Is it true that Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab said, "Visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best of deeds"? This statement is used as evidence by the Sufis.
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. We ask you to explain the statement of Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab in the issues of his book *Tawhid*, regarding the issue that visiting the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best of deeds. Do these citations serve as evidence for the Sufis that visiting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is better than everything else?
The Shaykh : First, the Shaykh, according to the phrase, says "among the best of deeds." And the word "deeds" (al-a'mal), you know, is the plural of "amal" with the definite article, correct? Al-a'mal is the plural of amal with the article. Where is the article in "amal"? In "al-a'mal."
Yes, deeds of this type. So the best of graves to visit is the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), without doubt.
And it is well known that no scholar, let alone Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), says that visiting the grave of the Messenger is on the level of the obligatory prayer, which is a pillar of Islam. No one says this. But "deeds" here is semantically, not lexically, restricted to deeds of this type. So the best of grave visits is visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and there is no doubt in this. But without traveling specifically for it. If we are in a country other than Madinah and we want to come to Madinah, let our intention be to come to this Prophet's Mosque, about which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:58 And when one arrives here, he visits the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And it is recommended to visit the graves of those such as 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, and the martyrs at Uhud and al-Baqi', in general.
On this occasion, I would like to clarify that what is recommended to visit in Madinah is the Prophet's Mosque, the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the graves of his two companions, the Mosque of Quba, al-Baqi', and the martyrs of Uhud. As for other places of visitation, they have no basis. They are not visited. Not the seven mosques, nor anything else that is said to be visited. So the places of visitation in Madinah are five. What are they? The Prophet's Mosque.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The Prophet's Mosque. We are talking about the one in Madinah. How quickly you forget, if you had memorized it, but it appears you did not memorize it. The Prophet's Mosque, five: visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the graves of his two companions, al-Baqi', the martyrs of Uhud, and the Mosque of Quba. Five. Anything other than that has no basis for visitation.
The Shaykh : First, the Shaykh, according to the phrase, says "among the best of deeds." And the word "deeds" (al-a'mal), you know, is the plural of "amal" with the definite article, correct? Al-a'mal is the plural of amal with the article. Where is the article in "amal"? In "al-a'mal."
Yes, deeds of this type. So the best of graves to visit is the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), without doubt.
And it is well known that no scholar, let alone Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), says that visiting the grave of the Messenger is on the level of the obligatory prayer, which is a pillar of Islam. No one says this. But "deeds" here is semantically, not lexically, restricted to deeds of this type. So the best of grave visits is visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and there is no doubt in this. But without traveling specifically for it. If we are in a country other than Madinah and we want to come to Madinah, let our intention be to come to this Prophet's Mosque, about which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
One should not undertake journeys except to three mosques: al-Masque al-Haram (in Makkah ), the Aqsa mosque, or this mosque (in Madinah).
لا تشدّ الرّحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد المسجد الحرام ومسجدي هذا والمسجد الأقصىOn this occasion, I would like to clarify that what is recommended to visit in Madinah is the Prophet's Mosque, the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the graves of his two companions, the Mosque of Quba, al-Baqi', and the martyrs of Uhud. As for other places of visitation, they have no basis. They are not visited. Not the seven mosques, nor anything else that is said to be visited. So the places of visitation in Madinah are five. What are they? The Prophet's Mosque.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The Prophet's Mosque. We are talking about the one in Madinah. How quickly you forget, if you had memorized it, but it appears you did not memorize it. The Prophet's Mosque, five: visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the graves of his two companions, al-Baqi', the martyrs of Uhud, and the Mosque of Quba. Five. Anything other than that has no basis for visitation.