Part 26: VISITING THE GRAVES IS NOT GRAVE WORSHIP!

VISITING GRAVES IS NOT GRAVE WORSHIP PART 26 OF 26.

From the Layman’s Desk-14.
Part 26:   Visiting Grave is Not Grave Worship – Continued:
Branding the real Muslims who visit the Holy Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wassallam) in Madinah Munawwara and the graves of Prophets (a.s.), the Awliya-Allah, the Martyrs, the Pious, and those of ordinary Muslims  as grave worshipers is slanderous and a blatant lie because no Muslim from the time of the Holy Prophet [sal Allahu alayhi wasallam] till now ever considered these graves as places of worship.
   There is not in any of these practices one thing which calls for labeling as an unbeliever a Muslim bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I do not think that even the uneducated and gullible among people, not to mention the learned person versed in Islamic Law, is ever so impelled by his ignorance as to intend, by his visitation of a grave, to worship it; nor that he would ever believe that the grave itself accomplishes his need and creates what he wants.   No one has ever seen any Muslim praying towards a grave while considering it as a Qibla which is the direction faced during prayers.  The people at the Awliya’s tombs are engrossed in remembrance of Allah  They have not changed their deity nor do they say there are two gods.  They worship Allah at this place because it is a blessed and purified place. The place is associated with one of the beloved ones of Allah. It is a sign that reminds us of this great personality who is the dweller of this place.  They do not consider Awliya Allah as Idol gods. 

Billions of Muslims prayed in Madina near the Noble Grave. As for the licitness of praying in a mosque that contains or is located near the grave(s) of one or more righteous persons, it is established in the hadith of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): "In the Mosque of al-Khayf there is the qabr of seventy Prophets."  Narrated from Ibn `Umar by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and al-Bazzar with a chain of trustworthy narrators according to al-Haythami in Majma` al-Zawa'id (#5769, #5965).

The same Nabi Muhammad, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, who instructed us to destroy all the idols also instructed us to kiss the black stone - not for worship - but because of the stones closeness to Allah, subhana Hu wa Ta`ala. We draw an analogy between this stone and the tombs of the Awliya.  The Ka'bah is also a stone building. We pray towards it and do the tawaf around it. Does that imply worship? No!  The Ka'bah represents the presence Allah, subhanaHu wa Ta`ala, just as the shrines of the Awliya are places where Allah's, subhanaHu wa Ta`ala, Rahmah descends.  We also pray at the Maqam Ibrahim, as we are clearly instructed to in the Holy Qur'an (1:125):  "And take Maqam Ibrahim as a place of Prayer" (wat takhizu min Maqam Ibrahima Musalla ) .  Maqam Ibrahim is merely a large slab of stone containing the footprints of Nabi Ibrahim, `alayhi-s-salam.  It is thousands of years old, and is not even a grave, nor the physical feet of Nabi Ibrahim, `alayhi-s-salam.  Is praying there Shirk or Kufr?  If not, then why condemn praying at the tomb of Nabi Muhammad, (sal Allahu `alayhi wasallam), and the Awliya of his Ummah!  Also just because there is a grave in the mosque does not mean that Muslims are worshipping the grave. 

There are so many relics and structures around Ka’ba.The Hajar el Aswad (the blackstone) . Opposite the N.W. a semi circular wall of white marble where the graves of Prophet Ismael (a.s.) and his mother Bibi Hajara are located.  To the N.E. , is the Maqam-e- Ibrahim where marks of his feet are miraculously preserved.  Just because they are   in the vicinity of Ka’ba; it does not make them objects of worship. They just happen to be there.   Even Kaaba is a Qiblah. The direction God told us to face when we pray to Him.  We just worship Him...

Ibn Hisham narrates that when Nabi Muhammad (sal Allahu `alayhi wasallam) had passed away, Sayyidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, radi Allahu `anh, went to kiss his forehead and said, "How blessed and perfumed are you when you are alive, and how blessed and perfumed are you when you have passed away."  Was he making Shirk?
Prophet (sal Allahu `alayhi wasallam) said: "You gain no victory or livelihood except through (the blessings and invocations of) the poor amongst you". (Exact words of the Saudi Validated translation by Muhsin Khan).  Yes, ultimately Allah is the only Protector and Helper but the Anbiya and the Awliya are the attracters and the reflections of His help and protection.  Only an ignoramus can deny this.

It would be relevant to also point out an excerpt from the March 22, 1980 Fatwa of  Shaykh Salih al-Na`man, of Syria:  "The Community has reached consensus on the fact that tawassul is permissible when belief is sound (idha sahhat al-`aqida), and the consensus of the Community is a legal proof (ijma` al-umma hujjatun shar`iyya); as the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) said: "My Community shall not agree on an error.”  As for the claim of some extremists (ghulat) of the Wahhabiyya whereby the law's position with regard to the person who makes tawassul is that it is shirk (worshipping other than Allah together with Him): there is no proof for such a claim either legally or rationally, because the person who makes tawassul does not contravene the Prophet's order: "If you ask, ask Allah, and if you seek help, seek help from Allah." Rather, he is asking Him through one beloved to Him in order that his supplication be answered, and this is what our Lord Glorious and Majestic likes from us. How then can we judge that he is committing shirk when he is not a mushrik (one who commits shirk). Such act the law considers abominable and our religion declares itself innocent of it, because it has been said: "Whoever declares a believer to be an disbeliever has committed disbelief."  After giving certain examples, he concludes:  From this and other narrations we conclude that some of the Wahhabis today may be guilty of hastening to accuse others of disbelief (takfir), as they have done in the past with hundreds of thousands in the Hijaz whom they massacred even as they were saying La ilaha illallah, and as the Kharijis have done in the time of our Master `Ali -- may Allah ennoble his face.  "In short, tawassul is not prohibited, rather it is legally commendable (mustahsanu shar`an), and it is not permitted (la yajuz) to cast the label of shirk on the believer. This is what will be found in the established books of Islamic law. And Allah knows best."

Imam Ramli,  for example,  holds the position that should a man throw himself onto the grave of a saint, and he is clearly motivated by a spiritual condition (hal) or the man is overwhelmed by an emotion, this act of his is neither munkar, makruh nor, least of all, "shirk". His condition, the Imam says, is like the situation of Sayyidna Bilal who rubbed his face on the grave of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam)  upon his return from Syria.  Bilal ® was in Syria when the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) passed away. The implication here is that the practice of throwing oneself onto a grave becomes an abuse (munkar) if people ritualize it. But even here the ruling of "shirk" is absent.  The view to  declare these practices "acts of shirk" betrays a basic confusion between the concepts of "act" and of " belief". The truth is "acts" can never become "shirk" unless they are accompanied by a polytheistic mindset. Even then the "act" as such is not "shirk" - the "belief" or "mental orientation" is. The "act" is called "shirk" figuratively. It is simply flawed to call any "act" that looks like a bow or a prostration "shirk".  If this was true, Bilal ® is also a mushrik. The angels in bowing or prostrating before Nabi Adam (a.s.) and the brothers of Nabi Yusuf in performing sujud, as the Quran says, before him will have to be similarly judged.

