He says in his letter: My question is that there are people of a village from one of the villages of Bani Malik in the Hijaz, in the region of Bajilah, and the people of that village have a custom that no other people of the villages or tribes have.
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The questioner : This letter reached us from the land of Bani Malik in Bajilah, from the sub-branch of the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Vice. The sender sent it, saying: Your obedient son, Hilal Siraj al-Maliki, says in his letter: My question is that there are people of a village from one of the villages of Bani Malik in the Hijaz, in the region of Bajilah, and the people of that village have a custom that no other people of the villages or tribes have. It is that after they finish the prayer at the scene on every festival day, whether it is the Festival of Sacrifice or the Festival of Breaking the Fast, they go to visit the graves of their relatives and the deceased Muslims in that cemetery, in order to greet them. And during the journey, they supplicate to Allah and make du'a. Among their supplication and du'a is their saying: "Allah, Allah, I am a weak servant seeking forgiveness," until they say four takbirs while standing, but they have not tied their saddles. And when they see the cemetery, which is about eighty meters away, they raise their voices in humility and reverence saying "La ilaha illa Allah." Then one of the reciters steps forward while they are standing, and then he greets the dead with what was reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him): "Peace be upon you," until the end of the du'a. We do not want to lengthen the mention of it.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : They say: We want you to tell us the ruling on this visit, and the ruling on what is said in it and what is done?
The Shaykh : We say: Visiting graves is recommended for men at all times.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Night and day, on festival days and on other days, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and it has two great benefits: one is remembering the Hereafter, and the other is making du'a for these deceased believers and Muslims. And if it is an act of worship, then it is obligatory for the believer to be a follower in it, not an innovator.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : A follower in its form and in its time. And this time that these people have specified, which is after the two festival prayers, when they go out to the cemetery, this time is not reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not reported that he (peace and blessings be upon him) specified the cemetery for a visit after the festival prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And on this basis, specifying it for this day, or going to the cemetery on this day, is considered one of the religious innovations that it is not permissible for a person to adhere to. And although the original ruling is that the visit is prescribed, but specifying it for this day and after the prayer is one of the religious innovations.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is one thing; it is a temporal innovation. Likewise, the formula by which they perform this visit, in that they go together and say this du'a when they approach the cemetery, and this dhikr, and then the reciter steps forward and recites, this is also an innovation in the formula of the du'a and in the manner of the visit. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not report that he went with his Companions together, nor that they did what these people do of making du'a with these du'as in that specific place and at the time of their approach to the cemetery. So it is obligatory for these brothers to stop this and to repent to Allah, and to visit the cemetery whenever the opportunity presents itself and their heedlessness of the Hereafter increases, so that they remember by it what they will become, as these deceased people became, who were previously alive on the face of the earth.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And that they be followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in all their acts of worship. Because if we said that everyone who approves of something to draw near to Allah, the religion would become unregulated, and every people would have their own religion. Because these people approve of this and worship Allah with it, and these people approve of that and worship Allah with it. And at that time, the Ummah would split into sects, every party rejoicing in what they have.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is obligatory to return to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What sufficed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions suffices us. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : They say: We want you to tell us the ruling on this visit, and the ruling on what is said in it and what is done?
The Shaykh : We say: Visiting graves is recommended for men at all times.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Night and day, on festival days and on other days, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and it has two great benefits: one is remembering the Hereafter, and the other is making du'a for these deceased believers and Muslims. And if it is an act of worship, then it is obligatory for the believer to be a follower in it, not an innovator.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : A follower in its form and in its time. And this time that these people have specified, which is after the two festival prayers, when they go out to the cemetery, this time is not reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is not reported that he (peace and blessings be upon him) specified the cemetery for a visit after the festival prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And on this basis, specifying it for this day, or going to the cemetery on this day, is considered one of the religious innovations that it is not permissible for a person to adhere to. And although the original ruling is that the visit is prescribed, but specifying it for this day and after the prayer is one of the religious innovations.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is one thing; it is a temporal innovation. Likewise, the formula by which they perform this visit, in that they go together and say this du'a when they approach the cemetery, and this dhikr, and then the reciter steps forward and recites, this is also an innovation in the formula of the du'a and in the manner of the visit. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not report that he went with his Companions together, nor that they did what these people do of making du'a with these du'as in that specific place and at the time of their approach to the cemetery. So it is obligatory for these brothers to stop this and to repent to Allah, and to visit the cemetery whenever the opportunity presents itself and their heedlessness of the Hereafter increases, so that they remember by it what they will become, as these deceased people became, who were previously alive on the face of the earth.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And that they be followers of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in all their acts of worship. Because if we said that everyone who approves of something to draw near to Allah, the religion would become unregulated, and every people would have their own religion. Because these people approve of this and worship Allah with it, and these people approve of that and worship Allah with it. And at that time, the Ummah would split into sects, every party rejoicing in what they have.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is obligatory to return to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What sufficed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions suffices us. Yes.