Part 6: VISITING THE GRAVES IS THE SUNNAH OF PROPHET [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] AND NOT GRAVE WORSHIP!

From Layman Nasir's Desk:

Part 6: Continued….


IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST BENEFICIENT, MOST MERCIFUL.

There is direct evidence to show that the Sahaba indeed used to visit the holy grave of Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam].  To name a few randomly, they are Hazrat Umar ® and his son Abdullah ibn Umar ®, Bilal ibn Harith ®, Bilal ibn Rabah ®, Muhammad ibn Harb Hilali ®, Ayub Ansari ®, Muadh ibn Jabal ®, Hazrat Ali ®, and Fatima az-Zahra ®.  

The account of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique’s ® burial too in the same Hujra is interesting:

Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique ®  had requested that when he leaves this world, for the realm of Divine Beauty, he should be shrouded, the Funeral Prayer prayed and then taken to the Sacred Burial Chamber of the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam). He said salutations should be offered to the Holy Prophet and then it should be proclaimed, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Your companion of the cave, Abu Bakr Siddique is present’. He said if the door to the Holy Prophet’s Burial Chamber automatically opens then he should be buried inside or he should be buried at Jannat al-Baqi, the Sacred Cemetery. When his blessed funeral bier was taken to the Holy Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) Burial Chamber and the Companions had presented their greeting, they said, ‘O Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam)! Hadrat Abu Bakr ® is at your door. The door of the Holy Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) Burial Chamber opened on its own and a voice was heard:

Bring my beloved to his beloved;

bring my friend to his friend

For the Beloved is longing for his beloved!

Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique ® was buried within the Sacred Burial Chamber.

(Fakhr-al-Din al-Razi’s Tafsir Kabeer; Imam Jalaluddin as-Suyuti’s Khasais al-Kubra; Nabhani’s Jami’ Karamat al-Awliya).   

Narrated Hisham's father:  'Aisha said to 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, "Bury me with my female companions (i.e. the wives of the Prophet) and do not bury me with the Prophet in the house, for I do not like to be regarded as sanctified (just for being buried there).''

Narrated Hisham's father: 'Umar sent a message to 'Aisha, saying, "Will you allow me to be buried with my two companions      (the Prophet and Abu Bakr) ?" She said, "Yes, by Allah." though it was her habit that if a man from among the companions (of the Prophet ) sent her a message asking her to allow him to be buried there, she would say, "No, by Allah, I will never give permission to anyone to be buried with them." [Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 92, Number 428]

Aisha ® was in fact located in the room where Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] was buried and this evident from the following hadith:

It is narrated by Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal that before Umar ® was buried in Aisha's room, she would go there without Hijab, as Rasool Allah [sallal laahu ‘alaihi wassallam] was her husband and Abu Bakr ® was her father. However, when Umar ® got buried there, she would only go into the room with Hijab. (al-Mishkat: Bab Ziyarat al-Qubur)

Readers must honestly answer why did the Companions, especially Abu Bakr ® and Umar ®, wish to be buried near the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam)?  The foremost of the Companions would never indulge in any polytheistic act or Shirk, would they?  As in life, they sought his (s) company in death knowing full well that the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) is alive in his grave.  If there is no Barakah in the Rawdah of Rasool Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam), then why all the Companions wanted to get buried near him (s) in the house of Aisha? Why all Sahaba considered the Rawdah of Rasool Allah (sal Allah alayhi wassallam) as sanctuary, instead of an idol place?  Now do you see of the lies that are being perpetrated against Rasool-Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) and his Noble Companions (R)?  

Let’s check out other evidence:

Abdul Rahman ibn al-Jauzi Hanbali (d.597 A.H),  was a prolific writer of some 700 books and he came heavily down on the anthropomorphists in the Hanbali madhab.  He mentions in his al-Wafa bi Ahwalil Mustafa,  that Fatimah ® would get blessings from the grave of her father, Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi  wasallam),  and she would put the soil of the grave on her eyes.  Narrated by Ali ®, that when the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] passed away, Fatimah ® went and took a grasp of the soil of the grave and put it on her eyes.  She cried and said in a poetical form:

One who smells Ahmad’s soil (from the grave) will never smell such greatness; Such calamities fell upon me that if they fell upon the day it would turn into night.  

Abu Nasir told us [with his chain of transmission] that `Ali said: "When Allah's Messenger was buried, Fatimah  came and stood in front of his grave, took a handful of soil, put it on her eyes, cried and recited: 

The one who breathes from the soil of Ahmad,

will never breathe trouble all his life,

If the troubles that have been poured on me were poured on days,

they would turn into nights.

