In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

ZIYARAT - VISITING THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

(peace be upon him) IN MADINA

"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" (Al-Qur’an: Surah Ale Imran 4:64)

SOURCE: www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/ziyara.htm

The "Wahhabis/Salafis" have declared it prohibited to travel for the purpose of visiting the Prophet peace be upon him, on the grounds of the Hadith: "Do not travel except to Three Mosques."

As for visiting the Prophet peace be upon him’s grave, it is permissible and praiseworthy in Islam according to the greater majority of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna, as the following translated excerpts establish beyond doubt.

In his reference book for the Fiqh of the Four Schools entitled al-Fiqh `ala al-Madhahib al-arba`a (p. 711-715), `Abd al-Rahman al-Jaziri (r.a.) writes at length about the many benefits of visiting the Prophet’s peace be upon him grave and of the importance of the visit. He says that it is among the great actions which Islam, the pure religion, encourages. He also says that it not a secret that that visiting the Prophet's peace be upon him grave is more beneficial to those endowed with understanding (ulu al-albab) more than any other experience. He cites many sayings on the recommended acts of the visit and its proper Adab:

Let the visitor imagine the Prophet's peace be upon him magnificent and generous form, as if he is sleeping in his grave, knowing him (the visitor) and hearing his words. Only then does he say: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah... and the visitor conveys to the Prophet peace be upon him the greetings of those who asked him to send Salam to the Prophet peace be upon him, so he says: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, from [name of person] the son of [name of parent] who seeks shafa'a (intercession) with you to your Lord, therefore ask for his shafa`a for all believers....

What do the Scholars of Ahl al-Sunna say about travelling to visit the Prophet peace be upon him ?

Al-Hafiz al-Qadi Iyad al-Yahsubi al-Malik (r.a.)

In his book Al-Shifa', Chapter entitled: Concerning the visit to the Prophet's peace be upon him grave, the excellence of those who visit it and how he should be greeted, al-Qadi Iyad writes:

Visiting the Prophet peace be upon him’s grave is part of the Sunna and is both excellent and desirable. Ibn `Umar said that the Prophet peace be upon him said, "My intercession is assured for all who visit me."...

The Prophet peace be upon him said, "Anyone who visits my grave..." [man zara qabri] and used the word "visit"...

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, the Faqih, said: that when someone goes on Hajj, he should go to Madina with the intention of praying in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, seeking the blessing of seeing his Meadow [Rawda], his pulpit [Minbar], his grave, the place where he sat, the places his hands touched and the places where his feet walked and the post on which he used to lean, where Jibril descended to him with the revelation, and the places connected with the Companions and the Imams of the Muslims who lived there. He should have consideration for all these things.

Ibn Abi Fudayk said: that he heard someone state, "We have heard that all who stop at the Prophet's peace be upon him grave should recite the Ayat, "Allah and His angels bless the Prophet..." (33:56), and then say, "May Allah bless you, Sayyiduna Muhammad Sallalahu alaihi wa sallam." If someone says this seventy times, an angel will call to him, "May Allah bless you!" and all his needs will be taken care of.

Yazid ibn Abi Sa`id al-Mahri said: that he went to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (r.a.) and when Umar (r.a.) 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."...

In Al-Mabsut , Malik says: "I do not think people should stand at the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him, but should greet and then depart"... and "It is not necessary for the people of Madina who enter and leave the mosque to stand at the grave. That is for strangers"... and "There is no harm in someone who comes from a journey or leaves on a journey standing at the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him "...

Al-Baji said: "There is a difference between the people of Madina and strangers because strangers have a specific intention for doing so [visiting the grave] whereas the Madinans live there and do not intend to go there for the sake of the grave and the greeting."

In the Chapter entitled "The Adab of Entering the Mosque of the Prophet peace be upon him and its excellence, the excellence of the prayer in it and in the mosque of Makka, the Prophet's peace be upon him grave and minbar, and the excellence of living in Madina and Makka," the same author says: "There is no dispute that the place of his grave is the best place on earth."

Ibn Qunfudh al-Qusantini al-Maliki (r.a.)

Ibn Qunfudh (d. 810 H) says in his book Wasilat al-islam bi al-nabi `alayhi al-salat wa al-salam [The Means to Islam With the Prophet, Peace be upon him]:

The visit to his grave, peace be upon him, is a Sunna from among the Sunnas of Prophets, and an excellent action which is highly desirable.

The Prophet peace be upon him said: "Whosoever visits my grave, my intercession for him becomes guaranteed" and "Whoever [performs the Pilgrimage and then] visits me after my death, it is as if he visited me in my life."

IMAM MALIK'S (r.a.) PREFERENCE OF MADINA OVER MAKKAH

Abu Hurayra (r.a.) related that the Prophet peace be upon him said: "One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any other, except the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca)." Muslim narrated it through ten chains in his Sahih.

