What is the ruling on women visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on women visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : Regarding women visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), some scholars hold that it is not considered a visit, because there are three walls between us and the grave of the Messenger. Visiting a deceased person is defined as standing at their grave; therefore, this is not considered a visit. I believe that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) alluded to this in his statement that a cemetery which is walled off, or where there is a wall between you and it, does not count as a visit if one is behind the wall. On this basis, some scholars answered the statement of the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) that it is a recommended practice (sunnah) to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), even for women, by saying that this is not a true visit, because there are three walls between the person standing outside the chamber and the grave.
However, by custom, it is undoubtedly called a visit, and it is said that a woman visited the grave of the Prophet. For this reason, we see that it is a precautionary measure not to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather to suffice with sending peace upon him, even from a distance, because Allah the Exalted has assigned noble, trustworthy angels to receive the greetings from the community and convey them to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for a woman visiting other graves, it is forbidden (haram), indeed it is one of the major sins, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Jami` at-Tirmidhi 320Da'if (Darussalam) unless she passes by the cemetery and stops in front of the graves and makes du'a, in which case there is no harm, because she did not leave her house for the purpose of visiting, so she does not fall under the hadith.
The Shaykh : Regarding women visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), some scholars hold that it is not considered a visit, because there are three walls between us and the grave of the Messenger. Visiting a deceased person is defined as standing at their grave; therefore, this is not considered a visit. I believe that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) alluded to this in his statement that a cemetery which is walled off, or where there is a wall between you and it, does not count as a visit if one is behind the wall. On this basis, some scholars answered the statement of the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) that it is a recommended practice (sunnah) to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), even for women, by saying that this is not a true visit, because there are three walls between the person standing outside the chamber and the grave.
However, by custom, it is undoubtedly called a visit, and it is said that a woman visited the grave of the Prophet. For this reason, we see that it is a precautionary measure not to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather to suffice with sending peace upon him, even from a distance, because Allah the Exalted has assigned noble, trustworthy angels to receive the greetings from the community and convey them to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for a woman visiting other graves, it is forbidden (haram), indeed it is one of the major sins, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)