What is your opinion regarding al-Dhahabi’s statement that visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah? What is your opinion of this phrase?
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The questioner : Well, regarding al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him), he said in *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala* that sometimes phrases come from him that one finds strange, such as his statement regarding visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah. I do not remember where I read it in the *Siyar*, but surely you have come across it, if Allah wills?
The Shaykh : Where is the strangeness?
The questioner : I mean, visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah.
The Shaykh : You repeated the phrase without benefit.
The questioner : I mean, the point of strangeness is that al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi is known to be one of the great ones. The phrase contains no error. Do you see that there is no error in it?
The Shaykh : I did not understand your words?
The questioner : I mean, al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi is known to be one of the Salafis, one of the scholars of the Salaf, without doubt, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : This phrase seems to be the strange one.
The Shaykh : I did not understand your objection. I am with you now to explore what is behind the veil. Is the strangeness the name of encouraging it specifically, or is it something else?
The questioner : No, it is something else.
The Shaykh : So if we wanted to express it on behalf of al-Dhahabi with a phrase that is acceptable to us, the people of the Salaf, what would we say?
The questioner : Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque.
The Shaykh : Ah, why?
The questioner : Because visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not prescribed.
Another questioner : Visiting the grave.
The Shaykh : Listen, my brother, may Allah guide you. You want to substitute for him, to take it upon yourself to express it for him, as if he is incapable, if Allah wills.
The questioner : No, I am not incapable, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Now we may reach what you intend. If someone said, "It is permissible to travel to the Messenger’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him)," is there an objection?
The questioner : There is no objection.
The Shaykh : Well, if someone said, "It is permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger," is there an objection?
The questioner : There is an objection.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because this is not prescribed, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the general hadith from Abu HurayrahMuwatta Malik 5:17, which means this is not prescribed, as I understand it.
The Shaykh : And from here I was given [the answer]. My question was based on your objection. It was not "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?" Rather, it was after we said and asked, "Is it permissible to travel to the Messenger’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him)?" The answer was yes. Then we manipulated the phrase, removing "mosque" and placing "visiting," and we said, "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" We did not say, "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" So there is no doubt that you distinguish with us between the two phrases. The first phrase is "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" The second phrase is "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" Your answer applied to the second question, which I did not direct to you. Your answer is suitable if the question was "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" So you mentioned the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, and this is correct. But the question was not like that. The question was "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" Is the difference clear now?
The questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Well, the question returns: Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?
The questioner : Yes, it is permissible.
The Shaykh : So there is no problem.
The questioner : Regarding the hadith of the descent, O Shaykh, the divine descent is the well-known hadith of Abu Hurayrah. Because some commentators in the marginal notes say that there is a hadith that in the last third of the night, an angel descends and calls out, throwing down the supplication. I do not know if this hadith is authentic. And if it is authentic, how do you reconcile between the two hadiths?
The Shaykh : No, this is not authentic. This is an anomalous hadith. I have extracted it in some books. I do not know if Abu al-Harith mentions where?
The questioner : O Shaykh, in *al-Da'if*, the eleventh volume.
The Shaykh : Where is the strangeness?
The questioner : I mean, visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the greatest acts of drawing near to Allah.
The Shaykh : You repeated the phrase without benefit.
The questioner : I mean, the point of strangeness is that al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi is known to be one of the great ones. The phrase contains no error. Do you see that there is no error in it?
The Shaykh : I did not understand your words?
The questioner : I mean, al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi is known to be one of the Salafis, one of the scholars of the Salaf, without doubt, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : This phrase seems to be the strange one.
The Shaykh : I did not understand your objection. I am with you now to explore what is behind the veil. Is the strangeness the name of encouraging it specifically, or is it something else?
The questioner : No, it is something else.
The Shaykh : So if we wanted to express it on behalf of al-Dhahabi with a phrase that is acceptable to us, the people of the Salaf, what would we say?
The questioner : Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque.
The Shaykh : Ah, why?
The questioner : Because visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not prescribed.
Another questioner : Visiting the grave.
The Shaykh : Listen, my brother, may Allah guide you. You want to substitute for him, to take it upon yourself to express it for him, as if he is incapable, if Allah wills.
The questioner : No, I am not incapable, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Now we may reach what you intend. If someone said, "It is permissible to travel to the Messenger’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him)," is there an objection?
The questioner : There is no objection.
The Shaykh : Well, if someone said, "It is permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger," is there an objection?
The questioner : There is an objection.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because this is not prescribed, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the general hadith from Abu Hurayrah
Only make a special journey to three mosques: the mosque of the Haram (Makka), this mosque (Madina), and the mosque of Ilya or the Bait al-Maqdis (two names of Jerusalem).
لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد المسجد إلى الحرام وإلى مسجدي هذا وإلى مسجد إيلياء -أو- بيت المقدسThe Shaykh : And from here I was given [the answer]. My question was based on your objection. It was not "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)?" Rather, it was after we said and asked, "Is it permissible to travel to the Messenger’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him)?" The answer was yes. Then we manipulated the phrase, removing "mosque" and placing "visiting," and we said, "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" We did not say, "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" So there is no doubt that you distinguish with us between the two phrases. The first phrase is "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" The second phrase is "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" Your answer applied to the second question, which I did not direct to you. Your answer is suitable if the question was "Is it permissible to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger?" So you mentioned the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, and this is correct. But the question was not like that. The question was "Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?" Is the difference clear now?
The questioner : Yes, it is clear.
The Shaykh : Well, the question returns: Is it permissible to visit the grave of the Messenger?
The questioner : Yes, it is permissible.
The Shaykh : So there is no problem.
The questioner : Regarding the hadith of the descent, O Shaykh, the divine descent is the well-known hadith of Abu Hurayrah. Because some commentators in the marginal notes say that there is a hadith that in the last third of the night, an angel descends and calls out, throwing down the supplication. I do not know if this hadith is authentic. And if it is authentic, how do you reconcile between the two hadiths?
The Shaykh : No, this is not authentic. This is an anomalous hadith. I have extracted it in some books. I do not know if Abu al-Harith mentions where?
The questioner : O Shaykh, in *al-Da'if*, the eleventh volume.
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.