Miscellaneous by Al-Albani-255

The Shaykh : The fifth hadith. He said: And from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It was narrated by Ibn Abi al-Dunya and al-Hakim, who said: It is authentic according to the conditions of al-Bukhari. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) singled out his uncle al-Abbas with this advice after he had addressed the people with it in general, but he said to him: "Increase in supplication for well-being." In reality, this hadith reminds us of a matter that some people may overlook when they go to extremes in derivation and interpretation, far removed from what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon in his public life on one hand, and in the advice he directed to his Companions, indeed his beloved ones, on the other hand. I want to use this introduction to remind you of what we always and forever tell you: that reciting over graves is not part of the Sunnah in any way. Rather, the Sunnah is that when a Muslim visits graves, he should greet them and say what the Messenger (peace be upon him) taught us, or taught his noble Companions in general, and taught his beloved (peace and blessings be upon him) in particular, namely the Lady Aisha. He said to her on that night when it was her turn, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would spend each night with one of his wives, and it was the Lady Aisha's turn. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lay down on her bed, but after a very short time, he slipped away gracefully and went out from the chamber to the mosque, and from the mosque to al-Baqi'. The Lady Aisha sensed this, and a whispering doubt entered her mind, so she followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to find out where he was going in this night, thinking perhaps he was going to one of her co-wives. But he (peace be upon him) went to al-Baqi' and stood there for a long time, greeting and supplicating. Naturally, he finished and then returned backwards. She returned, and the Messenger of Allah was hurrying and she was hurrying, until she reached her bed. Soon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon her and saw her sighing, her chest rising and falling. He said to her: Did something disturb you? Seek forgiveness for them. In some narrations, the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) indicates her regret and says: "Where are you and where am I, O Messenger of Allah?" Meaning: You strive in the darkness of the night to the graves of the Muslims to seek forgiveness for them and supplicate for their good, while my mind is preoccupied, thinking perhaps you went somewhere that does not befit you. Yes, so she seized the opportunity, and here is the point, she said: "O Messenger of Allah, if I visit the graves, what should I say?" He said: .

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : "Farat" means the one who goes ahead of the people and precedes them to prepare the lodging for them.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, the point is: This word in such a place supports what I told you earlier when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And I said that they interpreted well-being with what interpretation? A material one. So I said it is perhaps better to expand the meaning to include both material and spiritual well-being. And this is proof, because the dead have died, so what does asking for well-being for them mean? Their safety in terms of the outcome. The point is... Aisha, who, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the most beloved of people to him, his answer was Aisha. So the most beloved person to the Messenger asks the Messenger: "If I visit the graves, what should I say?" And he does not add to her anything beyond this transmitted greeting. So we say: Does anyone think... that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was revealed a law in which reciting the Qur'an at grave visits is included, with reciting eleven times, with reciting Surat Yasin, with reciting Surat al-Fatihah, and then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) keeps this secret from all people on one hand, and from the most beloved person to him, namely the Lady Aisha, on the other hand? Can this enter the mind of a Muslim? This is impossible. But unfortunately, this has entered the minds of the masses of Muslims, and the reason for that is a simple and very easy matter: their turning away from following the guidance of the Sunnah. The masses of Muslims no longer concern themselves with studying the Sunnah with the Book, of course, and they have dispensed with that by reading books written by pious, scholarly authors. But no matter what is said in their praise and their certification, they do not reach a hair of the body of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in everything for which a person is praised.
We always and forever advise Muslims to return to the guidance of their Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in everything, in every big and small matter. Among that is greeting the dead with this supplication which includes: Because, as you heard, it is among the best of supplications, and this amount is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.