Allâhu ta’âlâ praised Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam). And Rasûlullâh, mentioning the blessings bestowed upon him, praised himself, too. He praised himself so much that Hadrat al-Busîrî’s eulogy is not worth mentioning in comparison. PraisingRasûlullâh is an ’ibâda. All the Sahâbat al-kirâm eulogized him; for example, Hassân ibn Thâbit and Kâ’b ibn Zubair’s long eulogies have been well-known. Kâ’b ibn Zubair praised the Prophet in his eulogy Bânat-Su’âd more than al-Bûsîrî did. Rasûlullâh, being pleased with it, forgave his faults and gave him his khirqa as a gift. That same khirqat as-sa’âda is kept in the Topkapı Palace, in Istanbul, today. The Wahhâbite book quotes the couplet,“Yâ akram al-khalqi mâ lî man a’ûdhu bihî siwâka ’inda hulûli hâdithi ’l-amami,” (Oh the Great Prophet who is the highest and most generous of creatures! I have no one but you to take refuge with at my last breath) from al-Busîrî’s qasîda and says that askingRasûlullâh for help is polytheism. And quoting the hadîth as-sharîf reported by at-Tabarânî, the Wahhâbî writer says that it is polytheism to ask help (istighâtha) of a creature. Thishadîth sharîf was said upon the event that a hypocrite annoyed Muslims and Abu Bakr as-Siddîq said, “Let’s go to Rasûlullâh and ask for his help, take refuge with him.” TheProphet’s reply was, “I am not to be asked for help; Allah is to be asked for help.” The Wahhâbî, putting this hadîth sharîf forward, is in a struggle to attack Ahl as-Sunna. Whereas, this hadîth sharîf means, “Allâhu ta’âlâ alone is the One who protects everyone from every harm, creates the protective means and gives the means the power and effect of protecting. If He does not wish so, He does not let one reach these means; in other words, the means would not have any influence even if they existed. Those who take refuge with me should know that this effect is not mine but Allah’s.” Did not Abu Bakr know this? Of course he did, but Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) explained Hadrat Abu Bakr’s short statement so that Muslims, who would come until the Last Day, should not misunderstand it. Therefore, Muslims always know that effectiveness is from Allâhu ta’âlâ. Imâm Muhammad Ma’sûm, in the 110th letter of the first volume of his Maktûbât, wrote: “Allâhu ta’âlâ hid His Power behind the means. As He declared that the only one who had power was Him, He ordered us to hold on to means. He made it known that the perfect Muslims should hold on to the means and trust in the Creator who gives the means the effective power. And He praised the ProphetYa’qûb (’alaihi ’s-salâm) stating in the Qur’ân al-karîm that he both clung to the means and trusted in Allâhu ta’âlâ. He declared, ‘Ya’qûb knows what We revealed. But most of the human beings know not that taqdîr prevails over precaution,’ in the Sûrat Yûsuf. In the tafsîr book Tibyân, this âyat karîma is explained as: ‘Polytheists do not know with what Allâh ta’âlâ has inspired His awliyâ’.’ Those who believe the effect to be of the means but do not believe that they affect by Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Power are heretics. Anyone who wants to do away with the means, who does not recognize Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Divine Wisdom, believes, in fact, that Allâhu ta’âlâ created creatures without any cause or for no use. This belief causes one to become lazy. The one who believes that Allâhu ta’âlâ put effective power in the means reaches the right way and will be saved from both of these dangers.” If the Wahhâbîs understood this subtlety, they would also understand the above hadîth ash-sharîf correctly.
Imâm Muhammad ibn Sa’îd al-Busîrî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who passed away in 695 A.H., was one of the superiors of tasawwuf. He was one of the awliyâ’ educated by Abu ’l-’Abbâs al-Mursî ash-Shâdhilî, who was Abu’l-Hasan ash-Shâdhilî’s khalîfa. When he suffered a stroke and half of his body was paralysed, he asked for Rasûlullâh’s help and composed his famous qasîda in praise of the Highest of Mankind, Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), to whom he chanted it in his dream. Rasûlullâh liked it and took off his khirqa, put it on the Imâm and rubbed the paralysed parts of his body with his blessed hand. When the Imâm woke up, his body was restored to health, and the khirqat as-sa’âda was still on him. That was why his eulogy was called “Qasîdat al-Burda.” ‘Burda’ means ‘khirqa, overcoat.’ Hadrat Imâm ran in joy to the mosque for morning salât, and on the way met a person known for his righteousness and pious ascetism, who said:
“I would like to listen to your qasîda.”
