Rules Concerning Graveyards: Ruling on Destroying an Old Cemetery for a Dam Project

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Rules Concerning Graveyards: Ruling on Destroying an Old Cemetery for a Dam Project

English:

Question #2093:

The Water and Electricity Board intends to harness the power of water in generating electricity by building a number of dams. Among these projects is building a dam across the Karoon River. The area, which will be flooded by the dam lake, contains an old cemetery. Going ahead with the project is dependant on tearing down the graves in this cemetery. What is your view on the matter?

Answer #2093:

There is no objection to tearing down the old graves, containing bodies already turned into dust. It is not permissible to pull down the graves, containing bodies that have not yet turned into dust. Nor is it permissible to exhume the bodies that have not yet turned into dust. However, there is no objection to building the project at the same place if, considering economic or social situations, it is necessary to do so and moving the project from that area to another one, or sparing the cemetery by rerouting the course of water, is proved very difficult or unbearable.
That said, this should be carried out by moving the graves, containing bodies that have not yet turned into dust to some other place provided that the exhumation as such is not realized, in that it could be done by moving the bodies along with the surrounding soil. Should any dead body get exposed in the process, it should be moved and buried somewhere else.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Rules Concerning Graveyards