VISITING GRAVE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

      VISITING GRAVE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful and The Most Compassionate.

May His blessings and peace be on His Beloved Prophet, the best of creation, and on his family, companions and followers.

My dear brothers, Assalamu `alaikum, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

There are many ways to become closer to the Creator, and one of the most effective is visiting our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is the sunnah of all generations of Muslims, who strive to get blessings of our beloved Prophet and those who seek ways for Allah to be pleased with them.

Every Muslim should try to visit the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The majority of scholars, who are the Ahlu Sunnah wal Jamaah, unanimously agreed that it is the desirable action.

Allah says:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا

«And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful.» (Surah 4:64)

Experts of Sharia law have said that this ayah signifies the desirability of visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), testifies of the unanimity of opinions and point out that the striving to visit the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has a great reward. Great interpreters of Quran (mufassirun) had the same understanding of this ayah. In addition, they had brought the story of Utbi as a proof to support their point of view.  

The story of Utbi

Hāfiz Ibn Kathīr describes this event which took place approximately in the third year of Hijri calendar in his book.

‘Utbī said: ‘I was once sitting next to the blessed grave of the Prophet (peace

and blessings of Allāh be upon him). A Bedouin came and said: ‘Salutations

upon you O Messenger of Allāh! I have heard Allāh say: ‘And if they are

unjust upon themselves, they should come to you (O Messenger) and seek

Allāh’s forgiveness and the Messenger should seek forgiveness for them;

indeed they will find Allāh to be most-Forgiving and most-Merciful’ (4:64).

So I have come to you, seeking forgiveness from my sins and requesting you

to intercede for me to my Lord.’ He then read:

 *يا خير من دفنت في الترب أعظمـه

* فطاب من طيبهـن القـاع والأكـم

* نفسي الفـداء لقبـر أنـت ساكنـه

* فيه العفاف وفيـه الجـود والكـرم

O the best of those ever laid to rest in Earth.

For whose dignity the soil and hills are honored,

May my soul be sacrificed for the tomb you reside in,

For there is purity, generosity and nobleness dwell in it.

Utbī said: ‘Then the Bedouin left. I became drowsy and thus I saw the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in my dream. He said to

me: ‘O ‘Utbī! Find the Bedouin and give him the glad-tidings that Allāh has

certainly forgiven him.’

The story of ‘Utbī has been recorded by many of the early, Muslim scholars.

-Hāfiz Ibn Kathīr in his Tafsīr.

-Al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān.

-Ibn Qudāma al Hanbali in al-Mughnī.

-Imam al-Nawawī in  al-Majmū.

-Ibn ‘Asākir in Tārīkh Ibn ‘Asākir

There are many ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concerning ziyarat (visiting of his grave).

Abdullah ibn Umar narrates, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever visits my grave, my intercession is guaranteed for him.”

"من زار قبري وجبت له شفاعتي" رَوَاهُ الدَّارَقُطْنِيّ وَقَوَّاهُ الْحَافِظُ السُّبْكِيّ

This hadith is narrated by Imam ad-Darakutni, Imam alHafiz As-Subki in “Shifau Sikam” and Al-Hafiz Abdulhaq ash-Shibli in “Ahkam Shari`atul Wusta”.

Ibn Asakir in “Tarikh Dimashq- “History of Damascus” narrates a story of the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) - Bilal ibn Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him).

After the passing away of Rasulallah SallAllaho `alaihi wa Sallam, Hadrat Bilal was overcome with immense grief. This death had completely shattered his heart and in this state, he decided that he could no longer stay in Madinah. He then gathered his belongings and left for Syria. One day after two years in his sleep, Rasulallah SallAllaho `alaihi wa Sallam appeared in his dream and said, “Bilal, how to understand your long absence, is it not time for you to visit me?” Hadrat Bilal immediately woke up and, without hesitation, made the journey back to Madinah answering the call of the Prophet for he said in a hadith “whosoever saw me in dream saw me in real, for Satan cannot appear in my form.”

When the people of Madinah saw Hadrat Bilal returning through the city gates, they were overwhelmed with joy. Word spread through the streets that Bilal, the Holy Prophet’s Muazzin had returned. As Hadrat Bilal made his way to the Holy Prophet’s Masjid, requests for him to do the Azan were ringing in his ears. People followed him through the streets, pleading for him to deliver the call to prayer once more. The blessed city had been deprived of his beautiful Azan for too long, and the people craved to hear it one last time.

However, since the passing away of Rasulallah SallAllaho `alaihi wa Sallam, Hadrat Bilal’s grief had been so immense that he resolved that he would never do the Azan again, and so he refused the pleas of the people. As he advanced towards the blessed Masjid, he saw the two beloved grandsons of Rasulallah SallAllaho `alaihi wa Sallam, Hassan and Hussain. They too requested for him to do the Azan, and when he looked upon their blessed young faces, his love for them overwhelmed his heart. He knew he could never refuse them anything, and they were, after all, the grandsons of the one whose love had penetrated his heart through and through.

Hadrat Bilal then stood up on the Mimbar, assumed his position as the Muazzin and started to read the Azan. His voice, beautiful as it was, rang through the streets of Madinah, his pain and heartbreak evident in the painful tune. He read to his heart’s content, and in such a manner that there was not a person in the blessed city whose eyes were not wet with tears.

This authentic event in the history of Islam, as well as above mentioned ayah, hadith and the history of bedoin are the proofs that visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is without a shadow of doubt is desirable action.

Only those whose hearts are filled with love for worldly things are in need of these proofs. They are victims of the propaganda of pseudo-scholars, whose only aim is to remove love towards our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from our hearts.

But they should know that our religion calls us to express our love to our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). After all, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 

"None of you will be a true believer till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind." (Bukhaari, Muslim)  

This hadith means that the love towards our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) can't be limited, and we have to show it after his death as well. By visiting him, we manifest our respect, gratitude and love for him, because by the Will and Mercy of Allah, he has lead us from darkness to light. In addition, everyone should know that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) answers everyone's salam. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates, the Messenger of Allah said:

اخره ابو داود عَنْ  أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ  , رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، أن رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ :" مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ إِلا رَدَّ اللَّهُ رُوحِي حَتَّى أَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامَ.

"There is no Muslim who invokes blessings upon me (salutes me), but Allah returns to me my soul till I respond to him in return." (Abu Dawood, Sunan, b. of   

May Almighty Allah increase our love for Him and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)