“I have many qasîdas. Everyone knows all of them,” the Imâm said.
“I want the one which no one knows and which you recited to Rasûlullâh last night.”
“I haven’t told anybody about it. How do you know it?”
Thereupon, that person told exactly what the Imâm dreamt. Vizier Bahâ’ ad-dîn heard about this qasîda, had it recited through and listened to it standing respectfully. It has been seen that the sick got well and places became safe of malady and calamity when it was recited. In order to receive the value of it, it is necessary to believe and read it with a sincere resolve.
Qasîdat al-Burda is composed of ten parts:
The first part expresses the value of the love for Rasûlullâh.
The second part explains the wickedness of man’s nafs.
The third part praises Rasûlullâh.
The fourth part tells about Rasûlullâh’s birth.
The fifth part explains that Rasûlullah’s prayers were accepted instantaneously.
The sixth part praises the Qur’ân al-karîm.
The seventh part explaines the subtleties in the Mi’raj of Rasûlullâh.
The eighth part tells about Rasûlullâh’s jihâds.
In the ninth part, he asks Allâhu ta’âlâ for mercy and maghfira and asks Rasûlullâh for intercession.
The tenth part tells about the superiority of the status of Rasûlullâh.
The Wahhâbî writer praises the cruel people who martyred thousands of Muslims. On the one hand, he likens their cruel swords stained with innocent blood to the blessed swords of Muslim mujâhids, and, on the other hand, likens eulogizing Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Great Prophet to idolaters praising their idols. He brands as ‘polytheist’ those who eulogize Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam). The stupid Wahhâbî cannot understand that disbelievers praised their deified idols as creators, gods. Such a praise can be only for Allâhu ta’âlâ. Muslims eulogize only Allâhu ta’âlâ in that manner. We praise Rasûlullâh as the Highest of Creatures. And none of the scholars of Islam, who loveRasûlullâh and praise him very highly, has ever raised the Exalted Prophet to the degree of creator or god; they have not eulogized him as they praise Allâhu ta’âlâ. The Wahhâbîs cannot distinguish between reality and falsehood. The Wahhâbî has filled his book with âyats and hadîths about non-Muslims and, giving wrong meanings to them, attacks the scholars of Islam and calls great mutasawwifs and Muslims whom Allâhu ta’âlâ loves “polytheists and disbelievers.” Those who read the Wahhâbite book, seeing the âyats and hadîths on every page, are being duped and, regarding those meanings to be correct, they are being drifted to perdition.
14 - Beginning on page 239, he says:
“It was declared in the Hadîth that the worst of men are those who will be alive on the Last Day and those who will make graves masjids. Graves were made masjids before Islam. Later in the Islamic history, Muslims, too, have been going further than the pre-Islamic communities. They forget Allâhu ta’âlâ when they are in trouble. They idolize the dead. They believe the dead will do what is asked from them. They say that ’Abd al-Qâdir al-Jîlânî hears and helps those who pray. They think he knows ghaib [what is hidden, the secret] though he is dead. Those who say so become disbelievers. They deny the Qur’ân. Ibn al-Qayyim said that it was wâjib to demolish the domes built over graves. Al-Imâm an-Nawawî said that it was harâm to build domes on graves for whatever intention there might be. Those who say that performing salât in the graveyard was prohibited because of its being dirty are wrong, for, prophets’ graves are not dirty. Ibn Hajar al-Hitamî wrote in his Kabâir, ‘It is a grave sin to build domes over graves. It is necessary for Muslim statesmen to demolish such domes. First of all al-Imâm ash-Shâfi’î’s domed tomb should be demolished.’ ”
Here again the Wahhâbite book slanders Muslims. Muslims perform ’ibâda for and beg Allâhu ta’âlâ five times everyday. It is an overt lie to say that such Muslims forget Allâhu ta’âlâ. Muslims do not worship the dead. Because many hadîths explain that Allâhu ta’âlâ’s beloved servants -even every dead person- hears in their graves, Muslims visit their graves, pray to Allâhu ta’âlâ through their mediation and ask them to intercede for them. The dead cannot do whatever they wish. And the living cannot do whatever they wish, either. But, Allâhu ta’âlâ promised that He would accept the prayers of His beloved servants, first of all His prophets’ prayers. Muslims do not ask prophets (alaihimu ’s-salâtu wa ’s-salâm) and awliyâ’ (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) to do something, but to pray to Allâhu ta’âlâ to give something. Awliyâ’ do hear what the visitors to their graves ask, and they pray to Allâhu ta’âlâ to give them what they ask for, and Allâhu ta’âlâ accepts the prayers of awliyâ’.
