Of the rulings of visiting graves

Praise be to Allah, and peace be upon His Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

This is a piece of advice for every Muslim who hopes from Allah (may He be Exalted) the happiness of this world and the Hereafter written by an adviser to his Muslim brothers, invoking Allah to benefit Muslims with it.

Dear Muslim brother, may Allah expand your chest and mine to Islam, the visit of Muslim graves including the grave of our Prophet (peace be upon him), the graves of his Companions, and pious people are divided into three types:

The first type is: A legitimate visit which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) paid and commanded with it in his saying: "(In the past) I forbade you from visiting graves, but visit them now because they remind you of the Hereafter." [Reported by Muslim]. He taught his Companions what is to say when visiting them: "As-salamu `Alaykum Ahlad-diyyari minal-Mu'minina wal-Muslimina, Yaghfirullahu lana wa lakum, Allahumma Ighfir Lahum warhamhum wala Taftinna Ba`dahum Antum Salfuna wa Inna In Sha' Allahu bikum Lahiqun [Peace be upon you, O residents of the graves from the believers and Muslims, may Allah forgive you and us. O Allah, forgive them, bestow mercy on them, and do not try us after them; you advanced and we will catch you when Allah wills]." When `Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) visited the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said: As-Salamu Alayka Ya Rasula Allah, As-Salamu `Alayka Ya Aba Bakr, As-Salamu `Alayka Ya Abi, then he would leave. Thus, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to do, and it showed that the purpose of the Legitimate visit is three things:

1- Remembering death and the Hereafter to strengthen one's faith and his readiness to the meeting of his Lord (Glory be to Him).

2- Invoking Allah to the dead because they benefit from the invocations of the living even if the dead better than his visitors. Therefore, Salah at the dead and invoking Allah upon them is made permissible and thus the Companions offered the funeral Salah at the Prophet's body with the Abrahamic Salah which he taught them, then they asked Allah to reward him the best for Islam and Muslims. This meaning was confirmed by the Prophet's saying: "When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased)."

3- Rewarding visitors by Allah because they invoked Allah for their Muslim brothers and gained the strong faith and readiness for death.

The second type is: The forbidden visit which its doers gain sins and do not deserve reward for because it was not done according to the way which the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded. People pay these visits to invoke Allah for themselves at graves, believing that invocations at graves are answered or pay visits to gain blessing from graves and from its inhabitants, or taking cure from their dust; all these are errors and innovations in religion. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error." The meaning of innovation in religion is that a person would do a verbal or practical act of worship from himself or in imitation to others than Allah even if he is sincere in worshipping Allah because sincerity should be accompanied by following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) so as to benefit its doer. So, the acts of worship do not benefit but when there are in conformity with the Qur'an or the Sunnah because of the Hadith that was reported by Imam Muslim and others: "He who innovates an action against our Shari`ah, it will be rejected." As for worldly matters such as industry, agriculture and others, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said about them: "You know your worldly matters better."

The third type is: A polytheistic visit, which Allah (Glory be to Him) judged in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger (peace be upon him) that its doer whether man or woman will stay in Hell forever, is that when a person pays a visit to ask for help from the dead such as curing a sick person, providing sustenance, returning of an absentee or offering a sacrifice or making a vow for the grave. Moreover, if a person believes that the grave benefits or harms, knows the unseen, or runs the universe, the person shall be an apostate or a disbeliever even if he is uttering the two testimonies of faith, performing Salah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj because "No god but Allah" testimony does not benefit its sayer except when he or she knows its meaning and acts according to it by dedicating servitude and the acts of worship to Allah alone. There are many proofs in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah to prove that, of which are the following: "And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)." [Surat Az-Zariyat: 56]. And Allah's Saying: "You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)." [Surat Al Fatihah: 5]. And Allah's Saying: "Say (O Muhammad peace be upon him): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). * He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims." [Surat Al An`am: 162 - 163]. And Allah's Saying: "And the mosques are for Allâh (Alone); so invoke not anyone along with Allâh." [Surat Al Jinn: 18]. And Allah's Saying: "Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allâh, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected." [Surat An-Naml: 65]. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) explains that the dead even if they were Prophets or pious people, they cannot hear the invocations of those who ask them, and even if they had heard them, they would not have responded to them, and on the Day of Recompense they shall be enemies to one another. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Such is Allâh, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmîr (the thin membrane over the date-stone). * If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O Muhammad peace be upon him) like Him Who is the Well-Acquainted (with everything)." [Surat Fatir: 13 - 14].