Nawawi (r.a.) goes on to quote the Hadith of Abd Allah Ibn al-Zubayr (r.a.), whereby the Prophet peace be upon him said:"One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any other except the Holy Mosque (in Mecca), and one prayer in the Holy Mosque (in Mecca) is better than one hundred prayers in my mosque." [Source: Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, Khalil al-Mays ed., Beirut: Dar al-Qalam, 9/10:172.]

Al-Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar says:"The position of `Umar and some of the Companions and Malik and the majority of the people of Madina is that Madina is better."

[Sources: Qadi `Iyad, al-Shifa', ed. al-Bajawi, 2:681; Shawkani, Nayl al-awtar, Dar al-kutub al-`ilmiyya, 5:28.]

In his commentary on Qadi `Iyad, Imam `Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi (r.a.) writes:"There is no doubt that Makkah, among the highly venerated sanctuaries, is preferable to Madina itself, except for the mound of the Prophet's peace be upon him 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 scholars."

Source: al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa', Dar al-kutub al-`ilmiyya ed., 2:162.

THE PROPHET'S peace be upon him GRAVE IS THE HOLIEST SITE ON EARTH

Qadi `Iyad (r.a.) states in Al-Shifa', in the chapter on visiting the Prophet peace be upon him, the consensus of the Muslims whereby the site of the Prophet's peace be upon him grave is the holiest site on earth. This particular consensus has been questioned by Ibn Taymiyya in his al-Ziyara and Shawkani in Nayl al-Awtar, however, it is established that some of the major scholars of all four schools agree to this view whether or not it is a consensus, among whom are the following:

Hanafis: `Ali al-Qari in his Sharh al-Shifa' already quoted.

Malikis: Qadi `Iyad in al-Shifa' already quoted. He cited ijma` on this question.

Shafi`is: Nawawi in his Sharh Sahih Muslim 6:101 and al-Majmu` sharh al-muhadhdhab 7:444. He reported `Iyad's statement and did not contradict it.

Hanbalis: Ibn `Aqil as quoted by Ibn Qayyim in Bada'i` al-fawa'id

AL-GHAWTH AL-A`ZAM AL-IMAM AL-SHAYKH `ABD AL-QADIR AL-JILANI AL-HASANI AL-HANBALI (r.a.)

Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (r.a.) writes the following in the section on entering Madina at the end of the section on the Pilgrimage in his book al-Ghunya li talibi tariq al-Haqq `azza wa jall:

Entering Madina the Illuminated:

If Allah blesses the pilgrim with prosperity and he is able to come to Madina, then what is desirable for him is that he come to the Mosque of the Prophet peace be upon him and say upon entering it:

Allahumma salli `ala muhammadin wa `ala ali muhammad, waftah li abwab rahmatik, wa kaffi `anni abwab `adhabik, al-hamdu lillah rabb al-`alamin.

“O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, and stem for me the gates of your mercy, and close for me the gates of your punishment, all praise belongs to Allah.”

Then let him come to the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him and stand in its proximity so that he will be between the grave and the Qibla, and let him stand so that the facade of the Qibla will be behind him and the grave in front of him exactly facing his face, and the Minbar to his left...

The let him then say: “SALAWAAT”.

Al-Hafiz ibn al-Jawzi al-Hanbali (r.a.)

Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi (r.a.) writes in Muthir Al-Gharam Al-Sakin Ila Ashraf Al-Amakin: Chapter on Visiting the Grave of The Prophet peace be upon him:

He who visits the grave of Allah's Messenger peace be upon him, should stand while visiting him with in most respectful manner possible, as if he were with him in his lifetime.

Ibn `Umar (r.a.) narrates that Allah's Messenger peace be upon him said: "He who performs pilgrimage then visits my grave after my death, is like those who visited me during my lifetime."

Ibn `Umar (r.a.) narrates: Allah's Messenger peace be upon him said, "He who visits my grave becomes eligible for my intercession."

Anas (r.a.) narrates: Allah's Messenger said: "He who visits me in Madina counting on his visit to me (Muhtasiban), I will be his witness and intercessor on the Day of Judgment."

Shaykh al-Islam al-Hafiz al-Imam Nawawi (r.a.)

In his al-Idah fi Manasik al-Hajj: Chapter 6: On Visiting the Grave of our Master, the Messenger of Allah, Peace be upon him. In this chapter are discussed the recommended and discouraged actions of those who perform Hajj.

1. Those who make Hajj and `Umra. When they leave Mecca, they should go towards the city of Allah's Messenger peace be upon him, to visit his Turba or burial ground. It is one of the most important of those actions that bring one towards Allah, and a most important effort. Al-Bazzar and al-Daraqutni narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar (r.a.) that Allah's Messenger peace be upon him said: "Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes guaranteed for him."

2. This concerns preferred or recommended actions for the visitor to have intention to do when visiting Allah's Messenger peace be upon him. His intention should be to draw closer to Allah by travelling to his Mosque and praying in it.