The following passage is translated from the 121st page of Ibn Hajar al-Makkî al-Hîtamî’s (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) work Zawâjir to expose the lies of the Wahhâbite book. Ibn Hajar, after quoting hadîths, writes:
“Some Shâfi’î scholars, taking the preceding hadîths into account, concluded that one of the six grave sins was to make graves masjids. The reason was that those who made prophets’ graves masjids were condemned in a hadîth, which also informed that those who made the graves of sulahâ’ masjids would be [regarded as] the worst of men on the Last Day. ‘To make the graves masjids’ means ‘to perform salât facing those graves.’ It was for this reason that the Shâfi’î scholars declared that it was harâm to perform salât facing the grave of a prophet or a walî, as a sign of respect for him. For such an act to be harâm, firstly, the one in the grave should have been an uncommon, esteemed person, and secondly, the salât should be intended to be for the dead. Lighting candles at graves is also harâm if it is for respecting the dead. So is going round graves. Hence it is inferred that such actions are makrûh when they are done not as a sign of esteem. Respecting a grave by prostrating means worshipping it, which is a grave sin, even kufr. Some Hanbalî scholars said, ‘Performing salât by graves as a tribute is a grave sin and causes kufr. It is a must to demolish such tombs.’ ”
Ibn Hajar al-Makkî al-Hîtâmî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), in the Egypt edition of his bookAl-fâtâwâ al-kubrâ al-fiqhiyya, wrote in the chapter on janâza, “Domed tombs should not be built on graves in public graveyards where many corpses are buried. If already built, they should be demolished. It is not permissible to demolish the domed tombs in private graveyards for the purpose of burying a new corpse in them.” On page 17, he wrote: “It is harâm to build domed tombs in public graveyards. Those already built in public graveyards should be demolished. Constructing any kind of building in a graveyard belonging to a waqf or in a private graveyard without its owner’s permission is also harâm. It is makrûh to build a domed tomb on one’s own land or on someone else’s land with his permission.” On page 25, he wrote: “Building domed tombs in public graveyards is harâm, for, it occupies much space and prevents others from being buried. Such domes should be demolished. It was for this reason that most Shâfi’î scholars (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) issued the fatwâ that al-Imâm ash-Shafi’îs (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) domed tomb should be demolished, because it was in a public graveyard.” It is seen that Ibn Hajar al-Makkî did not say that every domed tomb was harâm and should be demolished.
On page 209 of the book Zawâjir, it is written that it is a grave sin to build high buildings for ostentation. Following the hadîth ash-sharîf the Wahhâbîs should be demolishing not tombs but, as a wâjib, the houses of dissipation and prostitution they built in Riyad, Taif and Jidda. The Wahhâbite book, on page 248, quotes the hadîth ash-sharîf,“Visit graves! Such visits will remind you of the Day of Judgement,” and says thatRasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) visited his blessed mother’s grave. But, saying that this hadîth sharîf did not enjoin asking the dead for anything, he attempts to liken Muslims’ visiting the graves of the Prophet and awliyâ’ to disbelievers’ worshipping graves.
15 - On page 259, the Wahhâbî writes:
“It is forbidden for the one who enters Masjid an-Nabawî with a view to performing salât to go to the grave to greet Rasûlullâh. Imâm Mâlik said that it was makrûh to go to Qabr an-Nabî every time one enters the Masjid. The Sahâbîs and the Tâbi’ûn used to go to the Masjid, perform salât and go out. They would not go to the grave to greet, because, no such action was ordered in Islam. It is a lie that the souls of the dead could be seen in their living appearance. Such a vision happened only on the Mi’râj Night. Muslims who came later committed what as-Sahâba did not do. A few sahâbîs would go to the grave solely to say salâm only when they came back from far countries. ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar would go to the grave and greet whenever he came back from a journey. No one else did so. It is a lie that Ahmad ar-Rifâ’î kissed Rasûlullâh’s hand. It has been unanimously approved that one should turn towards the Ka’ba and not the grave when praying in front of the Hujrat as-Sa’âda. It is prohibited by hadîths to come from distant countries for visiting the Hujrat as-Sa’âda.”
