Ruling On Journeying To Visit Tombs of The Righteous The Shafi jurist, Ibn Hajr al-Haytami, was asked: Question: Is it permitted to visit the tombs of saintly persons (al-awliya) in a cetain period and connected with a journey (rihlah), although around these tombs many abominable things happen, such as the intermingling of women and men, the kindling of many lamps and whatever else there is ? Response: The visit to tombs of saintly persons is a righteous deed (qurbah) that is desirable. The same holds true of the journey (to them), though the Sheikh Abu Muhammed (i.e. al-Juwayni, d 438H) said that the journey is only desirable if it leads you to the tomb of the Prophet (whereas visiting other tombs or traveling to them was prohibited). This opinion was rebutted by al-Ghazzali who argued that Abu Muhammed saw here an analogy with the prohibition of visiting mosques other than the three mosques (of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem), yet the case is clearly different, because apart from these three all mosques are of equal standing and thus there is no benefit in visiting any of them especially. Saintly persons, on the contrary, differ in their closeness to God, and the visitors (to their tombs) will benefit according to the open and secret knowledge they possessed. Thus, travelling to them (individually) has its benefit. (…) As to the innovations (bida’) or forbidden acts (…), I say that righteous deeds (such as visiting tombs) should not be given up for that reason. It rather obliges everybody to perform (such deeds) and to combat the innovations, yea to abolish them if one is able to do so. (…) Therefore, the visit should be undertaken, but staying seperated from the women and condemning everything that seems forbidden, or even doing away with it if possible. (…) Of course, performing the visit during a time when there are no such abominable things happening is preferable”. (al-Fatawa al-Fiqhiyya II p. 24) (as translated in “The living and the dead in Islam”) Prophets, Sahabah And Awliya Allahs Bodies Remain Fresh And Intact In Their Graves. (1) It is in Hadith - Narrated Jabir (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ): When the time of the Battle of Uhud approached, my father called me at night and said, I think that I will be the first amongst the companions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) to be martyred. I do not leave anyone after me dearer to me than you, except Allahs Apostles (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) soul and I owe some debt and you should repay it and treat your sisters favorably (nicely and politely). So in the morning he was the first to be martyred and was buried along with another (martyr). I did not like to leave him with the other (martyr) so I took him out of the Grave after six months of his burial and he was in the same condition as he was on the day of burial, except a slight change near his ear. (Bukhari Book #23, Hadith #434). (2) It is in Hadith - Narrated Urwa (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ): When the wall fell on them (i.e. on Graves) during the Caliphate of Al-Walid bin Abdul Malik, the people started repairing it, and a foot appeared to them. The people got scared and thought that it was the foot of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم). No one could be found who could tell them about it till I (Urwa - رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ ) said to them, By Allah, ( سبحانہ و تعا لی ) this is not the foot of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و آله وسلم) but it is the foot of Umar (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ). (Bukhari Book #23, Hadith #474). (3) It is in Hadith - Yahya (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) related to me from Malik (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Sasaca(رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) that he had heard that Amr Ibn al-Jamuh al-Ansari (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) and Abdullah Ibn Umar al-Ansari (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ), both of the tribe of Banu Salami, had their Grave uncovered by a flood. Their Grave was part of what was left after the flood. They were in the same Grave, and they were among those martyred at Uhud. They were dug up so that they might be moved. They were found unchanged. It was as if they had died only the day before. One of them had been wounded, and he had put his hand over his wound and had been buried like that. His hand was pulled away from his wound and released, and it returned to where it had been. It was forty-six years between Uhud and the day they were dug up. Malik (رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ) said, There is no harm in burying two or three men in the same Grave due to necessity. The oldest one is put next to the qibla. (Maliks Muwatta - Book #21, Hadith #21.20.50). The Recitaition of Al-Fatiha On Graves of Deceased Is it permissible to recite Al-FAtihah, or any other parts of the Quran for a dead upon visiting his/her grave? And will this benefit him? Answer: It has been authentically reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) used to visit graves, and pray for the dead with supplications which he taught his Companions, and they learned them from him. Of such supplications: As-Salamu Alaikum, O people of this place, believers and Muslims, and we will if Allaah wills follow you. We ask Allaah safety for ourselves and yourselves. [1] It has never been authentically reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) recited a chapter from the Quran, or Verses, for dead people; although he used to frequently visit their graves. Were this to be legitimate, he would have done it and instructed his Companions to do it, out of desire for the reward and mercy to his Ummah, and out of fulfilling the duty on conveying the message to the Ummah. Allaah describes him saying: Surely, a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves, grevious to him is that you should fall into trouble; and he is desirous of your welfare; and compassionate and merciful to the believers [2] Since he did not do that when there was a reason for him to do so, then it is proof that this practice is illegitimate. His Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, realized that, and followed his suite. They were content by supplicating for dead people when they visited their graves. It has never been authentically reported that they recited Quranic chapters for dead people. Hence, reciting the Quran is an innovation. It has been authentically reported that he said: He who innovates into our affair a ritual which does not belong to it, it shall be rejected [3] [1] Muslim no. 975 [2]At-Tawbah 9:128 [3] Al-Bukhari no. 2697 and Muslim no. 1718 Imam Malik (RA) Recommends Tawassul With The Inhabitants of Jannatul Baqi The Maliki scholar, Ibn Farhun (d. 799) , in his book “Irshad alSalik” (Pg 592) writes: وذکر عن مالک أن فی البقیع من الصحابة-رضی الله عنهم- عشرة الاف صحابی و أما کبار التابعین وتابع تابعین فما یحصیهم الا الله تعالی ، فینبغی السلام علیهم والدعاء لهم والتوسل بهم الی الله تعالی Rough translation: It is narrated from Imam Malik that in Baqi are thousands of Sahabah, Tabi’in and Taba’ at-Tabi’in. One should greet them, pray for them and take them as a recourse/intercessor/means (tawassul) to Allah Ta’ala. Prophets Were Given The Power To Know The Unseen : Imam Ibn Daqiq al-Eid (D. 702H) The Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The angels said to God, ‘God, one of your servants wants to do a bad deed.’ God replied, ‘follow the servant. If the servant does the bad deed, record it as a bad deed. If the servant doesn’t do the bad deed, record it as a good deed because a servant gives up on a bad deed for me.’ - [Sahih Muslim (Kitab al-Iman)] Imam Ibn Daqiq al Eid, in his commentary of Nawawi’s 40 hadith, comments on the above narration: “Al-Tabari says that this hadith supports the argument of those who say that angels record the good deeds and bad deeds that people intend to do and, hence, they know beforehand what people do. It refutes the argument of those who say that angels only record what they see and hear people do. What it means is that the two angels who are in charge of a human being know what this person harbors in their heart and what this person intends to do. It is possible that God, the Sublime, gave the angels the power to know the unknown the way God gave the power to many prophets to know many unknowns. God says in the Qur’an that Jesus, may peace be upon him, said to the Children of Israel, “I can tell you what you eat and what you store in your homes.” {Al-Imran:49} Our Prophet Muhammed, may God’s peace and blessings be upon him, was told many unknowns. So it is possible that God gave the two angels the power to know what the children of Adam harbor in their hearts from good and evil and instructed to them to record the deeds of people when they intend on doing them. Some said that the angels get their information from wind that emanates from the heart. The salaf disagreed as to whether angels know or do not know the unknown. This is all the opinion of Ibn-Khalaf, aka Ibn-Battal.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 03:41:36 +0000
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