 ( Ibn al-Jauzi writes in Muthir Al-Gharam Al-Sakin Ila Ashraf Al-Amakin)

After the conquest of Jerusalem, Hazrat Umar ® said to Ka`b al-Ahbar: "O Ka`b, do you wish to come with us to Madinah to visit the Messenger of Allah?" Ka`b answered: "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful." Hence, after returning to Madinah al-Munwarra, Hadrat Umar ® first went to the Hujrat as-Saada, visited Rasulullah, and conveyed salat and salam onto him. This was the case with his son too!

Ibn Umar ® used to visit the grave of Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) and this is evident from the Muwatta of Imam Malik as follows: Book 9: Shortening the Prayer >> Section 22: Prayer on the Prophet, may Allah Bless Him and Grant Him Peace.  Book 9, Number 9.22.71: Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "I saw Abdullah ibn Umar stop by the grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and ask for blessings on the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) and on Abu Bakr ® and Umar ®."  And in the Muwatta of our Imam, Muhammad ibn Hasan al Shaybani it is mentioned as follows in  -  The Grave of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) and What is Desirable with Respect to it:  947. Malik informed us: "Abdullah ibn Dinar informed us that Ibn Umar used - when he wanted to travel and return from a journey - to come to the grave of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) and ask blessings for him, make supplication and then leave."  Muhammad [ibn Hasan al-Shaybani] said: "That is what is to be done, that when one comes to Madinah one should visit the grave of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam)."

Imam Nafi' was a slave of Abdullah ibn Umar who had been given manumission.   According to him: " Whenever Abdullah ibn 'Umar ® came back from an expedition or war, he would visit the Hujrat as-Saada, first Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), then Hadrat Abu Bakr and then his father Hadrat 'Umar ® greeting each of them. I have seen more than a hundred times 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar say, 'As-salama 'alaika ya Rasul-Allah!''As-salamu 'alaika ya Aba Bakr!' and 'As-salamu 'alaika ya Abi (father)!' during his visits to Rasulullah's shrine." This fact is mentioned by Imam Qadi ‘Iyad in his Shifa’ and that then he would go to the blessed pulpit (in Masjid-e-Nabawi) and touch the place with his hands where Rasulullah  [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] sat and rub them over his face. (Qadi Iyad Shifa).

Ibn Asakir has narrated with a good chain of narrators from Bilal ibn Rabah®, the Muezzin,  when he travelled away from Madinah to Damascus after Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]’s death [since he could not bear to stay any longer in Madinah Munawwara for everything would remind him of his beloved, Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam)].  One day in the land of Shaam (Syria) he woke up from his sleep crying.  “What makes you cry, O Bilal?” asked his wife.   I saw Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] last night (in a dream).  And he told me, “Why are you avoiding me, O Bilal? Aren’t you going to visit us?  Which heart claims to love the Prophet but doesn’t want to visit him”. So Hadrat Bilal ® came back to Madinah Munawwara where he stood in front of his (s) blessed grave and greeted him: "Peace be upon you Allah's messenger, peace be upon you Allah’s beloved." He remembered the days and nights he passed with Prophet (sal Allahu ‘alayhi wasallam).  He collapsed onto the grave and began to rub in the soil of the grave as overwhelming love and intense eagerness gripped him as he entered Madinah Munawwara and stood in front of the grave of Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]. 

In this regard, Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar confirms that Bilal ® undertook travel for the express purpose of visiting the Prophet (sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) according to a report with a good chain in Hafiz Ibn Asakir's Tarikh Dimashq as reported above.

It is mentioned in Advice for the Muslim,  that one day, Hadrat 'Ali ® entered Masjidun Nabwi and wept long in front of Fatima's ® room. Then he entered the Hujrat as-Saada and said, "As-salamu 'alaika ya Rasul-Allah." And he wept again. Then, saying, "Alaikuma 's-salam ya akhawayya wa rahmat-Allah," he greeted Hadrat Abu Bakr ® and Hadrat 'Umar ® and went out.

It is in Hadith - Related with Abdullah bin ‘Umar  ® that he wiped his face at the place where  Prophet Mohammad [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] sat.  (at-Tabqat al-Kubra ibn Sa’d, 1:254). 

It is related about Sahaba ®  that they touched the circular parapet that is next to the blessed shrine of Prophet Mohammad [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] with their right hand and then made supplications.

It is reported in  "Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah": Abu Bakr - meaning Ibn Abi Shaybah- told us; he said: Zayd Ibn Habbab told us; he said: Abu Mawdudah told me; he said: Yazid Ibn Abd-il-Malik Ibn Qasit told me; he said: I saw a group of the Companions of the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] who, if the Masjid was free for them, stood up and went to the free Rummanah (knob) of the minbar, rubbed it, and made dua'. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah).  Ibn Qaseet and ‘Utba narrate that when the companions ®  would exit the Masjid an-Nabawi, they would touch the edges of the grave of the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] with their hands and then make du’a.

