What is the ruling on reciting poems at graves?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on those who come before some of the graves in al-Baqi' and recite some poems, seeking nearness to Allah through the Family of the Prophet ... through intercession and other means? I have seen this ... so we ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : Visiting graves, as we mentioned in the lesson before the prayer, is intended for two things, and they are?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Remembering the Hereafter, and making du'a' for the deceased. These poems recited at graves are nothing but a renewal of grief. That is why you find a person crying, not out of fear of punishment, but out of grief for this deceased person. This is if the poems are free from shirk (associating partners with Allah). Most of these poems include shirk, either minor or major. Therefore, we say to our brothers who visit al-Baqi': the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Restrict yourselves to what he restricted himself to and taught his Ummah (the Muslim community), and in that is sufficiency. Yes.
The questioner : There are many questions asking: What is the correct manner of visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : We have spoken about this before the prayer.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And I would like to specify the time so that when it ends...
The reader: Eight and a half.
The Shaykh : Eight and a half, we will give you a quarter of an hour.
The reader: May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Your Eminence, there is a shubhah (a doubtful matter). They say that in this land, the land of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), learning tawhid and teaching it is of no benefit, and that the obligatory thing is...
The Shaykh : What? What is the obligatory thing?
The questioner : Seeking help through amulets and other things.
The Shaykh : Yes, if this questioner accepts that this country is the land of tawhid, then it must be the case that this country is the most knowledgeable people regarding tawhid. Is it possible to have knowledge of something without learning it? Absolutely not. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory upon the Muslim Ummah in this country and elsewhere to establish the knowledge of tawhid, especially tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes). This is because few people contradict tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), but there is much deficiency in tawhid al-uluhiyyah and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat. As for tawhid al-uluhiyyah, the deficiency is common among the general people. As for tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat, the deficiency is common even among students of knowledge. It is obligatory upon the people of this country, from which the light of tawhid and the light of the message emanated, to establish tawhid in knowledge, 'aqidah (creed), da'wah (calling), and action. Knowledge and what?
The students: ...
The Shaykh : And 'aqidah, da'wah, and action, yes.
The Shaykh : Visiting graves, as we mentioned in the lesson before the prayer, is intended for two things, and they are?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Remembering the Hereafter, and making du'a' for the deceased. These poems recited at graves are nothing but a renewal of grief. That is why you find a person crying, not out of fear of punishment, but out of grief for this deceased person. This is if the poems are free from shirk (associating partners with Allah). Most of these poems include shirk, either minor or major. Therefore, we say to our brothers who visit al-Baqi': the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Restrict yourselves to what he restricted himself to and taught his Ummah (the Muslim community), and in that is sufficiency. Yes.
The questioner : There are many questions asking: What is the correct manner of visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : We have spoken about this before the prayer.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And I would like to specify the time so that when it ends...
The reader: Eight and a half.
The Shaykh : Eight and a half, we will give you a quarter of an hour.
The reader: May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : Your Eminence, there is a shubhah (a doubtful matter). They say that in this land, the land of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), learning tawhid and teaching it is of no benefit, and that the obligatory thing is...
The Shaykh : What? What is the obligatory thing?
The questioner : Seeking help through amulets and other things.
The Shaykh : Yes, if this questioner accepts that this country is the land of tawhid, then it must be the case that this country is the most knowledgeable people regarding tawhid. Is it possible to have knowledge of something without learning it? Absolutely not. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory upon the Muslim Ummah in this country and elsewhere to establish the knowledge of tawhid, especially tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes). This is because few people contradict tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), but there is much deficiency in tawhid al-uluhiyyah and tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat. As for tawhid al-uluhiyyah, the deficiency is common among the general people. As for tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat, the deficiency is common even among students of knowledge. It is obligatory upon the people of this country, from which the light of tawhid and the light of the message emanated, to establish tawhid in knowledge, 'aqidah (creed), da'wah (calling), and action. Knowledge and what?
The students: ...
The Shaykh : And 'aqidah, da'wah, and action, yes.