The ruling on one who intends to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) without praying in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and the explanation of the prescribed visitation.

So, in al-Masjid al-Nabawi, it is necessary to point out that many people specifically intend to come to the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to greet him. Although we do not prohibit this intention in itself, they give us the impression that these people who go to the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him) believe that the greeting to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not reach him unless the Muslim is near his grave. This impression is false. There is no difference in the Muslim’s greeting to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) between being next to his grave or being in the farthest east or west. There is absolutely no difference between the two in either aspect: that the greeting of this person and that person reaches the Messenger (peace be upon him) without distinction, and that the one who greets the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) next to his grave is no different from the one who sends blessings upon him in the east or the west, in that the Messenger does not hear this greeting, whether he is next to the grave or beyond the two easts. When people specifically intend to come to the grave, I understand well that these legal meanings are empty in their minds; they will not be cultured with this Prophetic culture. What is the evidence for what we are saying? It is the saying of the Messenger: , . And before I reach the point, or shortly after reaching it, I will mention a story to confirm this meaning. When a person enters the mosque, let not emotions take him so that he rushes to reach the grave of the Messenger to greet him, forgetting these legal meanings we mentioned first. Then he forgets the Sunnah of entering the mosque with the right foot, and sending blessings upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) where he is, as most people do—I do not say all people. They are carried away by unbridled emotions with no limits. They neglect the obligatory in order to obtain what has no benefit. They neglect the command of the Messenger to us that when we enter the mosque, we should say: "In the name of Allah, may Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and peace, and may Allah open for me the gates of His mercy." You will find no sense for any of these things there at all. Rather, oh God, they are like donkeys or stray camels, rushing to the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him). O people, there is no difference between praying at the door of the mosque or praying here; there is absolutely no difference. All of that is equal regarding the verse and the miracle by which Allah distinguished our Prophet (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) from the other prophets and messengers, in the previous hadith: . So, the one from the People of the House who said, "You and the one in Andalusia are no different," spoke the truth. A man from the People of the House named al-Hasan al-Asadi said: "A man heard or saw a man leaning into a gap, which at that time was in the grave before this dome was built, and these walls were on the side of the mosque. He saw him coming to the grave of the Messenger in a gap. He said to him: Why? He said: I am praying. He said to him: Pray wherever you are. I heard the Messenger (peace be upon him) say: . And he said to him: You and the one in Andalusia are no different. Why? Because ." The story that happened to me when Allah decreed that I travel from Damascus to Madinah, appointed to teach the subject of hadith during the opening of the Islamic University. I completed the procedures and took the visa from the Saudi consulate there. The passports arrived according to the known government routine there. It appears that the officer there had some religion. When he saw that I was going to Madinah, he said: I want something from you. I said to him: Please. He said: When you reach Madinah, convey my greeting to the Messenger. I said to him: Shall I not direct you to something better than that? He said: How? I said: I am now a traveler going to Madinah; I may arrive or I may not arrive for one reason or more, as they say. Then, if I arrive, I may forget, because a person is not called a human being except for his forgetfulness. I may forget what you are asking of me. Shall I not direct you to a registered, guaranteed mail that is faster than the fleeting lightning? The man was amazed and said: How? I said: He (peace be upon him) said: . Send blessings upon Muhammad while you are behind your seat and your desk. That is better than waiting for me. Convey your greeting to the Messenger (peace be upon him). In truth, these are beautiful and great meanings that make us feel the status of the Messenger with his noble Lord. But we are heedless of all these realities. Therefore, when a person enters al-Masjid al-Nabawi, let him not forget the etiquette of mosques in general: that he enters with the right foot, and sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there, and makes du'a and says the basmalah: "In the name of Allah, may Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and peace, and may Allah open for me the gates of His mercy." This greeting is like that greeting; there is never any difference. Yes, there is a difference, but it is a discarded, undesirable difference, which is creating a crowd around the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and perhaps the shouting and screaming that disturbs the worshippers. Therefore, let each of you be mindful in his heart of these etiquettes that we learned through our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), whom we intend to pray in his mosque; because prayer in his mosque is a thousand prayers compared to any other mosque, except al-Masjid al-Haram. And let us not contradict his guidance and his Sunnah by leaving all these Prophetic teachings, and just reaching the grave and praying upon him, and that is it? We limit ourselves to this. Perhaps one will touch it and seek blessing, especially if the brass is polished and takes the eyes. But of course, the eyes of the ignorant poor people. This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.