The following writing is translated from the book Mir’ât al-Madîna:
“It has become wâjib upon me to intercede for those who visit my shrine,” is said in a hadîth sharîf conveyed by Ibn Huzaima, al-Bazzâr, ad-Dâraqutnî and at-Tabarânî (rahimahum-Allâh). In another one reported by al-Bazzâr, “It became halâl for me to intercede for those who visit my shrine,” is declared. The hadîth ash-sharîf in theSahîh of Muslim and also quoted in Abu Bakr ibn al-Makkârî’s (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) bookMu’jama says, “If someone visits me solely for visiting me and without any other intentions, he deserves my intercession for him on the Last Judgement.” Thishadîth sharîf foretold that Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) would intercede for those who go to al-Madînat al-Munawwara to visit him.
A hadîth sharîf reported by al-Imâm at-Tabarânî and ad-Dâraqutnî and other imâms of hadîth (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) says, “He who visits my grave after carrying out the hajj will be considered to have visited me during my lifetime.” Ibn al-Jawzî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), too, reported this hadîth sharîf. Another one reported by ad-Dâraqutnî is:“The one who does not visit me after carrying out the hajj will hurt me.” Imâm Mâlik (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), too, reported this hadîth sharîf. Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) requested that Muslims should visit him because he wanted his umma to gain thawâb by this way, too. A hadîth sharîf reported by al-Imâm al-Baihakî, says, “When a person greets me, Allâhu ta’âlâ gives my soul back to my body. I reply to his greeting.” Based on this hadîth sharîf, al-Imâm al-Baihakî said, “Prophets are alive in their graves.” The Prophet’s blessed soul being given back means that from his high position he answers the one who greets him.
There are so many hadîths stating that the prophets (’alaihimu’s-salawâtu wa ’t-taslîmât) are alive in their graves that they affirm one another. One of them is the hadîth ash-sharîf, “I will hear the salawat recited at my shrine. I will be informed about the salawât recited at a distance,” which was reported by Abu Bakr ibn Abî Shaiba and quoted in the books of the six well-known great imâms of hadîth.
In the hadîth ash-sharîf reported by Ibn Abî ’d-dunyâ on the authority of ’Abdullâh ibn ’Abbâs (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ), it is said, “If anyone visits the grave of an acquaintance of his and greets him, the dead one recognizes him and replies. If he greets a dead Muslim whom he did not know, the dead will become happy and answer him.”
As to how Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) can separately reply to everyone who sends salâm to him at the same moment, it is like the sun illuminating thousands of cities simultaneously.
As it is understood that Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) knows and answers when one greets him, could there be another honour and bliss greater than this for a Muslim?
Hadrat Ibrâhîm ibn Bishâr said, “I went to Medina to visit the Qabr as-Sa’âda after a pilgrimage. I greeted in front of the Hujrat as-Sa’âda and heard the reply ‘Wa ’alaika ’s-salâm.’ ”
The poet Nâbî said:
Beware of immodesty! Here where
Allah’s Beloved is!
To where the Divine Look is directed; Maqâm al-Mustafâ this
is!
Only if you resolve to act
modestly, Nâbî, go in this shrine,
There where angels go round, and whereat prophets always
kiss!
A hadîth sharîf says, “After my death, I will hear as I do when I am alive.”Another hadîth sharîf says, “Prophets are alive in their graves. They perform salât.”These hadîths show that our Prophet (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) is alive in his shrine with a life we do not know. It is written in very reliable books that Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rifâ’î[23] , one of the prominent awliyâ’, and many other awliyâ’ (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) heard the reply when they greeted Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) and that Ahmad ar-Rifâ’î attained the honour of kissing Rasûlullâh’s blessed hand. Saying that these are lies is like throwing mud at the sun. The great Islamic scholar Jalâl ad-dîn ’Abd ar-Rahmân as-Suyûtî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who passed away in Egypt in 911/1595, refuted them in his well-documented book Sharaf al-Muhkam and proved that Rasûlullâh(sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) was alive in his grave and heard those who greeted him. One of the hadîths he quoted in his book is: “I saw the Prophet Mûsâ (Moses)performing salât in his grave on the Mi’râj Night.” Abu Nu’aim (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), the author of Hilya, too, quoted thishadîth sharîf.