No doubt, some of todays "petro-dollar shaykhs" would label Sayyidina Bilal ® a "Mushrik", claiming that he was worshipping the Prophet, sal Allahu `alayhi wa sallam!  Astaghfirullah.   For example, an astonishing  deviation of Ibn Baz is in his remarks on Fath al-Bari  by his characterizing the visit of the Companion Bilal ibn al-Harth - Allah be well-pleased with him - to the grave of the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - and his tawassul for rain there as "aberrant" (munkar) and "an avenue to polytheism" (wasîla ilâ al-shirk).”  Al-Albani's and Bilal Philips' opinions only represent the wahhabi  minority.   As Sunni Shaykhs tell us, it is also a fact that Al-Albani is "self-taught" and that he never had a Shaykh to teach him the knowledge of hadeeth.  He does not possess a continuous chain of knowledge that goes back to the Prophet (Salla Allahu 'alayhi wasallam) as the other true Sunni huffaz, like Imams Nawawi, Baihaqi, Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi, Nisa'i, and Ibn Hajar do. Hence, Al-Albani's interpretations and understanding that "tawassul done by an intermediary who is in his grave is Islamically unlawful" is false and meaningless.  The hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ud, related by Imam Ahmad in his "Musnad," states: "Whatever the majority of Muslims see as right, then that is good to Allah, and whatever the majority of Muslims see as wrong, it is wrong to Allah."  By this dalil, Al-Albani becomes among the stray and lost sheep because his opinions oppose that of the scholarly Sunni majority.

The so-called scholars  from the petro-dollar financed madrassas in response to their Master’s Voice do what they are best at: Spilling venom and hatred at the Sunni Muslims while many get going with their attempt to undermine the traditional Islam by altering the books of the great classical scholars of Islam and expunging from the books of  hadiths  all those sound traditions that are  not agreeable to the innovated  creed.   Such a list goes on and on headed by creating divisions in the Muslim Ummah by threats, fear and export of terrorism to many countries of the world. 
 

According to Yusuf Hamza, “Unfortunately, the West does not know what every Muslim scholar knows; that the worst enemies of Islam are from within. The worst of these are the khawaarij who delude others by the deeply dyed religious exterior that they project. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said about them, “When you see them pray you will consider your own prayers insignificant. They recite the Quran but it does not exceed the limits of their throat.” In other words, they don’t understand the true meanings. The outward religious appearance and character of the khawaarij deluded thousands in the past, and continues to delude people today. The Muslims should be aware that despite the khawaarij adherence to certain aspects of Islam, they are extremists of the worst type.”

In India, generally speaking,  the unsuspecting  Muslims fall an easy prey to the sophistry and chicanery of the Wahhabi-inspired  sects without investigating their claims.  When a Wahhabi oriented person accosts an ordinary or uneducated  Sunni Muslim, especially in India confronting him with the Holy Qur’an and its verses the latter is almost won over because here, and as elsewhere,  we have great reverence for anything that is attached to the Deen of Islam and it is this emotional nature which is exploited by those who have hardened hearts.  An ordinary Indian Muslim, because he doesn’t know the meaning of the Arabic words and doesn’t even know for whom the said verses are intended or that the translations being made before him are loaded with words that advance the Wahhabi creed don’t realize that they are falling into a deep chasm of heresy.   Then there is this technique of baiting the boys of impressionable age and extolling their intelligence and making them believe that they are wiser and smarter than their parents and then indoctrinating them into the Wahhabi creed.  As a result of this many Muslim homes stand divided.      

I am astonished that the subject of Aqida is hardly discussed in the Friday sermons or other gatherings to the extent that it should be done in the Sunni Masjids in our cities.   Or even if it is discussed it is just on an emotional level and not on intellectual level.  It is true that the ordinary people like me would not understand the “intellectual level”.    That is not even required!  Just give us some hints that are required to pre-empt the traps set up by a Wahhabi scholar and the sects that follow him.  A small lesson about the Ruh (Spirit/Soul),  life of Barzakh,  punishment and pleasures of the grave world, the Seerat and the teachings of our Beloved Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and the respect and the awe of the Sahaba for him (s); the life of our beloved Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) in grave, the true Aqida behind Tawassul/Istigatha, about the imperative need of love for Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and how the Sahaba loved him;  the merits and benefits of  Durud-o-Salaam; about the Surahs  and verses in Qur’an and their true meaning; and the refutations of the Wahhabi scholars by the Sunni Ulema of the past and the present.  Examples must also be given of how the texts of the Islamic books are being altered, expunged, interpolated, etc., by the Wahhabi scholars.   It cannot be over-emphasized that this subject is the need of the hour and must be given top priority by the Pesh-Imam of the Sunni Masjids in their Friday sermons and special gatherings.   Before the advent of Fitnah there was no need for all this and everyone went about the best one could do in the way of Islam. 
   
The Trustees of the Masjids should be good Muslims and true lovers of our Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and the Ahle-Bayt and the Awliya-Allah,  and they should never seek financial assistance from the Wahhabi funds.  Most of the Sunni Masjids are in state of disrepair so that the Wahhabis offer funds by persuading the Trustees to appoint their own Imam whereafter they take over the Masjids.    As for the poor Muslims, they are attracted by the prospect of assured “Daawat” (meal-parties) that are doled out and a chance to roam about in the country and abroad in the name of Daawah where  boarding and lodging in their own local mosques are of common occurrence.   

Islamic scholars point out that “Even today, if a person or a number of people were to petition the country of Saudi Arabia, they would receive funds or grants if they promise that a Masjid or Madrassah would be built - to teach the Wahabi cirriculum. Or if a magazine would begin to circulate then, it too would receive funds to propagate the Wahabi beliefs.  It is in this way, and by currently owning large, well equipped publishing houses, that the Wahabis have been able to mass-distribute and mass-circulate misinformation about the Ahle As Sunnah Wal Jammat and propagate their own beliefs passing them under the guise of “Salafi” Islam.  Many, if not all, of their publications are beautifully designed but, this cannot hide the fact that they are continually trying to break Sunni Muslims from a scholarship that has flourished for over 1400 years. The head office of this “organisation” is in the Najd region, that was where Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab was born.” (Alahazrat.net)

According to B. Raman, a former intelligence official in Indian Government, says that there is an attempt at spreading Wahhabism through funding from Saudi Arabia.  When a clean-shaven Muslim was not allowed to offer prayers in a Deoband mosque in Saharanpur, leading to clashes late last year, Sultan Shahin, editor of newageIslam.com, said: “The Wahabi onslaught on Sunni Indian Muslims is now acquiring overtones of Talibani extremism and violence.”

It is interesting to note that as posted on PBS.Org. (Frontline House of Saud) about 26 Saudi theologians,  including missionaries, Professors and Attorneys  addressed the Iraqi people in an open sermon at Friday prayers on Nov. 5, 2004.  Among other things they stated:

“One of the conventions of the divine law (sharia'a) -- no contentions about it among Muslims -- is the preservation of the blood of Muslims, their wealth and their honor. In the Quran, the biggest sin after apostasy is the willful killing of another believer. God said: "If a man kills a Believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (forever). And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him" (Al Nisa'a, 93).  In the book Sahih Al Bukhari [about the teachings and sayings of the prophet] "If two Muslims meet with their swords, the killer and the killed will go to hell." And in the Sahihine [another book of the prophet's sayings], Jarir said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his farewell hajj said to him: "And the people listened," and then said, "Do not become after me infidels hitting on each others necks [killing each other]".   And in the Sahih Al Bukari, Omar said that the Prophet (peace be upon him), said, "One is always free in his religion as long as he has not killed willfully." [The meaning of this saying is one can repent from all other sins but not from willful murder.]”

