Is it permissible to raise the hands and make du'a' while greeting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) facing his house?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to raise the hands and make du'a' while greeting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) facing his house?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the recommended matters, and it is the first thing that falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Sunan Ibn Majah 1569Sahih (Darussalam) However, it is obligatory for a person when visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to believe that it is an act of worship for Allah, not an act of worship for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) does not possess for himself any benefit or harm, nor does he possess for others any benefit or harm. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) says to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-A'raf 7:188] This is the reality of the condition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): that he does not possess for himself any benefit or harm except what Allah wills. The entire matter is with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The benefit and harm for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and for others all belong to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not know the unseen. If he had known the unseen, he would have accumulated much good, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) is touched by harm just as others are. For this reason, he said: [Al-A'raf 7:188] But he (peace and blessings be upon him) is distinguished from others in that he is a clear warner to a people who believe. And Allah the Exalted said to him and commanded him to declare that he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not possess for anyone any harm or guidance, as He said: [Al-Jinn 72:21] And He commanded him to declare something else, saying: [Al-An'am 6:50] So it is obligatory for whoever visits the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to believe in this, meaning what Allah described His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with, and not to exceed it with exaggeration, and not to fall short of it with negligence. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has granted him, and the Lord (Mighty and Majestic) has what He has exclusively reserved for Himself (Glorified and Exalted is He). Then, when he greets, he should not prolong it, because prolonging it is contrary to the guidance of the righteous Salaf. He stands facing the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), facing the grave, and says: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon him, and reward us for him with the best of what You have rewarded a Prophet for his Ummah." Then he takes a step to his right to be opposite the face of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and says: "Peace be upon you, O Successor of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah be pleased with you, and reward you for the Ummah of Muhammad with good." 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, may Allah be pleased with you, and reward you for the Ummah of Muhammad with good," or words to that effect. Then he departs and does not stand making du'a' at the grave. It is recommended that one not frequent this visit, unlike those who make this visit every time they pray an obligatory prayer, coming to visit, or every time they pray Fajr, coming to visit. For we know, and Allah knows with the certainty of knowledge, that we do not love the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) more than the Companions loved him, nor do we honor him more than they honored him. And if they did not do such a thing, they are our model and our example. Allah the Exalted said: [At-Tawbah 9:100] So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is pleased with those who came after the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and this is not for anyone except for those who follow them with excellence, meaning those who take their path without falling short in it or exceeding it. And you are amazed at people who honor the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at his grave more than the Companions honored him, but they contradict him in their actions. You find with them negligence in many of the Sunnahs that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established for people to worship their Lord (Glorified and Exalted) with. In fact, you find among them negligence in the obligatory duties, and perhaps you find among them transgression of the forbidden things. Perhaps there is among them one who shaves his beard, perhaps there is among them one who drinks intoxicants, perhaps there is among them one who pursues women with flirtation or with forbidden looking, or the like of that. So, how strange it is for these people to contradict the Salaf from both sides: in exaggeration regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and in negligence regarding his Sunnah and his guidance. And honoring the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is not that we stand at his grave to visit him in an unlegislated manner. Rather, honoring the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is by loving him and following him outwardly and inwardly, and believing that his Sunnah is the best of the ways, and that his guidance is the most perfect of the guidances, and that we do not exceed what he legislated, neither by negligence nor by excess. This is the honoring of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And Allah the Exalted challenged a people who claimed that they love Allah by following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and He said: [Ali 'Imran 3:31] So my advice to my Muslim brothers is that they do not exceed the limits of what Allah revealed to His Messenger, and that they do not exaggerate regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with that excessive exaggeration by which they forbid the best of his Sunnah and the best of his guidance. And one is amazed to see some people standing in front of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), facing his grave, bowing their heads, closing their eyes, placing their hands on their chests as they do in prayer, and in fact, they are more humble in their standing than when they stand before Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this is undoubtedly from great ignorance. And I seek forgiveness from Allah if this is due to the negligence of the scholars and their failure to clarify the truth to these common people, most of whom do not do what they do except that they think they are doing good, but they are not doing good.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good for this blessed guidance.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the recommended matters, and it is the first thing that falls under the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.
زوروا القبور، فإنها تذكر الآخرةSay, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."
قُلْ لا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَand no harm would have touched me
وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُSay, "Indeed, I do not possess for you [the power of] harm or right direction."
قُلْ إِنِّي لا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلا رَشَدًاI do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed
قُلْ لا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىAnd the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him
وَالسَّابِقُونَ الأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالأَنصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُSay, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good for this blessed guidance.