Visiting Graves in General

It is a well-known fact that it is a Sunnah to visit graves.

Sayyidina Rasulallah says, "Verily, I had restrained you from visiting the graves. Now, visit them. Certainly, it reminds one of the Hereafter." [Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol.3, Pg. 370]

It is reported by Abu Bakr al-Bazzar that Sayyidina Rasulallah use to visit the Jannat al-Mua’lla cemetery in Makkah where his dear wife Sayyida Khadijah is buried, and Sayyidina Rasulallah also called the entire place a blessed graveyard, or “Ni’m al-Maqbarah Haazihi” (which contradicts the wrongful claim that he did not give any importance to his wife’s grave).

Imam Muslim also narrates that Sayyidina Rasulallah used to even visit the grave of his beloved mother Sayyida Aminah , which is situated in Abwa, a place between Makkah and Madinah.

Why did the Holy Prophet give so much significance to Jannatul Mu’alla and Jannatul Baqi?

The reason for this is, because of the pious people who were to be buried there, that not all graves & cemeteries are the same in status according to the Shariah. Those graveyards in which pious people are buried are definitely higher in status and blessings, otherwise why visit Jannatul Mu’alla and Jannatul Baqi? 

Also Bayhaqi narrates that the Holy Prophet 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.” [Shu’ab al-Iman]

If visiting the graves of one’s parents can result in such a blessing, what about visiting the graves of the esteemed friends of Allah ()?

To pray at the Shrines of Awliya & Prophets

Mullah Ali Qari (Rehmatullah Alaih) writes:

“Anyone who builds a mosque near the grave of an upright person or prays in the tomb, or intends to ask for help through the Ruh (soul) of that upright person or intends to seek barakah (blessing) from his leftovers, if he does all that without the intention of giving him Tazeem or doing tawajuh towards him (in prayer) then there is nothing wrong in that. Don't you see that the Grave of Hazrat Ismail (A.S) is inside the Masjid ul Haram near the Hateem, and to pray there is superior than anything else. However to pray near the graves is only forbidden when the soil becomes dirty because of Najasat of deceased. In the Hateem near Hajr al Aswad and Mizaab there are the graves of 70 Prophets.” 

[Mirqat, Sharh al Mishqaat, Volume No. 2, Page No. 202]

Hazrat Imam Shafi himself states:

“I derive blessing from the person of Imam Abu Hanifa and I visit his grave everyday. When I face a problem, I offer two Nafl Rakaats of prayer & visit his grave, and (while standing) I pray to Allah to solve my problem. And the problem is solved before I have even left the place.”

He would also make those two Rakaats according to the Hanafi Madhab. When asked why, he replied, “In respect of the person in the Tomb (i.e. Imam Abu Hanifa).”

[References for the above report:

- Khatib Baghdidi has related this incident with a sound chain of transmission in his Tirikh Baghdid (1:123)
- Ibn Hajar Haythami, al-Khayrit-ul-hisin fi maniqib-il-imim al-a‘zam Abu Hanifah (p.94)
- Muhammad Zihid Kawthari, Maqilit (p.381)
- Ibn ‘Ibidin Shimi in Radd-ul-muhtir ‘ali Durr-il-mukhtir (1:41)]

To Invoke the Blessings of the Awliya in their Graves

Before the passing away of Hazrat Jalaluddin Rumi , he said to his Mureeds:

"Whatever condition you may be in, remember me so that I can be your protector and helper, irrespective of what state I may be in.

In this world I have two types of relationships, one with my body and the other with you, and when with the Mercy of Allahm I am freed from this contact with my body and the world of loneliness is exposed to me, I will divert the attention of my soul to you."

There are many documents which provide proof in favour of visiting the graves of Awliya, to use their Waseela while asking something from Almighty Allah.

The Holy Qur’an itself states:

- “O believers! Fear Allah and seek the means to approach Him and strive in His way haply you may get prosperity.” [Surah Al Ma’idah, verse 35]

The term in the above verse “seeks the means to approach Him” is in reference to Waseela, which means a way or intermediary to someone or something.

- “Whoso obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah, and whoso turns away his face, then We have not sent you to save them.” [Surah An-Nisa, verse 80]

In the above verse, the Waseela between Almighty Allah and mankind is Rasulallah , and this is agreed upon by the majority of the Muslim scholars.

Therefore, it is permissible to invoke the Waseela of Prophets and their inheritors, the Awliya and pious Muslims, and to try to approach Allah with their help because they are used as an intermediary between us and Allah .

There are benefits in visiting graves and praying to Allah by using the Waseela of the Awliya.

In a Hadith Sharif reported by Hazrat Abu Hurairah , Sayyidina Rasulallah states, "The believer is a mirror for the believer, and the believer is the brother of the believer. He safeguards his property for him and defends him from behind."

[Sahih Bukhari no. 239, Sunan Abu Dawud no. 4900]

It is understood from this Hadith that souls are like mirrors for one another. They are seen in one another. Blessings emanates from the soul of a Wali (friend of Allah) to the heart of a person who thinks of him and makes a Waseela of him while visiting the grave of that Wali. The weaker of the two souls gains strength.

Hazrat Abu Sayyidina Musa Al-Ashari reported:

I heard Sayyidina Rasulallah saying, “The likeness of righteous company and evil company, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may purchase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell." [Bukhari, Muslim]

From this Hadith, we can understand that keeping the company of the pious grants us blessings & much benefit. Visiting their graves & being in their presence is proved beneficial by this Hadith Sharif, especially as the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat do not believe that the pious people are dead in their graves but we believe they have merely passed on to another world.

They are still with us and so they can grant us blessings if we are in their company, just like they are able to do when they are alive amongst us.

Imam Zainul Abideen is reported to have said:

"Surely a grave is either a garden of the gardens of Paradise or a pit among the pit-holes of Hell Fire." [Tafsir al-Qummi, v.2, p.94]

If the grave of a normal Muslim can be a garden of Paradise, what about the grave of the Awliya of Allah (). They too, are of course gardens of Paradise and even a fool cannot deny that there is much blessings there. So surely, we should visit there and receive the benefits of these blessings!

Time & Day Of Visiting

It is preferable to visit the graves at least once a week, either on a Friday, Thursday, Saturday or Monday.

The best time is on a Friday morning, the day of Jummah.

While visiting the Mazaar Sharif of a Wali (Saint), if you see something there which is against the Shari’ah, such as facing women or hearing music, then do not stop attending, but instead realize it is bad & avoid it. However, to stop a pious act due to witnessing bad deeds is not right & you should not lose out on spiritual blessings due to the wrongs of other people.

It is also a wise thing to prevent women from visiting the graves.

[Radd-ul-Mohtar; Fatwa-e-Rizvia]