Rubbing against the traces of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), his grave, and the pulpit
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Fatwa number ( 17846 )
Q: There is an issue that the grave-worshippers and innovators keep harping on, calling people to it, and attacking us with it. It is their claim that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) permits touching the pulpit and the grave and kissing them with the intention of drawing near to Allah. They attribute this to the book *Al-Jami' fi al-'Ilal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal*, narrated by Abdullah and Salih al-Marwazi and al-Maymuni (2\23) number (250): “I asked him about a man who touches the pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), seeks blessing in touching it, and kisses it, and does the same or something similar with the grave, intending thereby to draw near to Allah the Mighty and Majestic. He said: There is no harm in that.” I ask for your information and a satisfying answer regarding this, as it has caused a strange fitnah among the young who are not firmly grounded in knowledge. Is this actually from the words of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) or not?
A : Rubbing against the traces of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), his grave, and the pulpit is not permissible, and it is one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). If the intention is to seek blessing, it is shirk. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The scholars agreed that whoever visits the grave of the Prophet or the grave of any other prophet or righteous person—the Companions, the People of the House,
and others—does not rub against it or kiss it. In fact, there is no inanimate object in the world for which kissing is prescribed except the Black Stone. It is established in *Al-Sahihayn* that when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) kissed the Black Stone, he said: “By Allah, I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits, and were it not that I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.” For this reason, it is not recommended, by the consensus of the Imams, for a man to kiss or touch the two corners of the House adjacent to the Black Stone, nor the walls of the House, nor the Station of Ibrahim , nor the Rock of the Holy Temple , nor the grave of any prophet or righteous person. The jurists even disputed regarding placing the hand on the pulpit of our Master the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when it was still present; Malik and others disliked it because it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). It was mentioned that when Malik saw 'Ata doing so, he did not take knowledge from him.” The narration attributed to Ahmad permitting this is weak, and likewise what is narrated from Ibn 'Umar regarding rubbing against the pulpit cannot be used as evidence, because it contradicts the evidence and contradicts what is established from the Commander of the Faithful, the Rightly Guided Caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). And what contradicts the evidence is not permissible to act upon, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1718b. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: There is an issue that the grave-worshippers and innovators keep harping on, calling people to it, and attacking us with it. It is their claim that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) permits touching the pulpit and the grave and kissing them with the intention of drawing near to Allah. They attribute this to the book *Al-Jami' fi al-'Ilal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal*, narrated by Abdullah and Salih al-Marwazi and al-Maymuni (2\23) number (250): “I asked him about a man who touches the pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), seeks blessing in touching it, and kisses it, and does the same or something similar with the grave, intending thereby to draw near to Allah the Mighty and Majestic. He said: There is no harm in that.” I ask for your information and a satisfying answer regarding this, as it has caused a strange fitnah among the young who are not firmly grounded in knowledge. Is this actually from the words of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) or not?
A : Rubbing against the traces of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), his grave, and the pulpit is not permissible, and it is one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). If the intention is to seek blessing, it is shirk. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The scholars agreed that whoever visits the grave of the Prophet or the grave of any other prophet or righteous person—the Companions, the People of the House,
and others—does not rub against it or kiss it. In fact, there is no inanimate object in the world for which kissing is prescribed except the Black Stone. It is established in *Al-Sahihayn* that when 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) kissed the Black Stone, he said: “By Allah, I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits, and were it not that I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you.” For this reason, it is not recommended, by the consensus of the Imams, for a man to kiss or touch the two corners of the House adjacent to the Black Stone, nor the walls of the House, nor the Station of Ibrahim , nor the Rock of the Holy Temple , nor the grave of any prophet or righteous person. The jurists even disputed regarding placing the hand on the pulpit of our Master the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when it was still present; Malik and others disliked it because it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). It was mentioned that when Malik saw 'Ata doing so, he did not take knowledge from him.” The narration attributed to Ahmad permitting this is weak, and likewise what is narrated from Ibn 'Umar regarding rubbing against the pulpit cannot be used as evidence, because it contradicts the evidence and contradicts what is established from the Commander of the Faithful, the Rightly Guided Caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). And what contradicts the evidence is not permissible to act upon, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.