Imam Muhammad Amin Ibn Abidin, a Hanafi scholar who passed away in 1836 CE, said in his "Hashiyya radd al-Mukhtar," volume 3, page 309: "In our time Ibn Abdl-Wahhab (Najdi) appeared, and attacked the two noble sanctuaries (Makkah and Madinah). He claimed to be a Hanbali, but his thinking was such that only he alone was a Muslim, and everyone else was a polytheist! Under this guise, he said that killing the Ahl al-Sunna was permissible....."

We have seen some of the sound hadiths that say it is forbidden to commit atrocity upon Muslims and that their blood, honour and wealth are inviolable.  There is also a hadith shareef that says:  Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): “Who are the most excellent among the Muslims?” He said, “One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure.” [Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]  Yet if one is sincere, one only needs to look into the History Najd and how Saudi Arabia  was carved out after slaughtering hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims in Hijaz, including Makkah, Madina Munawwara, Taif and  even Karbala,  and how it gained the tacit approval of the murderers’  imperialist masters.  Even as late as in 1924 when thousands of Sunni Muslims from Taif were ruthlessly killed, plundered and religious books thrown on the streets.   We need not repeat all those incidents  here.   The History is there for all to see.  Warning: Even the history is being changed by the Wahhabi scholars.  So get your copy of the true history before it vanishes! But it may be stated that regarding the hadith 'I have been commanded to fight against disbelievers until they say La ilaha illa'llah, this hadith shows that it is not permissible to kill Muslims.   The sixth ayat al-karima of Surat at-Tawba  declares, 'Free them who make tawba and perform salat and give zakat.'  The twelfth ayat al-karima of Surat at-Tawba declares, 'They are your brothers in Islam.'  It is declared, 'We judge according to the appearance we see. Allahu ta'ala knows the secret,' in a hadith.  Another hadith  declares, 'I am not ordered to dissect the hearts of men and see their secrets.'  Hadrat Usama ® killed a man who had been heard to have said, 'La ilaha illa'llah'; when Usama claimed that the man had not had iman in his heart, Rasulullah declared, 'Did you dissect his heart?'

As stated before, the fact of the matter is they quote ayah’s like the Khawaarij because they are the Khawaarij.  Do they even  consider Surah Fusssilaat, ayah 40, where Allah says:  “Indeed, those who misinterpret Our ayat are not concealed from Us. So, is he who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection?  Do whatever you will; indeed, He is Seeing of what you do.” Do they ponder over the very words of the beloved Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wasallam when he said: “What I fear most in my community is a man who interprets passages of the Qur’an out of their context”.  Do they reflect over the words of Ibn Abbas, the one who was given direct understanding of the Qur’an three times over when said: “Do not be like the Khawarij, interpreting the ayat of the Qur’an about the common Muslims and it was only sent down regarding the People of the Book and the idol worshippers.  So they were ignorant of its knowledge and they used it to spill the blood, seize wealth and make the charge of astrayness against Muslim Orthodoxy. You must have the knowledge of what was sent down by way of these things in the Qur’an.”  But one needs to remember that “ It is striking that not one of the great muhaddiths, mufassirs, grammarians, historians, or legists of Islam has emerged from the region known as Najd, despite the extraordinary and blessed profusion of such people in other Muslim lands.” 

The Wahhabis claim that in practicing the religion and in explaining and interpreting its laws, one must take inspiration from the conduct and practice of the caliphs, the Companions {sahabah} and Followers {tabi'un} because they are closer to the time of revelation and the Prophet (s). We know that this is nothing but an empty claim and their beliefs regarding ziyarah is contrary to the sayings and practice of the Companions because even after conquering new territories, the Sahaba and the Muslim army never destroyed any graves but in fact preserved them.  For instance, when Syria was conquered during the reign of the Hadhrat Umar ® the second caliph, the Muslims preserved the graves of Hadhrat Zakariyya (Zechariah) and Yahya (John the Baptist), peace be upon them,  considering them as holy. Similarly, when Jerusalem was surrendered to Hazrat Umar (R), the graves besides the Masjid al-Aqsa were not destroyed or demolished.  It is significant to note that in Jordan there are many graves of prophets with domes erected over them.  In the occupied land of Palestine, there is the grave of Ibrahim (a.s.).  and the graves of Ishaaq (a.s.), Yaqub (a.s.) and Yusuf (a.s.); in Iraq there are the graves of Dhul Kifl (a.s.), Hud (a.s.) and Salih (a.s.).  These graves have always been there.   These graves have been there with all the Muslims for a thousand years.  The question is, if this were misquidance, why did the Muslims not demolish them?  The city wall of Constantinople was very high. The Romans were sending fireballs from the top of the wall, which did not let the Muslims make a breach in the wall and enter the city. During the siege, Hazrat Ayub Ansari, who was then 80 years old, fell very ill. He advised his companions that he should be buried as much inside the enemy territory as possible. Following the instructions, the Muslims sent a message to the Romans that if they ever tried to disrespect or mutilate the body of the companion of the Holy Prophet, they would never let them rest. The body of Hazrat Ayub was taken close to the city wall and buried there. But the expedition failed due to the strong fortification of the city.   Sultan Mohammad Fateh earned the unique honour of annexing it to the Muslim empire. He thus fulfilled the forecast of the Holy Prophet (peace by upon him): “Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful the leader and his army would be.” The Sultan came to be known as the conqueror of Constantinople. He was only 21 years old at that time.  After the victory, the Sultan extended liberal treatment to the city’s Christian population and renamed the city as Istanbul. The first thing the Sultan did after conquering the city was to build a mosque, near the Golden Horn, at the tomb of Hazrat Ayub Ansari, who had died during the Islamic assault on Constantinople.
So who has given permission to the Wahhabis to destroy the Islamic heritages and the graves and shrines of Muslims? Is this the way of taking inspiration from the Salaf-as-Saliheen, namely,  to eradicate Islamic legacy and heritage and to systematically remove all its vestiges so that in the days to come Muslims will have no affiliation with their religious history!  This is definitely a reprehensible innovation (Bidah) by the Wahhabis.  

Sayyid Yusuf ar-Rifa’I, the contemporary Islamic scholar from Kuwait, has in fact tendered advice to the ulema of Najd.  He states in Nasiha Li Ikhwanina ‘Ulama Najd (Advice to our brothers, the scholars of Najd): “What shamelessness  in his (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) presence the Day we come to drink from his blessed Basin! Alas! Woe and misery for a Sect that hates its Prophet whether in words or in deed, holding him in contempt and trying to eradicate his traces!” The Shaykh further thunders righteously: “You left none but yourselves as  those who are saved – forgetting that Prophet’s (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam) saying: ‘If anyone says the people have perished then he has perished the most’.” This hadith shareef was narrated from Abu Hurairah by Malik, Ahmad, Muslim, al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-mufrad, and Abu Dawood.

It is further painful to note that while Islamic heritages have been destroyed by the Wahhabis,  the topographies of Makkah and Madina Munawwara are changing.  According to The Independent:   "Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Mohamed insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être."  According to Sami Angawi, a renowned Saudi Expert on the region's Islamic architecture:  “Both [Mecca and Medina] are historically almost finished. You do not find anything except skyscrapers.”  Therefore, the Newspaper's headline shrieks: "Islam's holiest site turning into Vegas."   As Umar bin al-Khataab (RA) said: "We were the most disgraced of people, and Allah granted us honor with Islam. No matter how much we seek honor in other than that which Allah honored us with, Allah shall disgrace us (once again)."

