Rulings on Visiting the Prophet’s City.

The Shaykh : As for the Prophet’s City, a person enters it without entering the state of ihram and intends to go to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque, where he prays as many rak'ahs as he wishes, whether two, four, or more. Then the men proceed to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions. They stand before it with the qiblah behind them and greet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the best greeting he taught his Ummah: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings." Then he takes one step to his right to be in front of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and says, "Peace be upon you, O Successor of the Messenger of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah be pleased with you and reward you with good for the Ummah of Muhammad." Then he takes another step to his right to be in front of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and says, "Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah be pleased with you and may Allah reward you with good." Then he leaves. If these are two things: the prayer, and then visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the graves of his two companions, then he leaves for al-Baqi', the cemetery of the people of the Prophet’s City, which contains the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and among the Caliphs, 'Uthman ibn 'Affan. He greets the people of al-Baqi' because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to go out to al-Baqi' and greet them, saying: He stands at the gate of the grave inside the cemetery, and if he wishes to greet a specific person, such as the Commander of the Faithful 'Uthman, he does so. He directs himself to the grave of 'Uthman, which is known, and says, "Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah be pleased with you and reward you with good for the Ummah of Muhammad." Then he leaves. One does not touch the graves, nor the chamber of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor the walls of the mosque, nor anything else. There is nothing in this world that is touched except for two things: the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner. How many things have we mentioned in the Prophet’s City? Three: praying in the mosque, visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the grave of his companions, and visiting al-Baqi'. The fourth is going out to Quba', for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to go out to it and pray in it. Quba' is one of the two mosques about which Allah said: He prays in it two rak'ahs or more, then departs. This is the fourth.
The fifth is going out to Uhud, the cemetery of the martyrs who were martyred at Uhud, and they were seventy men, with the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him), the master of the martyrs, at their head. He stands at the gate, which is closed and not opened, and says, "Peace be upon you, abode of a people of believers, and we, if Allah wills, will be joining you," just as he said in greeting the people of al-Baqi'. These are five things done in the Prophet’s City, and nothing else. That is to say, there are no seven mosques, nor the Mosque of al-Ghamamah, nor any other mosques; all of these are fabrications with no basis. It is not recommended to go to them with the intention of visiting the site, because we ask: where is the evidence that these seven mosques are the mosques of the people they claim? Then, even if it were assumed that they are their mosques, where is the evidence that they are exalted and visited? After this, if he wishes to remain in the Prophet’s City, he remains, and if he wishes to depart, he departs. This is the ruling for those who go on this trip to the two Holy Sanctuaries, Makkah and the Prophet’s City.