A hadîth sharîf, quoted in Abu Ya’lâ’s (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ) Musnad, says,“Prophets live and pray in their graves.”
Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam), during his last illness, said, “I have always felt the bitter taste of the food I ate at Khaibar. The poison I ate that day tears my aorta now.” This hadîth sharîf indicates that Rasûlullâh died as a martyr. Allâhu ta’âlâ declared in the 169th âyat karîma of Sûrat âl ’Imrân, “Never regard those who have been martyred on the way of Allah as dead! They are alive!” So, it is obvious that our master Rasûlullâh is alive in his grave like all martyrs.
Al-Imâm as-Suyûtî wrote: “Awliyâ’ (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) of high status can see the prophets (’alaihumu ’s-salawâtu wa ’t-taslîmât) as if they had not died. Our Master’s seeing Mûsâ (’alaihi ’s-salâm) alive in his grave was a mu’jiza, and a walî’s seeing in the same way is a karâma. Disbelief in karâma arises from ignorance.”
A hadîth sharîf reported by Ibn Habbân, Ibn Mâja and Abu Dâwûd (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) says, “On Fridays recite the salawât for me repeatedly! The salawât will be conveyed to me.” When it was asked whether it would be conveyed to him after his death, too, the Prophet (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) answered, “Soil does not rotprophets’ bodies. Whenever a Muslim says the salawât for me, an angel informs me of it and says, ‘So-and-so’s son, so-and-so of your umma sent his salâm and prayed for you.’ ” This hadîth sharîf shows that our Prophet is alive in his shrine in a life which a man of this world cannot understand. Hadrat Zaid ibn Sahl (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) said, “One day, I was enjoying Rasûlullâh’s company. His blessed face was cheerful. I asked why he smiled. ‘Why should I not be happy? Jabrâ’îl gave me good news just a moment ago: Allâhu ta’âlâ has declared that whenever my umma recite a salawât for me once, Allâhu ta’âlâ will send a salawât ten times in reply to them,’ he answered.”
Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) is a great favour for the whole Umma after his death, as he was Allahu ta’âlâ’s compassion for his companions in his life. He is the cause of goodnesses.
Mahâl ibn ’Amr said, “One day, I sat with Sa’îd ibn Musayyab (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) by our mother Umm Salama’s (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhâ) room. Many people came to visit the Hujrat as-Sa’âda. Sa’îd, being astonished at the people, said, ‘How stupid they are! They think Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) is in the grave. Do prophets ever stay in their graves longer than forty days?’ ” Nevertheless, Sa’îd[24] himself had said he had heard the adhân called inRasûlullâh’s grave on the day the disaster called Harra happened. Hadrat ’Uthmân (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), when his house was blockaded, said, “I will not go anywhere! I cannot leave Medina and Rasûlullâh.” If the words which Mahâl ibn ’Amr reported from Sa’îd were true, Rasûlullâh would not have called Muslims to visit his grave. As a matter of fact, Bilâl al-Habashî (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) went to Medina and visited Rasûlullâh’s shrine on the order he received from Rasûlullâh in his dream after the conquest of Jerusalem. Hadrat ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-’Azîz (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), Khalîfa of the Muslims, used to send salât and salâm from Damascus to Medina with special officials. Hadrat ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), when he returned to al-Madînat al-Munawwara after conquering Jerusalem, first went to the Hujrat as-Sa’âda, visited Rasûlullâh and conveyed salât and salâm onto him.