This one every Muslim knows about:  Dawud ibn Salih says: One day Marwan came and he saw that a man was lying down with his mouth turned close to the Prophet’s grave. Then he (Marwan) said to him, “Do you know what are you doing?” When he moved towards him, he saw that it was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. (In reply) he said, “Yes (I know) I have come to the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him) and not to a stone. I have heard it from the Messenger of God (Peace Be Upon Him) not to cry over religion when its guardian is competent. Yes, shed tears over religion when its guardian is incompetent." 
[Ref: Ahmad 5:422, Al-Haakim Mustadrak 4:515;  both the latter and al-Dhahabi said it was Sahih. It is thus cited by as-Subki (Shifa' as-Siqam p. 126), Ibn Taymiyya (al-Muntaqa 2:261f.),  al Tabarani in Mu'jam al-Kabir (4:189) and Mu'jam al-Awsat according to Haythami in al-Zawa'id (5:245 and 5:441 #5845 Book of Hajj, "Section on the honoring of the dwellers of Madina, the chapter on placing one's face against the grave of our Master the Prophet " and #9252 Book of Khilafa, "Chapter on the leadership of those unworthy of it"), and Ibn Hibban in Sahih. ]

It is important to note that Ibn Taymiyya and his student ad-Dhahabi have quoted this Hadith in their books which confirms that one can kiss the Grave and  place one’s head on the Grave of Prophet Mohammad [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] and Awliya Allah and request their mediation (Waseelah) after the death. 

It is in Hadith - The Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] told Mu'adh Ibn Jabal ®  to visit his Grave whenever he would return from Yemen. And he [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] promised his intercession to those who would do so.  (Musnad Ahmad with two sound chains as stated by al-Haythami, al-Bazzar, al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and Musnad al-Shamiyeen. Ibn Abi Asim in al-Ahad wal-Mathani and as-Sunna. Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra).

It is in Hadith that Mu`adh Ibn Jabal ®  and Bilal ®  came to the Grave of the Prophet (sallal laahu ‘alaihi wassallam ) and sat weeping and Bilal ®  rubbed his face against the Grave of Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]. (Ibn Majah 2:1320, Ahmad, al-Tabarani, al-Subki, and Ibn Asakir).

Yahya ® related from Imam Maalik  that he heard that Ali Ibn Abi Talib ® used to rest his head on Graves and lie on them [meaning holding the grave with his stretched hands while his head, entire face and chest is rested on the Grave]. Maalik  said, "As far as we can see, it is only forbidden to sit on the Graves to relieve oneself."  (Muatta' Imâm Malik - Book #16, Hadith #16.11.34)

Imam Ahmad's son `Abd Allah said: "I asked my father about the man who touches and kisses the pommel of the Prophet's minbar to obtain the blessing, or touches the grave of the Prophet. He responded by saying: "There is nothing wrong with it."" `Abd Allah also asked Imam Ahmad about the man who touches the Prophet's minbar and kisses it for blessing, and who does the same with the grave, or something to that effect, intending thereby to draw closer to Allah.  He replied: "There is nothing wrong with it." This was narrated by `Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his book entitled al-`Ilal fi Ma`rifat al-Rijal (2:492)

"Whenever Hazrat Anas ® used to visit the grave of  Rasoolullah Sallallaho Alaihi Wasallam, he use to stand in a way that he is offering prayer (in reality he was not offering the prayer)" (Kitubus Shifa, Vol2).

The best of the Tabiian and “Aashiq-e-Rasool” Hadhrat Uwais al-Qarni visited the sacred grave of the Messenger of Allah [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] and was so overwhelmed that he fell down in a swoon. 

Imam Zain al-Abideen  (Ali bin Hussein) ® forbade disrespectful behavior during the visits to the holy shrine of Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] and related the hadith: “Recite salawaat for me.  Wherever you are, your greetings will be communicated to me.” 

The grandson, Hadhrat Imam Ja’far as-Saadiq ® also used to visit the Hujrat as-Saada,  and standing near the pillar which stood in the direction of the Rawdat al-Mutahhara, he used to recite the Salawaat and say: “His blessed head is on this side.”

Narrated Abu Burda: When I came to Medina. I met Abdullah bin Salam. He said, "Will you come to me so that I may serve you with Sawiq (i.e. powdered barley) and dates, and let you enter a (blessed) house in which the Prophet entered? [Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 159]

In Shifa ul-Asqaam we learn that from numerous sources it is reported that  whenever someone used to leave for Madinah Munawwara, ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz (d.720 c.e.)  who has been called as the Reformist of the First Century Hijra by Imam ibn Hanbal, used to send his courier from Syria with the message: "Convey my greetings to Allah's Messenger." Yazid ibn Abi Sa`id al-Mahri said that he went to `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz and when `Umar bade him farewell, he said, "I would like you to do something for me. When you reach Madina and see the grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, greet him for me with peace." Another said, "He used to send such greetings in his letters from Syria."