3. When the visitor is in transit he should increase his recitation of greetings and blessings on the Prophet peace be upon him. And that when he sees the trees of Medina, its blessed sanctuary, or any landmark in Medina, he should increase his recitations of greetings and blessings; he should ask that Allah accept his visit and grant him benefit for visiting.

4. The pilgrim should perform the greater ablution (Ghusl) before entering Madina and put on his cleanest clothes. He should visualize in his heart the honor of Madina, the best place in the world after Makkah according to some scholars; others consider Madina to be the best place in the world without exception. What makes it so honorable is the presence of Allah's Prophet, the best of all creation.

5. The pilgrim should attune himself to the feeling of the greatness of Allah's Messenger peace be upon him. His heart should be full of his presence, as if he is seeing him.

6. When he arrives at the door of the Prophet’s peace be upon him Mosque, let him say the things he says when entering Mecca. He should enter with his right foot and leave with his left, as he should when entering and leaving any Masjid. As he approaches the Holy Rawda, which is the place between the Prophet's peace be upon him grave and his pulpit, he prays Tahiyyat al-Masjid (the prayer of greeting the Masjid) near the Minbar, in the standing place of Allah's Messenger peace be upon him.

7. Be thankfulness to Allah for this bounty, and asking Him for the completion of his mission: and for the acceptance of his visit, he should face the wall of the holy grave, with the Qibla behind him, looking to the lower part of the grave's wall, lowering his gaze in a state of awe and reverence, emptying his heart of worldly concerns and focusing on the reverent nature of his situation and the status of the one in whose presence he is. Then he gives greetings in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, but with moderation.

Then, if someone has asked him to convey Salams to Allah's Messenger peace be upon him, let him say As-Salamu `alayka ya Rasul Allah min Fulan ibn Fulan (Greetings to you, O Messenger of Allah, from So-and-so, the son of So-and-so), or some such greeting.

After this, he steps an arm's length to the right and sends Salams to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (r.a.), because he stands at the shoulder of Allah's Messenger; then he says al-Salamu `alayka ya Aba Bakrin safiyya rasulillahi wa thaniyahu fi al-ghari, jazakallahu `an ummat al-nabiyyi khayran, (Greetings to you, O Abu Bakr, the Intimate Friend of Allah's Messenger and his second in the Cave! May Allah grant you the best reward on behalf of the Prophet's Community).

Then he steps an arm's length to the left of his original position, to the space before Sayyiduna Umar (r.a.), saying: al-salamu `alayka ya `umara a`azz allahu bika al-islam, jazak allahu `an ummati muhammadin khayran (Greetings to you O `Umar, Allah has strengthened Islam through you, may Allah reward you well on behalf of the nation of Muhammad).

Then he returns to his original position, directly in front of Allah's Messenger peace be upon him, and he uses the Prophet peace be upon him as his means in his innermost (fa yatawassalu bihi fi haqqi nafsihi), and seeks his intercession before his Exalted and Mighty Lord (wa yatashaffa`u bihi ila rabbihi subhanahu wa ta`ala).

Lastly, let him praise and glorify Allah and supplicate for himself regarding what concerns him and what he loves, for his parents, and for whomever he likes among his relatives, revered teachers, brothers, and Muslims in general; then he comes to the Rawda and increases his supplication and prayer. It established in the two Sahihs in a narration from Abu Hurayra (r.a.) that the Prophet peace be upon him said: "Between my grave and my Minbar lies one of the Gardens of Paradise, and my Minbar overlooks my Pool (Hawd). Let him stand by the Minbar to make supplication.

ZIARAAT IN MADINA SHARIF:

Throughout his stay in Madina he must perform all of his prayers in the Prophet's peace be upon him Masjid, and must form the intention of making I`tikaf (retreat) in it.

It is desirable that he go daily to the Cemetary of Baqi, especially on Friday; he should first say Salams to the Prophet peace be upon him. When he arrives at Baqi`, he says: As-Salamu `alaykum Dara Qawmin mu'minina wa inna insha Allahu bikum lahiqun, Allahumma ighfir li ahli Baqi` al-gharqad, Allahumma ighfir lana wa lahum.

It is recommended to visit the graves of the Martyrs of Uhud (may Allah be pleased with them all).

It is definitely recommended to visit the Masjid of Quba, preferably on a Saturday, with the intention of drawing closer to Allah by visiting it and praying in it, due to the authentic Hadith in the book of Tirmidhi and others from Usayb ibn Hudhayr (r.a.), that a prayer in the Masjid of Quba' is like `Umra.

The pilgrim must maintain reverence toward this Holy City throughout his stay there, keeping in his heart that it is the place chosen as the place of Allah's Messenger's peace be upon him emigration and residence, and the place where he is buried; he must visualize the Prophet's peace be upon him coming and going in the city and his walking in its streets.