Rasulullah (sal-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) foretold all that would happen to his umma till the Resurrection.  Among the signs of the Hour mentioned by the Noble Messenger of Allah – Allah bless and greet him and his Family and Companions – in Sahih al-Bukhari is “when the destitute (al-buhm) camelherds compete in building tall structures.” Another version in al-Bukhari has: “when the barefoot and the naked are the top leaders (lit. “heads”) of the people.” In Sahih Muslim: “you shall see the barefoot, naked, indigent (al-`âla) shepherds compete in building tall structures.” Another version in Muslim states: “when the naked and barefoot are the top leaders of the people.” A third version in Muslim has: “when you see that the barefoot and naked, the deaf and dumb are the kings of the earth.” Al-Qurtubi said: “What is meant here is the prediction of a reversal in society whereby the people of the desert country will take over the conduct of affairs and rule every region by force. They will become extremely rich and their primary concern will be to erect tall building and take pride in them. We have witnessed this in our time as well as the import of the hadith: “The hour will not rise until the happiest man will be the depraved son of a depraved father (lukka` ibn lukka`),” and also “if the leadership is entrusted to those unfit for it, then expect the hour,” both found in the authentic collections.” Ibn Hajar said in commenting this passage of the hadith in Fath al-Bari:  It was said that “bear-foot and naked,” “deaf and dumb” are their attributes by way of hyperbole, showing how coarse they are. That is, they did not use their hearing or sight in anything concerning their Religion even though they are of perfectly sound senses. The Prophet’s (saws) words: “The heads of the people” means the kings of the earth. Abu Farwas’ narration names the kings explicitly. What is meant by them is the people of the desert country, as was made explicit in Sulayman al-Taymi’s and other narrations: “Who are the barefoot and naked?” He answered: “The Bedouin Arabs.”  Al-Tabarani relates through Abu Hamza, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas from the Prophet Muhammad, sallahu alayhi wa sallam, that “one of the signs of the change of the Religion is the affectation of eloquence by the rabble and their betaking to palaces in big cities.”  Anas b. Malik narrated that the Prophet said: Dajjal will come and put a camp at a place outside Madina and Madina will shake three times whereupon every Kaafir and hypocrite will go out of the Madina towards him. [Sahih al-Bukhari Vol.9, book 88, Hadith No. 239]. 

It is worth remembering that the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) has positively and categorically stated that his Ummah will never commit Shirk as the following hadith shows:  Uqba ibn Amir reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left one day and prayed for the martyrs of Uhud. Then he returned to the Minbar and said: ‘I am preceding you. And I am a witness (Shaheed) over you all. I swear by Allah! I am verily looking at the Hawdh Kauthar now. And verily, I have been given the keys to the treasures of the earth, or the keys to the earth. And verily, I swear by Allah! I do not fear that you will commit Shirk after me. But I do fear you will compete and fight with one another.’

(Sahih al-Bukhari; Book of Funerals; Chapter; Prayer on a Martyr)

This sahih hadith states that his umma will never worship idols, that he was assured of it.  This hadith ash-Sharif demolishes Wahhabism by the roots, for the Wahhabite book claims that the Ummat al-Muhammadiyya worship idols, that Muslim countries are full of idols, that tombs are idol-houses. It says that one also becomes a disbeliever by not believing that he who expects help or intercession at shrines is a disbeliever.    Why did Hadhrat Abu Bakr ® and Hadhrat Umar ® express their desires to be buried near the Rawdah al-Mutahhara of Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wassallam)?  Any how, not believing what the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said about his Ummah not becoming polytheists is disobedience and rebellion against him (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) and against Allah (swt) whose beloved Messenger he (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) is,  and it also  falsely attributes lies  to  the one who reported this hadith.    Remember! It was Iblis  who was the first one to rebel against Allah and his commandment on the so-called ground of Tauhid.   Allah tells us how He issued an unconditional command to Iblis to leave the position he held among the highest of heights. He told him that he was an outcast, i.e., cursed, and that he would be followed by a curse that would hound him until the Day of Resurrection.  The angels who obeyed Allah and prostrated before Adam pursuant to Allah’s commandment were blessed.  Yet the Wahhabis/Deobandis  say:

“All Prophets are useless.” (maazAllah) (Taqwiyatul Eeman, page 29).

 “If Allah so wishes, he can create millions like Prophet (Salla Allahu Alaihi Wasallam).” (Taqwiyatul Eeman, page 16).

The Prophet is to be respected only as an elder brother.” (Taqwiyatul Eeman, page 58).

“The Prophet was at the end of his wits” (Astagfirullah) (Taqwiyatul Eeman, page 55).

“The Prophet of Allah doesn’t know what will become of him in the end, and he doesn’t know what lies behind the wall.” (Baraheen-e-Qaateah, page 51). 

“The knowledge that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has received from Allah is the kind of knowledge that animals, lunatics and children have.” (Hifzul Eeman, page 7).  10.

 “Deobandi Maulvi saved the Prophet from falling (into Hell).” (Astagfirullah) (Bulghatul Hairaan, page 8).

There is no harm in saying "La Ilaha Illalahu Ashraf Ali Rasoolullah" and "Allahuma Salli Ala Sayidina Wa Nabeeyina Ashraf Ali". (Risalah Al Imdaad page 35, month of Safar 1336 H, Roodaad-e-Munaazirah ‘geya’, Al- Furqaan V 3 page 85).

Not being content with insulting the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) they utter further blasphemy:

“Allah does not know beforehand what people will do; after people do something, Allah comes to know about it.” (Tafseer Bulghatul Hairaan, page 157- 158). 

Dear Readers:  The above blasphemies are just the tips of the iceberg.  These have been cited only to show that those who degrade Allah and the prophets while at the same time extolling the Satan directly or indirectly can never be on the right path of Islam.  Get away from such groups and sects with all the haste you can.  Of course the Sunni Islamic scholars refuted all those blasphemous statements soundly.  At least some 250 books were written as a rebuttal to Taqwiyatul Iman in various languages.  As has been pointed out, In India, "The movement to protect the Ahlu's Sunnah and to reinstill the respectof the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) in the hearts of Muslims was led by the scholars of Khairabad, Badayun and Bareilly.  This movement came into prominence as an answer to the Wahabbi movement and was greatly aided by the Imam of the Ahlu's Sunnah, Maulana Ahmed Raza Hanafi Qadri Barkati of Bareilly, India (d.1340 AH/1921 c.e.) whose immense knowledge and outstanding knowledge saw to it that the creed of Ahlu's'Sunnah, the creed of our predecessors, the creed of our elders prevailed."

Lastly, we shall conclude with the warning given by the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam): The Beloved Prophet (Sal Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

"In the period prior to the Day of Judgement, false and deceitful groups will emerge. They will say things to you, which neither you nor your forefathers will have ever heard before. Stay away from these deceitful people and do not let them come near you!  Do not be misguided by them and do not let them cause strife amongst you!" (Sahih Muslim)

Allah and his Rasool knows best!

CONCLUDED.

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck.  May Allah Ta’ala bless all readers and May He bring you closer to Him and His Rasul Allah sal Allahu alayhi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and may He grant us the capacity to be good and do good.  Ameen!

NASIR.