As for those who permit these visits and say that these visits are meant to invoke Allah through these pious people and are not part of polytheism, such people are tyrants, bad scholars, and they are decorating for people the worship of graves and deceiving them by visions and divine transfiguration to usurp their money as priests did in Europe in the Middle Ages until the French revolution eradicated them.

Of the proofs on the nullification of the acts of worship of grave worshippers and Sufism with their false beliefs, and on that their testimony of faith, Salah, fasting, and Hajj are not accepted is Allah's Saying: "But if they had joined in worship others with Allâh, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them." [Surat Al An`am: 88]. And Allah's Saying: "And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad peace be upon him), as it was to those (Allâh's Messengers) before you: If you join others in worship with Allâh, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers. * Nay! But worship Allâh (Alone and none else), and be among the grateful." [Surat Az-Zumar: 65 - 66].

Muslim women should know that Allah (Glory be to Him) prohibited them to visit graves and follow funeral processions because of their terrible actions and the fascination of men by them; the proof to that is the Hadith which was reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) cursed female visitors of graves and those who build masjids and erected lamps on them. [Reported by At-Tirmidhy and Ibn Hibban graded it as authentic]. The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw women with funeral processions, thereupon he said: "Then go back with a burden of sin and not rewarded, for you fascinate the living and harm the dead." Allah (Glory be to Him) forbade in the Qur'an and the Sunnah the mixture of women with men, and sitting alone with them without an unmarriageable male relative. Allah also forbade for them shaking the hands of men, applying makeup before men, and exposing their beauty before them. So, O women, fear the torment and wrath of Allah, and draw near to Him by full obedience. It was reported in the Hadith: "When a woman performs the five obligatory Salah, fasts the month of Ramadan, obeys her husband, guards her private parts [from committing illegal sexual intercourse], she will enter Paradise from any of the eight gates of Paradise she likes." So, O women, do not be deceived by the temptations of humans and devils so as not to be destroyed, and get ready to the meeting of Allah by sincere repentance, for He accepts the repentant.

Perhaps grave worshippers and Sufis would wake up from their indifference and save themselves by dedicating the acts of worship to Allah alone who has no partner. We also remind them that the Fatimid are the ones who brought this major polytheism to the Muslim Nation in the third, the fourth, and the beginning of the fifth century after Hijrah under the rule of Al Qaddah and Al `Ubaydiyyun whose leaders claimed godhood and the dogma of incarnation taken from `Abdullah ibn Saba' who was a Jew in the time of `Uthaman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them).

He also endeavored to spread separation among Muslims under the pretext of loving the Prophet's household, then he claimed that Imam Ali is God and followed him. His followers (Banu Al Qaddah) were Jews from Yemen and were named the Fatimid to cover their false doctrine which aimed to destroy Islam, so they built tombs and masjids over graves, called foolish people to worship pious people under the name of Tawassul (invoking Allah through them), and invented the heresy of the Prophet's birth celebration which was not done by any of the Prophet's Companions.

However, Allah sent to them the Muslim leader Saladin (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) who eradicated their kingdom, and their followers escaped to Palestine, Yemen, Iran, and other countries, and they still show Islam and hide their false doctrine.

We ask Allah to make Islam and Muslims victorious and to destroy the enemies of Islam. May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.