Is it permissible to face the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from any direction in the mosque in the posture of a worshipper with humility?
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The Shaykh : This person is asking you, by Allah, to read this question. He is asking you, by Allah.
The questioner : He says: A matter has become apparent in this noble Prophet’s Mosque, which is that many people face the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whether the grave is in the direction of the qiblah, the north, the east, or the west, wherever this person is, he faces the grave, then moves his lips with words that only Allah knows about. He may place his right hand over his left, or he may let his hands hang down. What is the ruling on this matter? If this matter is not permissible, what is our duty toward those who do this? I have not seen anyone rebuke any of them, except rarely.
The Shaykh : Yes, there is no doubt that such humility is not valid except for Allah, Lord of the worlds. A person stands silent, with his hands folded, one over the other, in front of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as if he is praying to him. This is not permissible. But it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that the motivation for this action is the man’s intense love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So we tell him: if you love the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intensely, then you must follow his Sunnah.[Ali 'Imran 3:31] What? [Ali 'Imran 3:31] And we speak to him gently. Does a person come and run while saying this, then untie his hands and say, “You have associated partners with Allah, you have associated partners with Allah”? This is not permissible except for Allah. This is forbidden. This is shirk (associating partners with Allah). It is not accepted. But speak to him calmly and tell him that humility is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah make it beneficial. Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He says: A matter has become apparent in this noble Prophet’s Mosque, which is that many people face the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Whether the grave is in the direction of the qiblah, the north, the east, or the west, wherever this person is, he faces the grave, then moves his lips with words that only Allah knows about. He may place his right hand over his left, or he may let his hands hang down. What is the ruling on this matter? If this matter is not permissible, what is our duty toward those who do this? I have not seen anyone rebuke any of them, except rarely.
The Shaykh : Yes, there is no doubt that such humility is not valid except for Allah, Lord of the worlds. A person stands silent, with his hands folded, one over the other, in front of the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as if he is praying to him. This is not permissible. But it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that the motivation for this action is the man’s intense love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So we tell him: if you love the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) intensely, then you must follow his Sunnah.