O Allah pray on our Master Muhammad a prayer by means of which we will be saved from every awe-inspiring harmful thing, 
and that will take care of all of our needs,
and purify us by means of it from all of our ugly qualities and characteristics
and raise us and purify us by means of it from all of our ugly qualities and characteristics
and raise us up by means of it in Your Presence to the highest of degrees,
and cause us to reach by means of it the extremes of all goodness in our life and after our death
and this prayer be upon his family and his companions
and may he be given safety and much salaam.                                                                     

Part 5: DEATH IS NOT THE END OF JOURNEY, Islamic Perspective in Brief.

8. From the Layman’s Desk:  DEATH IS NOT THE END OF JOURNEY- ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE IN BRIEF - Concluding Part.


In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful.
“And know that Messenger of Allah is among you …” (Qur’an 49:7)


Though we have already discussed about the faculties of the dead in the grave and these include hearing and recognition, yet we would like to point out what the Shafi’I scholar, Alauddin Ali bn Ismail (d.792/1329) wrote in his book, Al-Alal Fi Hayati’l-Anbiya. He wrote: “Prophets and all muslims souls come down to their graves. Therefore, visiting the graves is ‘Mustahab’. They hear and reply to those who greet them.” Also, we are told that the soul of the Muslim in the grave and that of the visitor are like mirrors which reflect on each other. When the visitor looks at the grave and gives himself up to Allahu ta'ala's qada', his soul perceives this and his knowledge and moral qualities attain faid, which is then reflected to the heart of the one in the grave. And the knowledge and faid that have come from Allahu ta'ala to the soul of the dead are reflected to the visitor's soul. However, we would like to remind our readers what we noted before, namely, that the Prophets (peace be upon them all) and the Martyrs are alive in Barzakh as the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said: “The Prophets are alive and they pray in their graves.” (Narrated by al-Mundhiri and al-Bayhaqi who classed it as authentic).


We would also like to reiterate the declaration made in Manhaj al-Salaf by the late Shaykh Muhammad ibn Alawi of Makkah Muazzama that the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) is alive with a complete isthmus life (hayaat Barzakhiyya) which is “great and better and more perfect than worldly life – indeed dearer, sweeter, more perfect and more beneficial than worldly life.” Imam Jalaaludeen Suyuti (rah.), in his book, Amba-ul-azkia fi hayatil-ambiya, after reviewing a number of Traditions and authenticated references concludes the issue of the life of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) after his momentary Wisaal as follows, "Indeed the Prophet is alive with his body and soul, and exercises his powers at his disposal, and every part of the world is in his access, and he is in the very original form as he was before his momentary Wisaal without any changes."


However, we won’t be discussing about the Prophet’s (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) isthmus life and his (s) hearing of the salaat and salaam that are presented either near his blessed grave or that are conveyed to him from any where else in the world by the angels as well as about the deeds of the ummah that shown to him there. The Holy Qur’an too says that the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) is a witness over the entire community. As ibn Ameerul Hajj writes in Al-Madkhal: “There is no difference between his (s) death and life as regards his watching over his Ummah and their affairs and intentions and their regrets and their thoughts.” (1/364) These subject- matters merit an independent dissertation. Of course all this has been indubitably established by the classic as well as the modern Sunni scholars of Haq and Sufi Shaykhs time and again, soundly refuting the contrary claims that come from the hearts that are devoid of mercy of Allah.


Now, while discussing this journey, it will be apt to end it by a brief discussion about visiting the graves of the Muslim believers which is a natural corollary that arises out of the Quranic injunction of not to stand at the grave of hypocrites. According to the Holy Qur’an:


“And never offer prayer for anyone of them who dies and do not stand by his grave, surely they disbelieve in Allah and His Apostle and they shall die in transgression”. (Surah Tauba: 84)


Hence, the Islamic scholars say: When the Holy Qur’an commands that one should avoid these two actions with regards to the hypocrites it means that for others who are not hypocrites these actions are good and worthy to be performed.


VISITING THE GRAVES IS THE SUNNAH OF PROPHET (sallal alaihi wassallam)
At the outset, it may be mentioned that according to Islamic scholars, the prophetic traditions and their ‘sanad’ (documentation) regarding the visit to the graves are written in details in the eighth volume of az-Zarqani’s commentary to Al-Mawahib and at the end of the fourth volume of as-Samudi’s Wafa’ al-wafa’. In these books, it is also written that these hadiths were ‘hasan’ (approved). That means that any contrary assertion as to the reliability of those ahadith is groundless and should be discarded.


The well-known hadith says: “Previously I prohibited you from visiting the graves. Now I permit you to do so. Visit then the graves…” According to Islamic scholars, the Prophet has commanded us in this hadith to visit graves, and that he did not differentiate between the graves that are near and the graves that are distant for visiting which it becomes necessary to travel.


The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), himself used to visit the graves of his deceased companions, and it is narrated in Sahih Muslim and Sunan of at-Tirmidhi that the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) regularly visited the graveyard of Madinah, Jannat al-Baqi', and made supplications there. We also know that he used to visit the grave of Hazrat Khadija ® his wife and mother of believers, at the Jannatul Muala, the second holiest graveyard after Baqi and said of her grave that it was a place of blessings. We also know from the hadith quoted in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassalla) visited his honourable mother’s grave at Abwa (a place between Makkah and Madinah) along with his companions and even wept there. The companions too wept on seeing him (s) weep. It is also narrated in Sahih Muslim that Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) taught his wife, our mother Sayyida Aisha ® , the etiquette of visiting graves and the way of greeting the dead.


Al-Baihaqi narrates that Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) used to visit the graveyard of the martyrs of Uhud annually. Imam Fakhruddin al-Razi writes in Tafseer-e-Kabeer that on such occasions all the Four Companions used to do the same. Ibrahim bin Muhammad (ra) reported that Holy Prophet used to visit the graves of martyrs of Uhud Battle in the beginning of year and said : السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْکُمْ بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَي الدَّارِ.
Salaam on you ! As a result of your patience, what a nice place you got in the Hereafter! Abu Bakr, Umar and Usman (ra) also used to visit in the same way. (ref :- 1.. Abdur Razzaq al-musnaf : 3:573 2.. Aini , Umdat-ul-Qari, 8:70 3.. Tabari, Jami Al-Quran, 13:142 4.. Imam Suyuti, Dur-ul-Mansoor, 4:641 5.. Ibn-e-Kathir, tafseer-ul-Quran-ul-Azeem,) Radd al-Muhtar (also famous as Hashiyat Ibn Abidin and, in the Subcontinent, as Shami) also contains a prophetic tradition to show that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) used to visit Uhud annually.

Additioally, in  As-sahih it is recorded that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri would extend salutations to the grave of Hamzah (R).  Umm Salamah, one of the honorable wives of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam), and individuals such as Abu Hurayrah, Fatimah Khuza‘iyyah, and ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar al-Khattab  (may Allah be pleased with them) also used to perform ziyarah to this group of martyrs.


So, besides merely visiting the graves, in some cases the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) would also make a habit of visiting them at specific times every year. Pursuant to that, such is the custom of Muslim majority all over the world even today. Therefore, there can be no denying of the fact that visiting the graves is a sunnah of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam). This fact is admitted in Fat’h al-Majeed too.