Therefore, no matter what the Deviant Sects say, the Sahaba al-Kiraam used to visit the grave of the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) out of their excessive love and to seek the Baraka.  They never considered these acts of theirs as Shirk and none of the Salaf as-Saaliheen who followed them think along the "Shirk"  line.

Ad-Dhahabi wrote the following  in his book Mu'jam al-Shuyukh (1:73 #58).  "Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was asked about touching the Prophet's [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] grave and kissing it and he saw nothing wrong with it. His son 'Abd Allah related this from him. If it is asked: "Why did the Companions not do this?" We (Imam Ahmad) reply: "Because they saw him with their very eyes when he was alive, enjoyed his presence directly, kissed his very hand, nearly fought each other over the remnants of his ablution water, shared his purified hair on the day of the greater Pilgrimage, and even if he spat it would virtually not fall except in someone's hand so that he could pass it over his face. Since we have not had the tremendous fortune of sharing in this, we throw ourselves on his grave as a mark of commitment, reverence, and acceptance, even to kiss it. Do you not see what Thabit al-Bunani ® did when he kissed the hand of Anas ibn Malik ® and placed it on his face saying: "This is the hand that touched the hand of the Messenger of Allah [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]"? Muslims are not moved to these matters except by their excessive love for the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam], as they are ordered to love Allah (swt) and the Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] more than their own lives, their children, all human beings, their property, and Paradise and its maidens. There are even some believers that love Abu Bakr ® and 'Umar ®  more than themselves. (Ad-Dhahabi, Mu'jam al-Shuyukh - 1:73 #58).

Now this proves from the ‘Amal’ of Sahaba ® that they did not consider the grave of Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] as a mere-stone as some people say that Prophet is dead and blessings cannot be taken from his Dhaat anymore (Naudhobillah). Some people who dispute over this hadith due to their pseudo-knowledge must make a note that both Imam Al-Haakim and Imam Dhahabi (latter was very strict in authenticating ahadith) have agreed upon the soundness of this report. Had there been a hint of Shirk in touching or putting the head on the grave of Prophets/Saliheen then Imam Al-Haakim and Imam Dhahabi would have mentioned so, secondly there is a huge difference between Sajda and kissing.  On the contrary, Imam Dhahabi (rah) who was student of Ibn Taymiyyah has proudly proven the lovers of Prophet[sal Allahu alayhi wasallam]  as right and those who accuse these things as Shirk to be “KHAWARJIS”.  No doubt then that the modern day Khawarjis hate him and even call him “Qaboori” and a lot more.

The above ahadith Shareef confirm the fact that kissing of Graves and placing your head on the graves is the tradition of Sahabah ®. Of course, there are diverse opinions among the Sunni scholars regarding the kissing of graves.  This diverse opinion is the result that stems merely between two acts: Love and Respect (Adab). The one who kisses  the grave owing to his overwhelming love is not criticized since we have examined the evidence that this act is proven from the Sahabah.  At the same time, there were others, such as ibn Umar (R),  who maintained a respectable distance as a matter of Adab. Hence some Sunni scholars advise that one should stand at a distance of, say, four feet, from the grave. In this regard it is important to point out how the Wahhabis misquote a hadith by changing the word "dislike" into "hate": Yahya ibn Mu'een said: Abu Usma told us that Ubaydallah narrated from Naafi'that ibn Umar used to hate touching of the Prophet's grave. [Narrated by Abul Hassan Ali ibn Umar al Qazeeni in his Amaleeh and al-Hafidh al-Dhahabi.  Shaykh Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut said "its men are trustworthy." [Sayr Alaam al Nublaa' 373/12]

Please note that what Hafidh al-Dhahabi states right after narrating the above Hadith: Ibn Umar (R) used to dislike touching the grave of Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). (Imam Dhahabi said): He disliked it "BECAUSE HE FOUND IT AGAINST ADAB".  Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (rah) was asked about "TOUCHING AND KISSING THE GRAVE OF PROPHET" he said "I DO NOT SEE ANY HARM IN IT" This is narrated by his son Abdullah bin Ahmed [Al-Dhahabi in Mu'jam al-Shayukh (1/45)]

So you see dear readers, how the Extremist modern Khwarjis and heretics indulge in forgeries and manipulations in an attempt to mislead the Muslim Ummah and note their hatred for the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam). Yes, there are a couple of hadiths or so that they cite but they are beside the point and as such are not being cited here. It is the challenge of the Sunni scholars to the deviant sects to show one Sahih hadith that calls placing of hands on the graves or even kissing it as "Shirk".   

To continue, Insha Allah...

NASIR.

Which heart claims to love the Prophet (sal Allahu 'alayhi wassallam) but doesn’t want to visit him?