Yazîd ibn al-Mahrî said, “I visited ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-’Azîz (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh), the Governor of Egypt, on my way from Damascus to Medina. He said to me, ‘Oh Yazîd! Please convey my salât and salâm to Rasûlullâh when you have the bliss of visiting him!’ ”
Imâm Nâfi’ (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ)[25] reported that ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ), whenever he came back from an expedition or war, would visit the Hujrat as-Sa’âda, first Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam), then Hadrat Abu Bakr and then his father Hadrat ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhumâ), greeting each of them. Though the Wahhâbite book Fat’h al-majîd confirms this, too, it writes that visiting the Prophet’s grave was not allowed in Islam and that no one but ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar visited him. However, it is written in valuable books that most of the Sahâbîs (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în) did visit him. It is a filthy slander that ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar committed an act not permitted by Islam. The Wahhâbî author praises the as-Sahâbat al-kirâm highly when it suits his interests, but he shamelessly commits such filthy slanders when it does not suit him. If it had not been permitted to visit the Prophet’s shrine and to say salât and salâm, ’Abdullâh ibn ’Umar would not have done so, or the Sahâbîs who saw him would have told him that it was prohibited. His behaviour and the silence of those who saw him show that it is permitted and meritorious. Imâm Nâfi’ said, “I have seen more than a hundred times ’Abdullah ibn ’Umar say, ‘As-salâma ’alaika yâ Rasûl-Allâh!’ ‘As-salâmu ’alaika yâ Abâ Bakr!’ and ‘As-salâmu ’alaika yâ Abî(father)!’ during his visits to Rasûlullâh’s shrine.”
One day, Hadrat ’Alî (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) entered Masjid ash-Sharîf and wept long in front of Fâtimâ’s (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhâ) room. Then he entered the Hujrat as-Sa’âda and said, “As-salâmu ’alaika yâ Rasûl-Allâh.” And he wept again. Then, saying, “’Alaikuma ’s-salâm yâ akhawayya wa rahmat-Allâh,” he greeted Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat ’Umar and went out.
It was for this reason that our scholars of fiqh (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) came to Medina and performed salât in Masjid ash-Sharîf after pilgrimage. Then they visited and received blessings by seeing the Rawdat al-Mutahhara, the Minbar al-Munîr and the Qabr ash-Sharîf, which is superior to the ’Arsh al-a’lâ; the places where the Prophet sat, walked and leaned; the pole he leaned against when the wahî came and the places where as-Sahâbat al-kirâm and the Tâbi’ûn (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în), who worked when the Masjid was being built and repaired or who had the honour of giving financial help, walked. Those scholars and sulahâ’ who came later would come to Medina after hajj and do as our ’ulamâ’ of fiqh did. It is for this reason that pilgrims have been visiting al-Madînat al-Munawwara.
The ’ulamâ’ have given different answers to the question whether one [a pilgrim] should first go to Medina or visit the Prophet’s shrine after hajj. ’Alqama, Aswad and ’Amr ibn Maimûn, three superiors among the Tâbi’ûn (rahimahum-Allâhu ta’âlâ) said that one should first go to Medina. Al-Imâm al-A’zam Abu Hanîfa (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), the sun of Islamic scholars, said that it would be better to perform hajj and then leave Mecca for Medina. So it was written in the fatwâ of Abu ’l-Laith Nasr as-Samarqandî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who passed away in 373/985.
During the sultanate of ’Abdulhamîd Khan II, it became a custom among [the Ottoman] pilgrims to stay in Medina between the two ’Iyds and to leave Medina for Mecca when the time for hajj came. Some pilgrims would go direct to Mecca and, after ’Arafât, come to Medina to perform the visitation. Then they would go to Yanbû, the port of Medîna, where they would take a steam-ship on the way back to their countries passing through the Suez Canal.
Qâdî ’Iyâd, author of Shifâ’ ash-sharîf who passed away in Marrakush in 544/1150 and Shâfi’î scholar Imâm Yahyâ an-Nawawî, who passed away in Damascus in 676/1277, and Hanafî scholar Ibn Hammâm (Humâm) Muhammad al-Siwâsî, who passed away in 861/1456, (rahimahum Allâhu ta’âlâ) said that there had been ijmâ’ al-umma on the fact that visiting Rasûlullâh’s (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) blessed shrine was very meritorious. Some scholars said that it was wâjib. It is a sunna to visit graves. Visiting the most valuable grave, the Hujrat as-Sa’âda, is the most valuable sunna.
Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) used to visit the Baqî’ cemetery and the martyrs in Uhud. ’Abd al-Haqq ad-Dahlawî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who was one of the great ’ulamâ’ in India that passed away in 1052 A.H. (1642), while narrating the Battle of Uhud in his Persian book Madârij an-Nubuwwa, quotes Abu Farda (radî-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh) as saying, “One day Rasûlullâh visited the martyrs in Uhud. After saying, ‘Oh my Rabb who is worth being worshipped! I, Thy servant and Messenger, testify that thes