What is the ruling on visiting the deceased on Friday and giving that day special status?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on visiting the deceased on Friday and giving that day special status? We ask for your guidance on this.
The Shaykh : The correct view is that visiting the deceased is not restricted to Friday; rather, graves are visited at any time. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):.
The purpose of visiting the deceased, meaning visiting the graves, is to remember death, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:, and in another wording: .
This is because when a man passes by the graveyards, he sees these many houses that were inhabited by people who used to live with him in palaces, who used to walk on the earth, and now they are bound in the belly of the earth. They used to be able to perform righteous deeds, but now they are unable to perform righteous deeds. They used to be able to repent to Allah from their bad deeds, but now they are unable to repent to Allah.
He remembers such matters and then says to himself, "Am I not going to be like them?" It may be soon or far off, though in reality it is near. So he remembers, seeks forgiveness, repents, and turns to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through this visit.
As for visiting the graveyards in order to seek help from the deceased, to supplicate to them, or to supplicate to Allah at their graves, all of this is a great religious innovation. Among these practices is what leads to major shirk, such as supplicating to the deceased and seeking help from them. It is obligatory for the believer to distinguish between the legislated visit, the innovative visit, and the visit involving shirk, so that he performs the legislated one and abandons the innovative and shirk-based ones.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : The correct view is that visiting the deceased is not restricted to Friday; rather, graves are visited at any time. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
That he visited them one night of the nights
أنه زارها ذات ليلة من اللياليThe purpose of visiting the deceased, meaning visiting the graves, is to remember death, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I had forbidden you from visiting the graves, so visit them, for they remind you of death, or he said: they remind you of death
كنت قد نهيتكم عن زيارة القبور فزوروها فإنها تذكر الموت أو قال : تذكركم الموتIt reminds you of the Hereafter
تذكر الآخرةThis is because when a man passes by the graveyards, he sees these many houses that were inhabited by people who used to live with him in palaces, who used to walk on the earth, and now they are bound in the belly of the earth. They used to be able to perform righteous deeds, but now they are unable to perform righteous deeds. They used to be able to repent to Allah from their bad deeds, but now they are unable to repent to Allah.
He remembers such matters and then says to himself, "Am I not going to be like them?" It may be soon or far off, though in reality it is near. So he remembers, seeks forgiveness, repents, and turns to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through this visit.
As for visiting the graveyards in order to seek help from the deceased, to supplicate to them, or to supplicate to Allah at their graves, all of this is a great religious innovation. Among these practices is what leads to major shirk, such as supplicating to the deceased and seeking help from them. It is obligatory for the believer to distinguish between the legislated visit, the innovative visit, and the visit involving shirk, so that he performs the legislated one and abandons the innovative and shirk-based ones.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.