Sahaba visited the Blessed Grave of Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam):

Visiting the grave of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) is part of the Sunna and is both excellent and desirable. Ibn `Umar said that the Prophet said, "My intercession is assured for all who visit me."... This hadith was declared 'Sahih' (sound) according to early scholars such as  Ibn al-Sakan in al-Sunan al-Sihah and ‘Abd al-Haqq al-Ishbili in al-Ahkam, followed by Shaykh al-Islam al-Taqi al-Subki in Shifa’ al-Siqam in view of the totality of the chains - as related by Ibn Hajar in Talkhis al-Habir (2:267)  (Cf. al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar (5:95) and al-Sindi in his notes on Ibn Majah).  Other hadith scholars who considered it authentic are Ibn Hajar’s student the hadith master al-Sakhawi in Qawl al-Badih (p.160) and  the hadith master of Madina al-Samhudi in Al Saa'dat al-Darayn (1:77).  Some scholars considered this hadith as 'Hasan' (Approved), and these include Abu Ghudda as also al-Lucknawi who stated in his Zafar al-Amani that hadith is hasan, as Taqi al-Din al-Subki has expounded in his book Shifa’ al-Siqam fi Ziyara Khayr al-Anam.
Of course, there are many other hadiths on the visitation to the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and,  generally, they thus strengthen one another. 


According to the Sunni scholars, there is no contest among the jurists of the Four Schools regarding the probative force of the narration of Ibn Umar (R),  since it has been adduced time and again by the jurists to support the strong desirability of visiting the Prophet  (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and greeting  him – in Madina Munawwara.  Imam Nawawi says in his Adhkaar: “It is a sunna to visit frequently the shrine of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and of the pious Muslims and to stay long near such places of visitations.” (page 98).  This fact is strongly supported by the Hanbali sources too, including al-Qudama's al-Mughni (3:297)!


Therefore we find the Sahaba visiting the blessed grave of Holy Prophet (s) at times.  We are mentioning just a few examples here:  (We are not discussing here the many ahadith regarding the Tawassul though it is a  connected subject). After the conquest of Damascus, 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!
Imam Nafi' (rah.) was a slave of Abdullah ibn Umar who had been given manumission. He reported that 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. In fact, according to him: "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."


Similarly, we have evidence of Hadrat Bilal's ® coming from Damascus to Madinah Munawwara to visit the grave of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam). This also took place during the caliphate of Hadrat Umar ® and a few months before Bilal ® died. He had seen a vision of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) telling him, "O Bilal! What’s this unfriendliness, didnt you miss visiting me Bilal?" As soon as he woke up, he hurried to Madinah. He stood in front of the Prophet’s (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) grave and greeted him: "Peace be upon you Allah's messenger, peace be upon you Allah’s beloved."


As reported in Ibn Majah (2:1320) (as also by Ahmad, al-Tabarani, al-Subki and ibn 'Asakar): Mu`adh ibn Jabal (R) and Bilal (R) also came to the grave of the Prophet and sat weeping, and the latter rubbed his face against it.In this regard, Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar confirms that Bilal® undertook travel for the express purpose of visiting the Prophet, sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, according to a report with a good chain in hafiz Ibn `Asakir's Tarikh Dimashq.


In passing, I would like to point out that in his edition of Ibn Hajar (Fath al-Bari), the Wahhabi scholar Ibn Baz rejects the hadith of Bilal ibn al-Harith's Tawassul at the blessed grave of Prophet (sal Allalhu alayhi wasallam) for seeking rains,  as a valid source  and brazenly condemns the act of the Companion who came to the grave, calling it munkar (aberrant) and wasila ila al-shirk (a means to associating partners to Allah). We seek protection from Allah from ignorance and error.  According to the Wahhabi logic, this would make the Companion Bilal ibn al-Harith guilty of shirk ul-akbar.  May Allah protect us from such perverted accusations against the beloved Companions of our beloved Prophet (peace & blessings upon him)!

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, Hakim 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, 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.




We also know from the historical accounts that whenever someone used to leave for Madinah Munawwara, Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz, 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."...


It is significant to note that when Syria (i.e. Shaam in Arabic/Urdu) was conquered during the Caliphate of  Hazrat Umar (R), the Muslims preserved the graves of Zakaria (Zechariah) and Yahya (John the Baptist) - peace be upon them both.  Similarly, when Jerusalem was surrendered to Hazrat Umar (R), the graves besides the Masjid al-Aqsa were not destroyed or demolished.   

We shall just cursorily mention a few events when the visitors heard the reply of Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) from his blessed grave.


Two years after the sad incident of Karbala, a horrendous siege was laid by Yazid in the year 63 (after Hijri) during which incident (called 'Harra') some 12,000 of Yazid’s soldiers plundered Madinah Munawwara and killed 700 Ansaars and Muhajareeen. Some 10,000 civilians lost their life. A thousand women became pregnant as a result of the savage rape of thousands of women by the yazidi army. Such was the tyranny unleased on Madinah. As stated in Khasa’is Kubra, the famous Tabii of the time, ibn Musayyib, found himself alone in the Masjidun Nabwi at times. For days together no one entered the Masjid and all that time he heard the the Adhaan (call to prayers) and the iqaamat from the grave of the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam).


It is interesting to note that ibn Taimiyya states in his Iqtida as-sirat al-Mustaqim (page 373): Ibn Musayyib’s listening to the Adhaan from the grave of the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) or the returning of the salaam from the grave of Awliya is “Haqq” and we believe in it.


Again, on the day the house of Uthman ® was blockaded by his assassins, he said, "I will not go anywhere! I cannot leave Madinah and Rasulullah."  Pausing here, a question comes to the mind as to why did he say that he couldn't leave Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam)? Wasn't the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) buried in the grave?  It is clear that the Sahaba never considered that Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) was no longer there.  Ibn `Umar related from `Uthman that the previous night the latter had seen the Prophet in his dream telling him: "Be strong! Verily you shall break your fast with us tomorrow night."  Incidentally, it may be stated here that several reports state that at the time of `Uthman’s (R) siege and martyrdom,  Zayd ibn Thabit had marshalled three hundred Ansâr in his defense together with Abu Hurayra, Ibn `Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, (May Allah be pleased with them all) but `Uthman (R) forbade all of them to fight.


One incident from the Kitab ar-Ruh: Ibrahim Ibn Shayban said: “One year I went on a pilgrimage then I came to Madinah and approached the grave of the prophet(sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and said Salam to him. I heard, coming from inside the room, the reply:”Wa’alaikum al-salam.” (Narrated from Muhammad ibn Hibban by Abu Nu’aym in Al-Targhib (#102), Ibn Al-Najjar in Akhbar al-Madinah (pg. 146), Ibn Jawzi al-Qayyim in Muthir al-Gharam (pg. 486-498), Al-Fayruzabadi in Al-Silat wal Bushr (pg. 54) and by Ibn Taimiyya in Iatida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (page 373 to 374)

In al-Tafsir al-Kabir, (Vol..21, p.86) Imam  Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi writes that when the body of Hazrat   Abu Bakr Siddiq (R) was bought to the blessed grave of the Prophet *sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), it was said: Peace be upon you. This is Abu Bakr present at your door. Suddenly, the door opened and a voice came from the blessed grave saying: Bring the beloved to the beloved. 

We have many other such incidents such as that of Hadrat Ahmed Rifai’s greeting the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) whose hand came out of the blessed grave (in 555 Hijri) and the Mystic Saint kissed it in the presence of thousands of people. According to the accounts, in that crowd was Hadrat Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Ghousul Azam ®.


Visiting Parents’ Graves:
While on the subject of visitation to the graves, we shall now turn to the merits of visiting our parents graves. Baihaqi narrates in Shu'ab al-Iman that the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said: "Whoever visits the grave of his parents or the grave of one of them, every Friday, he will be forgiven and his name will be written among the pious ones." Just imagine, visiting the grave of one’s parents opens the door to remission of one’s sin!


