Visiting tombs of the pious.

[ukbaz]

Assalaamu alaykum, hope everyone is well on the forum.

Ok so my question is : is it permissible to visit the tombs (shrines) of pious people(classical scholars, sufis etc) like in Pakistan, India, arab countries etc etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XljEP...eature=related

Please watch the video from 4:30, this is when they go to the grave of Imam Bukhari(rh), is it ok to do what they did ? or is it best not to ? is there a difference of opinion on this matter, like do barelvis feel its ok to touch the grave even tho Ahmed Raza Khan(rh) said not to.

Thank you

[Yaseen Ibn Gamal]

From what I know, it is probably highly not recommended for the following reasons. 1) You have no real benefit visiting their grave and
2) People constantly going to pious people's graves could lead to shirk, via people assuming it's part of the religion now, and that could eventually lead on to people worshiping the grave etc.

But, essentially, if your going just to see the grave i don't think there's anything wrong. But there isn't anything good either. PLEASE, make sure from someone else though, as i am still young.

[ukbaz]

From what I know, it is probably highly not recommended for the following reasons. 1) You have no real benefit visiting their grave and
2) People constantly going to pious people's graves could lead to shirk, via people assuming it's part of the religion now, and that could eventually lead on to people worshiping the grave etc.

But, essentially, if your going just to see the grave i don't think there's anything wrong. But there isn't anything good either. PLEASE, make sure from someone else though, as i am still young.

yeh but didnt the salaf visit graves ? Like Imam shafi'i (rh) visiting abu haneefa(rh)

am sure there is some benefit, what if doing tawassul ?

[a mu-min]

Etiquette of visiting graves
If I want to visit my father’s grave, what should I do? What is the etiquette of visiting graveyards? Are there any things I should pay attention to?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is prescribed to visit graves in order to learn a lesson from that and to remember the Hereafter. That is subject to the condition that one does not say anything that will anger the Lord, such as calling upon the one who is buried or seeking his help instead of Allaah, or praising him and saying that he is for certain in Paradise, etc.

The purpose of visiting the graves is twofold:

(a) The visitor benefits from remembering death and the dead, remembering that their destiny will be either Paradise or Hell. This is the primary purpose of the visit.

(b) The deceased also benefits and is treated kindly by the visitor greeting him with salaams, making du’aa’ for him, praying for forgiveness for him. This applies only to Muslims. Among the du’aa’s that may be recited are:

“Assalaamu ‘alaykum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-Muslimeen, in sha Allaah bikum laahiqoon, as’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah (peace be upon you O people of the dwellings, believers and Muslims, In sha Allaah we will join you, I ask Allaah to keep us and you safe and sound).”

It is permissible to raise the hands when reciting this du’aa’, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out one night, and I sent Bareerah to follow him and see where he went. She said, ‘He went towards Baqee’ al-Gharqad [the graveyard in Madeenah], and he stood at the bottom of al-Baqee’ and raised his hands, then he went away.’ Bareerah came back to me and told me, and when morning came I asked him about it. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, where did you go out to last night? He said, ‘I was sent to the people of al-Baqee’, to pray for them.’”

But you should not face the grave when making du’aa’ for them; rather you should face the direction of the Ka’bah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade prayer (salaah) facing graves, and du’aa’ is the heart and soul of salaah, as is well known, and is subject to the same rulings. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ is worship” then he recited the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “And your Lord said: “Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation).” [Ghaafir 40:60]

You should not walk between the graves of the Muslims wearing your shoes. It was narrated that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If I were to walk on hot coals or on a sword, or if I were to mend my shoes using my feet, that would be better for me than if I were to walk on the grave of a Muslim. And it makes no difference to me if I were to relieve myself in the midst of the graves or in the middle of the market-place [i.e., both are equally bad].’” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1567)

We ask Allaah, the Most High, the Omnipotent, to have mercy upon our dead and the deceased Muslims.


Adapted from Mukhtasar Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz by al-Albaani

--From Sh. Saalih Munajaad's Islamqa website.

[ukbaz]

ok so that is from IslamQA, which is a Salafi website. In the fatawa is says we cant make dua facing the grave. How about what Imam Malik says:

Qaadhi 'Iyaadh in his book al-Shifaa, in volume 2, page 26 (about Caliph Mansur):

"when he made Hajj, then visited the grave of the Prophet(sawa) he asked Imaam Maalik saying: "Oh Abu Abdullah, should I face the Qiblah and supplicate, or face the grave of the prophet? Maalik said: "How could you turn your face away from him? While he is your intercessor and the intercessor of your father Adam(as) on the Day of Judgment to Allah. Nay! Face him! Ask for his intercession, and Allah(swt) will make him your intercessor. Allah(swt) has said: If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (4:64)"

[Kashmir_85]

Check this explanation out brother

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...=3185&CATE=115

Thers a few good explanations in there backed up by hadith

[TripolySunni]

Visiting the graves is a Sunnah Mustahabb,

What people do at the graves such as asking the dead for their blessings and their needs, wiping green towels and collecting sand from around the graves, prostrating to the graves, wailing and weeping near the graves in really ugly voices ect... all of these are innovations and some have been made specifically forbidden by the prophet PBUH.

[seeker_ikb]

Visiting the grave of a aulia( saint ) with proper etiquette can be highly beneficial.
The following anecdote is a good example in this regard.

-----------
http://books.themajlis.net/node/508

One day he visited the grave of his illustrious grandfather Shah Abdul Quddْs. There he heard a ghaibi voice encouraging him to go to his Shaikh in Balkh. He continued hearing this encouragement for three days. Finally, he set off on foot until he reached Balkh.
---------

[Basil al-Mamluk]

visiting graves was something the prophet (saw) advised us to do. i hope that Allah makes it possible for me to visit the grave of the prophet (saw) so that i can send him my salaams in person.

side note though: istighatha is not tawassul. kinda amazing how sunnipath is advocating such blatant shirk.

[Transcendentalist]

From what I know, it is probably highly not recommended for the following reasons. 1) You have no real benefit visiting their grave and
2) People constantly going to pious people's graves could lead to shirk, via people assuming it's part of the religion now, and that could eventually lead on to people worshiping the grave etc.

But, essentially, if your going just to see the grave i don't think there's anything wrong. But there isn't anything good either. PLEASE, make sure from someone else though, as i am still young.

there's hardly any benefit greater than receiving the barakah of the pious, in all the ways it can be received through.

As for this being a possible gateway to shirk, everything can be a gateway to shirk. It really doesn't say anything aboutt he permissibility of the act.