى الْعَالِمُ عَنْ تَرْفِيعِ الْقَبْرِ وَالْبِنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: هَذَا مَا أَخَذَ النَّاسُ مِنْ مُلُوكِهِمْ، وَإِنَّ مُلُوكَهُمْ كَانُوا مُسْرِفِينَ، وَدَخَلَ مَقَابِرَ قَوْمٍ وَرَأَى فِيهَا أَبْنِيَةً، فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ أَهْرَامٌ صَغِيرَةٌ!
Translation of the saying:
Walid ibn Mahmoud al-Sajistani informed us, he said: The scholar (i.e., Mansoor, may God Almighty protect him) forbade raising graves and building on them and said: “This is what people took from their kings, while their kings were extravagant,” and (one day) he entered the cemetery of a people and saw some constructions in there, so he said: “These are small pyramids!”
2 . أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْهَرَوِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ هَدَمَ قَبْرَ مُؤْمِنٍ فَكَأَنَّمَا هَدَمَ دَارَهُ، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ وَجَدَ فِيهِ خَلَلًا أَوْ نَقْصًا، أَلَهُ أَنْ يُصْلِحَهُ؟ قَالَ: لَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يُصْلِحَهُ، وَلَيْسَ الْهَدْمُ كَالْإِصْلَاحِ، قُلْتُ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ بُنْيَانًا مِمَّا لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَى قَبْرٍ، أَلَهُ أَنْ يَهْدِمَ الْبُنْيَانَ؟ قَالَ: لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَهْدِمَهُ هَدْمًا فَيُهِينَهُ، وَلَكِنْ يَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ عَلَى رِفْقٍ، حَتَّى إِذَا سَوَّاهُ جَعَلَ حَوْلَهُ مَوَانِعَ لِكَيْلَا يَطَأَهُ النَّاسُ، قُلْتُ: أَمَا أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلِيًّا بِهَدْمِ الْقُبُورِ؟! قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَمَرَهُ بِهَدْمِ قُبُورِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ لِيُذْهِبَ آثَارَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَأَنْجَاسَهَا، وَلَمْ يَأْمُرْهُ بِهَدْمِ قُبُورِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قُلْتُ: فَمَاذَا تَرَى إِنْ كَانَ قَبْرَ نَبِيٍّ أَوْ إِمَامٍ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟ قَالَ: أَرَى أَنْ لَا يُهْدَمَ وَلَا يُؤْخَذَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا عَلَى وَجْهِ الْإِصْلَاحِ، لِكَيْلَا يَكُونَ فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا، فَيُوقِعَ بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ الْقَبْرُ فِي بَيْتٍ لَمْ يُبْنَ لَهُ مَا لَمْ يُرْفَعْ فَوْقَ أَرْبَعَةِ أَصَابِعَ، وَلَا أَقُولُ كَمَا يَقُولُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَحْجَارُ -يَعْنِي الْوَهَّابِيَّةَ! ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ بِوَجْهِهِ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ، وَكَانَ يُصْلِحُ لَهُ قَمِيصًا، فَقَالَ: يَهْدِمُونَ قُبُورَ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَيَعْمُرُونَ قُصُورَ الظَّالِمِينَ! لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا بِذَلِكَ أُمِرُوا!
Translation of the saying:
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Harawi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Whoever destroys the grave of a believer, it is as if he has destroyed his house.” I said: “What is your opinion, if he finds a flaw or deficiency in it, can he reform it?” He said: “There is nothing wrong with reforming it, and destroying is not the same as reforming.” I said: “What is your opinion, if he finds a construction on it, which is not allowed to be on a grave, can he destroy the construction?” He said: “It is not for him to destroy it all at once and disrespect him in this way, but he may remove it gently until he makes it flat, and place obstacles around it so that people do not step on it.” I said: “Did the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, not order Ali to destroy the graves?!” He said: “He ordered him to destroy the graves of disbelievers in order to remove the traces of the time of ignorance and its impurities, and he did not order him to destroy the graves of believers.” I said: “Then what is your opinion if it is (a construction on) the grave of a Prophet or an Imam from among the Imams of believers?” He said: “I see that it should not be destroyed and nothing should be removed from it except for the purpose of reformation so that it would not be a fitnah for those who believed, causing enmity and hatred among them, and there is no problem that a grave is in a house that has not been built for it as long as it is not raised above four fingers, and I do not say as these stones say -i.e., Wahhabis!” Then he turned his face toward Abdullah ibn Habib, who was mending a shirt for him, then he said: “They destroy the graves of the righteous and build up the palaces of the unjust! No, I swear to God, they have not been commanded to do so!”