Imam Sayuti mentions in Sharh us- Sudoor Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) said that when you visit the graveyard, you should read Surah Ikhlas, Surah Takathur and Surah Fatiha, and present the reward of the recitations as a gift to the inhabitants of the graves. Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) explains that these souls will then make du'a (supplicate) for you, asking Allah (Most High) to forgive you and bless you. 


Some people object to the recitation of Surah Yasin for the dead ones.  The Prophet sallal laahu alaihi wassallam said: "Recite Sura Yaseen for your deceased ones" (Abu Dawud, Ibn-e-Maaja, Mishkaat - Kitaabul Janaiz).  Scholars point out that the hadith is rigorously authenticated by Imam Suyuti (rah.) as well as Ibn Habban.    And al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, when discussing this hadith in al-Talkhis al-Habir, mentioned that Imam Ahmad (rah.) said in his Musnad, "Abul-Mughira informed us that Safwan informed us that the scholars used to say: If it, meaning Ya Sin, is read for the dying, his [death] will be lightened by it. "


It is mentioned in the commentary of `Umdat al-Sālik that the soul’s connection with the grave is never severed, and it is stronger from `Asr on Thursday until sunrise on Saturday, which is why people often visit graves on Thursday afternoon and Friday. [Shaykh Nuh Keller, Reliance of the Traveler]


Visiting the grave of Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam):
It is not a secret that to those who are endowed with understanding, a visit to the Prophet's (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) grave is more beneficial than any other experience whether this visit is on his way or not. It is the most excellent of quest and draws us nearer to Allah and earns for the intercession of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) on the day Reckoning.  The prophetic traditions are many in this regard but are not being cited since it is not our topic. 


In his commentary on Qadi `Iyad, Imam `Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi writes: "There is no doubt that among the highly venerated sanctuaries, Makkah is preferable to Madina itself, except for the mound of the Prophet's sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) grave, which is mercy and tranquillity: for it is better than the Ka`ba or rather, better than the Throne itself according to a large group of the Islamic scholars." (Source: al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa', Dar al-kutub al-`ilmiyya ed., 2:162). Ibn al- Qayyim uses the words ratibun matirun ("moist and fresh" i.e. as alive as can be) in his book Kitab ar-Ruh. His grave is better than paradise. He is returning our greetings of peace and interceding for the Community, and his grave is more blessed than the Kaaba.


Ibn `Aqeel al-Hanbali said, according to Ibn al-Qayyim in his Bada'i` al-fu'ad:   "Nothing is like the Hujra [Prophet's room] by Allah! not the Kaaba, not the Throne and the Throne-Bearers, not the Sixth Paradise [Jannat `Aden], and not the Revolving Universes, for in that Hujra there is a BODY more precious in the balance than this world and the next."


Mulla Ali al-Qari in his book Sharhu sh-Shafa, vol. 2: "Ibn Taymiyyah the Hanbalite was extreme when he prohibited setting out to visit the tomb of the Prophet (s). Others were even more extreme when they said that visiting is definitely a pious act in religion, and denying this is condemned as infidelity. Perhaps the second point was nearer to being correct, because (of the rule that says) prohibiting that which, according to the consensus of the ulama, is considered as recommended (mustahhab) is considered as unbelief, for here prohibition supercedes something that was permissible by unanimous agreement in this case."



Visiting graves of prophets and awliya-Allah is not Grave Worship:


Consider this hadith in Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 423 which is narrated by Abu Huraira (R):  "…Then Moses asked, "O my Lord! What will be then?" He said, "Death will be then." He said, "(Let it be) now." He asked Allah that He bring him near the Sacred Land at a distance of a stone's throw. Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said , "Were I there I would show you the grave of Moses by the way near the red sand hill."

According to the above hadith in Sahih Bukhari, it is the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) who is expressing a desire that he would show the Sahaba the grave of Moses if  he (s)were there!  It is also a fact that Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) never destroyed any grave nor did he instruct the Sahaba to do so.  So who came up with the bold unislamic innovation of destroying the graves of Sahaba as well as their homes, including the home of Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) thus wiping out the vestiges of Islam?  You know the answer! 


Again,  if the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) himself used to visit the graves all his blessed life on earth, and if Hadrat Umar ® himself went for the ‘ziyaarah’ of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) along with Ka’b al-Ahbar, and if Hadrat Bilal ® could leave Damascus for the purpose of solely visiting the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) at Madinah Munawwara pursuant to a dream, and if Umar bin Abdul Aziz used to send his salaam to the blessed grave of Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) through an emissary, then how on earth could visiting the graves of Muslims, especially those of the prophets and the Sahaba, the martyrs and the Awliya-Allah constitute “grave worship” as some scholars of minority sect would have us believe! 

Some minority sects who strangely call themselves Sunnis,  try to slander the real Sunnis who are the Muslim majority of Ahle sunna wal Jamaat by saying that visiting the graves amounts to grave-worshipping.  No muslim visits the graves for worshipping the occupant of the grave. Then, these are the places that reminds him of Allah and the Hereafter. According to the Islamic scholars, the Prophets Awliya-Allah are alive in their graves with the life called 'life-in-the-grave' that we do not know. They cannot do anything by themselves. Allah grants them sufficient power and value to be mediators. As He loves them, He shows honor to them and offers them favors outside His usual custom. He creates wishes for their sake. They are asked to be mediators for the wishes to be created.  This is, of couse the subject-matter of "Tawassul" which we are not discussing here. 

However, it may be observed here that if visiting the Muslims' graves constituted "Grave Worship" the grave of Abu Ayyub Ansari (R) who was buried in the ramparts of the fort near Constatinopole would not have been preserved by the Muslim army with a dire warning to the nasara enemies that if any harm befell the grave, not a single church would remain safe  in the Muslim empire.   Thus even the enemies were compelled to rever this grave and they did derive blessings through it.  According to Mujahid, whenever there was famine, the people would expose the grave and then the rains would start falling.  Even the grave of Imam Bukhari at a village known as Kharteng,  near Samarqand (which todays falls in Uzbekistan)  is known as the place of 'Baraka'.  Two hundred years after the death of Imam Bukhari,  the people of Samarqand were gripped with severe famine.  When they did the 'istiqasa' near his grave,  Allah accepted their prayers and gave abundant rains.   


Here, it is well to remember that the early Muslims used to go around the Ka’ba despite the fact that 360 idols had been placed inside by the polytheists Makkans, i.e. before Makkah (Mecca) was conquered by the Holy Prophet(Salla Allahu Ta’ala Alayhi Wa Sallam). But that did not make them polytheists because their intention was good of which Allah was aware and cognizant. Similarly, even today prayers are offered at the Maqam-i-Ibrahim where his footprints are stored in an enclosure near the Ka’ba. The graves of Isma’îl (a.s.) and his mother Hajrah sit in the Hajar under the Mizâb.” (Azraqi’s A khbâr ul Makkah). Additionally, the graves of Nûh, Hud, Shuaib and Salîh Alayhum Salâm lie between the Zamzam and the Maqâm.” (Azraqi’s Akhbâr ul Makkah) Around the Ka’bah lie the graves of three hundred prophets.” (Sahih Muslim, Bayhaqî) Between the Rukn ul Yamâni and the Rukn ul Aswad seventy prophets lie buried. Each of them died in poverty and lice infection owing to non availability of water. (Ibn Abû Zahira’s Jâmi ul Latîf) Despite all this, Tawaafs (circumambulations) of the Ka’ba are performed. In the Masjid of al-Khayf there is the 'qabar' of seventy prophets according to a prophetic tradition reported in the book of Hadiths called Majma al-Zawaid (No.5769 and 5965) of al-Haythami. Billions have been performing 'namaaz' in Masjidun Nabvi which houses the holy grave of Rasool-Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam).


