Visiting Graves - Section 1

Buraida reported God's messenger as saying, “I forbade you to visit graves, but you may now visit them; I forbade you to eat the flesh of sacrificial animals after three days, but you may now keep it as long as you feel inclined; and I forbade you <i>nabidh</i> except in a water-skin, so you may drink it from all kinds of water-skins, but you must not drink anything intoxicating.” Muslim transmitted it.

عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ فَزُورُوهَا وَنَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ لُحُومِ الْأَضَاحِي فَوْقَ ثَلَاثٍ فَأَمْسِكُوا مَا بَدَا لَكُمْ وَنَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنِ النَّبِيذِ إِلَّا فِي سِقَاءٍ فَاشْرَبُوا فِي الْأَسْقِيَةِ كُلِّهَا وَلَا تشْربُوا مُسكرا» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم

Abu Huraira said that the Prophet (ﷺ) visited his mother’s grave and wept and caused those around him to weep. He then said, "I asked my Lord's permission to pray for forgiveness for her, but I was not allowed; I then asked His permission to visit her grave and I was allowed; so visit graves, for they make one mindful of death.” Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: زَارَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْرَ أُمِّهِ فَبَكَى وَأَبْكَى مَنْ حَوْلَهَ فَقَالَ: «اسْتَأْذَنْتُ رَبِّي فِي أَن أسْتَغْفر لَهَا فَلم يُؤذن لي ن وَاسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ فِي أَنْ أَزُورَ قَبْرَهَا فَأُذِنَ لِي فَزُورُوا الْقُبُورَ فَإِنَّهَا تُذَكِّرُ الْمَوْتَ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

Buraida said that God's messenger used to teach them to say when they went out to the cemeteries, “Peace be upon you, inhabitants of the dwellings who are of the number of the believers and the Muslims. If God will, we shall join you. We ask God to grant us and you wellbeing.” Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَلِّمُهُمْ إِذَا خَرَجُوا إِلَى الْمَقَابِرِ: «السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَلَاحِقُونَ نَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ لَنَا وَلَكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ

Ibn 'Abbas said that when God's messenger passed by some graves in Medina he turned his face towards them and said, “Peace be upon you, inhabitants of the graves. God forgive us and you. You have gone before us and we are coming after.” Tirmidhi transmitted it saying this is a <i>hasan gharib</i> tradition.

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِقُبُورٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ: «السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا أَهْلَ الْقُبُورِ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ أَنْتُمْ سَلَفُنَا وَنَحْنُ بِالْأَثَرِ» . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ

‘A'isha said that whenever it was her turn for God's messenger to spend the night with her he would go out towards the end of the night to al-Baqi' and say, “Peace be upon you, household of a people who are believers. What you were being promised will come to you tomorrow, you receiving it after some delay, and if God will we shall join you. O God, grant forgiveness to the inhabitants of Baqi' al- Gharqad.” (This is the full name of the cemetery at Medina. Baqi' properly means a place with tree roots, and <i>gharqad</i> is the name of a thorny type of tree. The name was retained even when all signs of trees were removed.) Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كُلَّمَا كَانَ لَيْلَتُهَا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى الْبَقِيعِ فَيَقُولُ: «السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَتَاكُمْ مَا تُوعِدُونَ غَدًا مُؤَجَّلُونَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لأهل بَقِيع الْغَرْقَد» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم

She said she asked God’s messenger what she should say, i.e. when visiting graves, and he told her to say, “Peace be upon the inhabitants of the abodes, believers and Muslims, and God show mercy to those of us who go before and those who go later. If God will we shall join you." Muslim transmitted it.

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: كَيْفَ أَقُولُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ تَعْنِي فِي زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ قَالَ:

قُولِي: السَّلَامُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ وَيَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنَّا وَالْمُسْتَأْخِرِينَ وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ للاحقون

. رَوَاهُ مُسلم

Muhammad b. an-Nu‘man who traced the tradition back to the Prophet (ﷺ) reported him as saying, “If anyone visits the grave of his parents, or of one of them, every Friday he will be granted forgiveness and it will be recorded as filial piety.” Baihaqi transmitted it in mursal form in <i>Shu'ab al-iman</i>.

وَعَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ يُرْفَعُ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «مَنْ زَارَ قَبْرَ أَبَوَيْهِ أَوْ أَحَدِهِمَا فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ غُفِرَ لَهُ وَكُتِبَ بَرًّا» . رَوَاهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي شعب الْإِيمَان مُرْسلا

Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “I forbade you to visit graves, but you may now visit them, for they produce abstinence in this world and act as a reminder of the next.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

وَعَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «كُنْتُ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ فَزُورُوهَا فَإِنَّهَا تُزَهِّدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وتذكر الْآخِرَة» . رَوَاهُ ابْن مَاجَه

Abu Huraira said God's messenger cursed women who visited graves. Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a <i>hasan sahih</i> tradition. He added that some learned men consider this was before the Prophet (ﷺ) gave licence to visit graves, and when he gave it both men and women were included. But some hold that he disapproved of women visiting graves because of the small amount of self-control they possess and their tendency to be greatly upset. The quotation from him ends here.

وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسلم لعن زوارات الْقُبُورِ. رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيح وَقَالَ: قَدْ رَأَى بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّ هَذَا كَانَ قبل أَن يرخص النَّبِي فِي زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ فَلَمَّا رَخَّصَ دَخَلَ فِي رُخْصَتِهِ الرِّجَالُ وَالنِّسَاءُ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: إِنَّمَا كَرِهَ زِيَارَةَ الْقُبُورِ لِلنِّسَاءِ لِقِلَّةِ صَبْرِهِنَّ وَكَثْرَةِ جَزَعِهِنَّ. تمّ كَلَامه

‘A’isha said:

I used to enter my house in which God’s messenger was and put off my garment, saying that only my husband and my father were there; but when ‘Umar was buried along with them, I swear by God that I did not enter it without having my clothes wrapped round me owing to modesty regarding ‘Umar. (The tradition refers to the time after the death of the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr who were buried in ‘A’isha’s house. When 'Umar died he was buried beside them. As ‘A’isha was not related to him she felt she must observe the usual conventions regarding men who were not near relatives, even although ‘Umar was dead, for it evidently seemed to her as if he were really in the house.) Ahmad transmitted it.

وَعَن عَائِشَة قَالَتْ: كُنْتُ أَدْخُلُ بَيْتِيَ الَّذِي فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنِّي وَاضِعٌ ثَوْبِي وَأَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا هُوَ زَوْجِي وَأَبِي فَلَمَّا دُفِنَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَعَهُمْ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا دَخَلْتُهُ إِلَّا وَأَنَا مَشْدُودَةٌ عَلَيَّ ثِيَابِي حَيَاء من عمر. رَوَاهُ أَحْمد