Does the one passing by a cemetery greet or not?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to greet the cemetery if one is in a car or in some other situation?
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning: does the one passing through a cemetery greet or not? If the cemetery is open and has no wall, there is nothing wrong with greeting it. If it is enclosed by a wall, do not greet it, because there is no meaning to it, since the one passing by the wall, with a wall between him and the graves, is like one in his house, and there is no difference. For this reason, we say: if you pass by an open cemetery, there is nothing wrong with greeting it, and if you pass by a walled cemetery, do not greet it. For this reason, had it not been for the martyrs at Uhud, where openings were made in the gate—I think it is a mesh gate—where a person stands and sees the graves, we would have said: do not greet them, because they are hidden from you. Greeting the cemetery with a wall between you and it is like greeting them if you were in your house, and no one says: stand in your house and greet the people of the cemetery.
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning: does the one passing through a cemetery greet or not? If the cemetery is open and has no wall, there is nothing wrong with greeting it. If it is enclosed by a wall, do not greet it, because there is no meaning to it, since the one passing by the wall, with a wall between him and the graves, is like one in his house, and there is no difference. For this reason, we say: if you pass by an open cemetery, there is nothing wrong with greeting it, and if you pass by a walled cemetery, do not greet it. For this reason, had it not been for the martyrs at Uhud, where openings were made in the gate—I think it is a mesh gate—where a person stands and sees the graves, we would have said: do not greet them, because they are hidden from you. Greeting the cemetery with a wall between you and it is like greeting them if you were in your house, and no one says: stand in your house and greet the people of the cemetery.