The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) himself never doubted that Muslims would commit “Shirk” . Otherwise he would never have permitted Muslims to visit the graves. Nor he himself would have set the examples by visiting the inhabitants of Jannatul Baqi or Jannatul Mualla graveyards or even the martyrs of Uhud. Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Amir: One day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the martyrs of Uhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness on you. By Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just now and I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth) ”BY ALLAH! I AM NOT AFRAID THAT YOU WILL WORSHIP OTHERS ALONG WITH ALLAH AFTER MY DEATH, BUT I AM AFRAID THAT YOU WILL FIGHT WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR THE WORLDLY THINGS” (Volume 2, Book 23, Number 428: Sahih Bukhari)


The Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) has spoken it! No Muslim will worship other along with Allah. Even a child, an illiterate Muslim knows that there is no other God but Allah.  Therefore, it is a blatant lie of the New Sect that majority Ahle as-Sunnat worship graves and become polytheists. It is a slander against Muslims, and a ploy to divert attention from the real issues that confront the Muslim world today. And, it’s lucrative business bashing the traditional Islam!  What a dangerous twist is being given to Islam by the very those who are supposed to be its guardian!  "Aag lagi ghar ko ghar ke chiraagh se!" 

In the history of any religion, no one has come up with such an absurd and venomous statement against a fellow-religionist as has been made against the Muslims by the founder of the New Sect:  "All Muslims who have spread over the world for six hundred years have been polytheists.”   Don’t you see? “Divide and Rule” still holds good here. The Principals used this ploy and ruled the world. Now the Agents have learnt this trick after serving the Principals and wants to rule the Muslim world!  Muslims surely need to wake up and refuse to be divided which is by harking back to the traditional Islam that was followed in the past and is still followed by the majority of the Muslims all over the world.


The picture to the left are  the graves  of Ibn Taimiyaa and his student Ibn Kathir, which are located  in the Sufi Cemetary in Damascus, Syria.   They  bear a testimony to the double standards  of these groups who have  maliciously and heartlessly desecrated and destroyed not only the graves of the Companions, but also those of the parents, the progeny and family of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam), besides destroying the Islamic heritage.   Scholars inform us:

Allama Ahmad bin Ali Basri states in the book ‘Faslul Khitaab fi Rad’di Dalaalati Ibn Abdil Wahab’ as follows : ‘From amongst the things, he (ibn Abdul Wahab Najdi) mentioned one thing, ‘if I attain the opportunity to do so, then I will break down the Rauza of Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) (Faslul Khitaab fi Rad’di Dalaalati Ibn Abdil Wahab).


Why, then, the grave of Ibn Taimiyya was spared?  Every one knows the answer that it was because of a certain royal patronage.   Even Nasiruddin Al-Bani who devoted his life to altering Islamic books, including Adab al-Mufrad of Imam Bukhari and removing over 5,000 prophetic traditions from various books of Hadiths, stated in his Last Will:  
"I  ask that the graveyard (for my burial)  be an old one, to ensure that its graves will not be  dug and leveled to the ground)". (Ma'a Shaykhinaa Naasiris-Sunnah wad-Deen - pages 27-31).  This comes from the one who spared no pains in attempting to destroy the Green Dome and the grave of (Prophet sallal laahu alaihi wassallam).  See the height of hypocrisy, duplicity, arrogance and deceit when he writes a Will to preserve his  own grave! 

What happened to the Sixty Thousand bodies of the Sahaba whose graves were dug up and destroyed?  I'll restrain myself here, since this subject has been explored well by the rightful ulema whose articles and comments are found all over the internet as also their translation into English - thanks to the Arabic-English translators!   

Since the non-muslim readers maybe confused as to who the Sunnis are and lest they hold Sunnis responsible for the "Fitna and Fasaad" in the world, it is necessary to give a brief definition as to  who is a Sunni.  As Sayyid Yusuf ar-Rifai (b.1932 in Kuwait) has stated: 

"The real Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat are those who love Allah and the Messenger of Allah (sallal laaahu alaihi wassallam), the Ahlul Bayt, the Sahaba, Awliya-Allah, the Saliheen  and believe in them, and follow one of the four Madhabs (i.e. school of thoughts) Hanafi, Shafii, Hanbali and Maliki, and should additionally be the follower or disciple of one Tariqa: either Rifai, or Qadiri or Chishti, or Naqshbandi or Shadhili, and so on, because by following a Shaykh he will enable you to purify yourself and give "Tazkiya Nafsika".   

Ibn Taimiyya who has been taken as the guiding light by the New Sect himself admitted that the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat is within the four walls of four schools of thoughts, namely, Hanafi, Shafii, Hanbali and Maliki .  In other words, there cannot be a fifth 'Madhab' or School of Thought in Ahle Sunnah wal Jamaat,  as the ulema have stated!   Even if  someone claims to be a Sunni but doesn't fit into the above category, he cannot be from the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat. 

Muslim scholars inform us that this New Sect has been breaking into as many as One Hundred and Fifty sects out of which at least thirty-three have been  distinctly identified by them.   However, some of the  traits  that are common to these breakaway groups  are militancy, aggression and intolerance, in addition to their trying to outdo one another in their disrespect of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wassallam) and destroying the graves of  his Companions, parents, progeny, family, as well as the graves  of Awliya-Allah.  

Imam al-Tirmidhi (4/2167) reported on the authority of Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who said: "Verily my Ummah would not agree (or he said the Ummah of Muhammad) would not agree upon error and Allah's hand is over the group and whoever dissents from them departs to Hell." (see also Mishkat, 1/173). 

For the benefit  of  a layman, Janaab Abdul Hakim Murad,  gives a simple yardstick to know whether a doctrine or practise is orthodox or heretical: The Muslim is required to find out whether it is recognised by the majority of Muslim scholars.  As a layman, I couldn't agree with him more! But there is a caveat: In order to twist Islam to suit the desired goals of the new sect (which keeps on changing its name from time to time), tampering with the Islamic books has become a cottage industry.  Especially at risks are the English translations  of those classical books.  So the next time you don't find a particular hadith or some pages or citations from other Islamic books you know what has happened.  Right from the Sahih of Imam Bukhari to Riyadh as-Saliheen of Imam Nawawi  and commentaries of Qur'an - none has been spared.  Worst of all, the new words and doctrines manufactured in these factories have been  falsely attributed to the righteous ulema and the innocent Muslim does not know about it.  But that's another subject!


Lastly, I need to explain that the slight digression from the main subject was very much essential since the diversion is innately connected with our subject, and many questions would have remained unanswered in the mind of the dear readers, as I am sure many still are!  

Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates or your kindred; the wealth you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline or the dwellings in which you delight – are dearer to you than Allah, or His apostle, or the striving in His cause; then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious.” (Qur'an: 9:24)


Allah and His Rasool (s) know best!


CONCLUDED.


Allah bless and greet the Prophet, his Family, and all his Companions. Wal-hamdu lillahi Rabb al-`alamin.


NASIR