What is the ruling on some people coming from different countries to the graves of the martyrs on the seventeenth and eighteenth days of Ramadan to celebrate the Battle of Badr?

The questioner : This is an important question in these days, O honorable Shaykh. It is from a member of the Da'wah and Guidance in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. He says: The phenomenon repeats on the nights of the seventeenth and eighteenth of Ramadan at the martyrs of Badr, where people, may Allah guide them, come from different regions and cities with their families to the graves of the martyrs. They read the account of the battle from the book, they eat and drink, and they celebrate the memory of the Battle of Badr. And I, O honorable Shaykh, seize the opportunity of your presence this night and ask you to direct a word to them, hoping it reaches them, regarding the ruling on this travel and celebration at the graves of the martyrs. What is the Shari'ah methodology for celebrating the Battle of Badr and benefiting from the memory of this recurring occasion? And are they rewarded for this action? May Allah guide you and keep you steady, and may we not be deprived of you.

The Shaykh : Yes, there is no doubt that the Battle of Badr took place in Ramadan, and it is well known that it was on the seventeenth day of it.
And did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions know that, or not? Answer, everyone. They did not know? How could they not know? They are the ones who fought in it; how could they not know? They knew that it was on the seventeenth of Ramadan.
And did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions know that they had achieved victory in it? They knew.
And did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions know that Allah named the Day of Badr the Day of Decision? Yes, they knew this.
And did they know that the angels fought alongside the Muslims? They knew this.
Everything in the Battle of Badr that is good is known to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions.
Did any of them revive the memory of this night? Answer. No, they never revived it. Whoever revives it has introduced a religious innovation into the religion of Allah that is not part of it, and he is closer to sin and punishment than to safety. It is not closer to reward and recompense; there is no reward or recompense for it, but rather punishment. And punishment does not mean losing children or wealth; no, the punishment may be in a disease of the heart, a love of innovations, and legislating in the religion of Allah what is not part of it. And this, by Allah, is the greatest punishment. The punishment may be a dislike of righteous deeds. Listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted: What is it? A person turning away from the Shari'ah of Allah; this is undoubtedly a calamity caused by some of his sins. So the love of the heart for innovations and the heart being filled with innovations, meaning its love for them, is undoubtedly a punishment. So these people who come, as the questioner said, from multiple directions to hold a celebration in Badr on this occasion are losers in this world, in their bodies, in their time, and in their religion.
In this world, because what do they come with? With spending money, spending money, cars, gasoline, water... and so on. They are also losers in time, because they wasted their time in something other than obedience to Allah, but in an innovation that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described as misguidance. . They are also losers in their bodies, because they tire themselves with loading and unloading, traveling, and staying, among other things. They are losers in their religion, because in this innovation they are astray, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . And I had wanted to speak about the Battle of Badr this night, but I feared that the innovators and those like them would cling to it and say that this is reviving the memory of this night, so I refrained from doing so here.
And on this basis, we say to our brothers: Look at Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah. Did he hold a celebration for it? No. Did Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, and the rest of the Companions hold a celebration for it? Never. Are you better than them and more loving of victory in the religion of Allah than these people? Never. By Allah, rather, if you investigated their conditions, you would find that they neglected many matters in their religion.
Also, I add to what some people do on the twenty-seventh night regarding 'Umrah: many people perform 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night, believing that 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night is better than 'Umrah at other times. This is an error. Singling out the twenty-seventh night for 'Umrah is an innovation, and . What is the twenty-seventh night singled out for? For standing in prayer, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and he did not say "whoever comes with an 'Umrah on the Night of Decree." Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forget this good in 'Umrah on the Night of Decree, or did he know it and conceal it? No, by Allah. But the problem is that people drag each other along without referring to scholars who are trusted in their knowledge and trustworthiness. Therefore, we say: There is no difference in 'Umrah between the first night of Ramadan and the last night of it, and between the twenty-seventh night and the twenty-fifth, fifteenth, or seventeenth.
So whoever performs 'Umrah in Ramadan is like one who performs Hajj. And although deeds vary in virtue by time and place, there is no doubt that the deed on some days is better than on others. Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not say: meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. What about the ten days of Ramadan? The ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. So praying two rak'ahs on a day of the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah is better than praying two rak'ahs on a day of the ten days of Ramadan. Look, people do not understand; many of them do not. I mean, if we asked a questioner: He said he prayed two rak'ahs on a day of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and two rak'ahs in the ten days of Ramadan; which is more beloved to Allah? The first or the second? The first. Most people do not know this. And so the days of the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah pass and people do not do any righteous deed in them at all, and they do not feel this virtue, and that the most beloved deeds to Allah in these days are the deeds in the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
The important thing is that I call upon my Muslim brothers to worship Allah with knowledge and not to introduce into the religion of Allah what is not part of it, and to know that innovations are the darkness of hearts and the corruption of hearts. No one engages in an innovation except that he neglects a Sunnah and wastes his time in something of no benefit. And praise be to Allah, the religion is complete and does not need innovation. For this reason, I say: No one who has an innovation exists except that the essence of his innovation is a defect in the religion. Are you with me? No one who has an innovation exists except that the essence of his innovation is a defect in the religion, because Allah said in Surat al-Ma'idah: So if a person innovates an innovation and worships Allah with what He has not prescribed, the essence of that is that the religion was not completed and that the person completed it with this innovation. And for this reason, the effect of innovation on the hearts is great and its danger is severe. So we ask Allah for safety for us and for you. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good and bless you.