3 . أَخْبَرَنَا ذَاكِرُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْعَبْدِ الصَّالِحِ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِيَّةِ، فَقَالَ: كَانَ فِي قَرْيَتِي قَبْرٌ لِفُلَانٍ الصُّوفِيِّ، وَكَانَ يُعْبَدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، فَهَدَمْتُهُ! قَالَ: وَهَدَمْتَهُ؟! قَالَ: نَعَمْ وَاللَّهِ، وَنَفَضْتُ يَدَيَّ مِنْ تُرَابِهِ! قَالَ: هَدَمْتَ الْقَبْرَ الْأَصْغَرَ، وَأَبْقَيْتَ الْقَبْرَ الْأَكْبَرَ! قَالَ: وَمَا الْقَبْرُ الْأَكْبَرُ؟! قَالَ: قَصْرُ الْحَاكِمِ، وَعُبَّادُهُ أَكْثَرُ! فَتَأَمَّلَ الرَّجُلُ سَاعَةً، ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَوْ أَطَعْنَاكَ لَحَمَلْتَنَا عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ الْوَاضِحِ، وَلَكِنْ مَا نَصْنَعُ بِالْمَذَاهِبِ؟! ثُمَّ قَامَ وَخَرَجَ.
Translation of the saying:
Zakir ibn Ma‘roof al-Khorasani informed us, he said: I was with the righteous servant (i.e., Mansoor, may God Almighty protect him), then a man from Salafiyyah came to him and said: “In my village, there was a grave for a Sufi man, which was worshiped instead of God, so I destroyed it!” He said: “Did you destroy it?!” He said: “Yes, I swear to God, and I shook its dust off my hands!” He said: “You destroyed the smaller grave and left the bigger grave!” He said: “What is the bigger grave?!” He said: “The ruler’s palace, and its worshipers are more!” So the man pondered for an hour, then he said: “I Swear to God, if we obey you, you will lead us to the clear path, but what should we do with the sects?!” Then he got up and left.
4 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: إِنَّهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ النَّاسَ عَنْ شَدِّ الرِّحَالِ إِلَى الْمَقَابِرِ، وَيَسْتَنْبِطُونَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلَّا إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ: مَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَمَسْجِدِي هَذَا، وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى»، فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ حَيْثُ ذَهَبُوا، الْمَسَاجِدُ سَوَاءٌ إِلَّا الثَّلَاثَةَ، وَلَيْسَ الْمَقَابِرُ مِنَ الْمَسَاجِدِ، فَشُدُّوا الرِّحَالَ إِلَيْهَا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ، وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْقُبُورَ أَوْثَانًا، بِأَنْ تَرْفَعُوهَا، وَتُزَيِّنُوهَا، وَتَتَزَاحَمُوا عَلَيْهَا، وَتَطُوفُوا بِهَا، وَتَنْذُرُوا لَهَا، وَتَسْأَلُوهَا الْحَوَائِجَ، وَتَضَعُوا عَلَيْهَا الْعُقَدَ وَالْأَقْفَالَ، كَمَا يَفْعَلُ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنَ النَّاسِ.
Translation of the saying:
Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Taloqani informed us, he said: I said to Mansoor: “They forbid people to travel for visiting graves, and they deduce that from the words of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, who has said: ‘One should not travel except for (visiting) three: Masjid al-Haram, this mosque of mine, and Masjid al-Aqsa.’” So he said: “It is not as they have understood. Mosques are equal (in merit) except for the three, and graves are not among the mosques, so travel toward them if you want, but do not take the graves as idols, (in this way that you would) raise them, decorate them, crowd around them, circumambulate them, make vows for them, ask them for needs, and tie knots and locks onto them, as the fools among people do.”
