What is the authenticity of the hadith, "Whoever visits the family of my house after my death..."?
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Q: Visiting the graves of the like of Imam 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), al-Hasan, al-Abbas, and others, and does visiting them equal seventy pilgrimages from the House of Allah al-Haram? And did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say: (Whoever visits the family of my house after my death, seventy pilgrimages are recorded for him)? We ask you to inform us. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Visiting graves is a recommended practice, and it contains admonition and remembrance. If the graves are those of Muslims, one should make du'a for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit graves and make du'a for the deceased, and so did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1569Sahih (Darussalam), and he taught his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that when they visited graves, they should say: Mishkat al-Masabih 1764. In the hadith of 'A'ishah regarding visiting: Sunan an-Nasa'i 2037Sahih (Darussalam), and in the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1053Da'if (Darussalam). So making du'a for them with this and similar phrases is all good.
In visiting there is remembrance and admonition to prepare the believer for what has befallen them, for it will befall him, and that is death. So he prepares and strives in the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, and he stays away from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and he adheres to repentance for any shortcoming that has passed. This is how the believer benefits from visiting.
As for what you mentioned about visiting the graves of 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), al-Hasan, al-Husayn, or others, that it equals seventy pilgrimages, this is false. This is fabricated and a lie attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); it has no basis.
And visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the best of all, does not equal a pilgrimage. Visiting has its own status and virtue, but it does not equal a pilgrimage. So how could visiting the grave of anyone else (peace and blessings be upon him) be so? This is from lying. And so is "Whoever visits the graves of the family of my house, Allah will record for him seventy pilgrimages"! All of this has no basis; it is all false; it is all from the lies of the liars. The believer must be cautious of these things that are fabricated and attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Visiting graves is only recommended, whether the graves are those of the family of the Prophet or others from the Muslims. One visits them, makes du'a for them, seeks mercy for them, and then departs.
As for if the graves are those of disbelievers, the graveyards of disbelievers, then visiting them for admonition and remembrance, without making du'a for them or greeting them, is permissible. Just as the Prophet visited the grave of his mother and was forbidden to seek forgiveness for her. He visited it for admonition and remembrance and did not seek forgiveness for her. And so it is with the other graves of the disbelievers. If the believer visits them for admonition and remembrance only, he does not greet them or seek forgiveness for them, because they are not worthy of that.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Visiting graves is a recommended practice, and it contains admonition and remembrance. If the graves are those of Muslims, one should make du'a for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit graves and make du'a for the deceased, and so did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.
زورا القبور فإنها تذكركم الآخرةPeace be upon you, inhabitants of the dwellings who are of the number of the believers and the Muslims. If God will, we shall join you. We ask God to grant us and you wellbeing.
السلام عليكم أهل الديار من المؤمنين والمسلمين وإنا إن شاء بكم لاحقون، نسأل الله لنا ولكم العافيةMay Allah have mercy upon those who have gone on ahead of us and those who come later on
يرحم الله المستقدمين منا والمستأخرينMay Allah forgive us and you; you are our predecessors and we are to follow you.
يغفر الله لنا ولكم، أنتم سلفنا ونحن بالأثرIn visiting there is remembrance and admonition to prepare the believer for what has befallen them, for it will befall him, and that is death. So he prepares and strives in the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, and he stays away from what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and he adheres to repentance for any shortcoming that has passed. This is how the believer benefits from visiting.
As for what you mentioned about visiting the graves of 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), al-Hasan, al-Husayn, or others, that it equals seventy pilgrimages, this is false. This is fabricated and a lie attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); it has no basis.
And visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the best of all, does not equal a pilgrimage. Visiting has its own status and virtue, but it does not equal a pilgrimage. So how could visiting the grave of anyone else (peace and blessings be upon him) be so? This is from lying. And so is "Whoever visits the graves of the family of my house, Allah will record for him seventy pilgrimages"! All of this has no basis; it is all false; it is all from the lies of the liars. The believer must be cautious of these things that are fabricated and attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Visiting graves is only recommended, whether the graves are those of the family of the Prophet or others from the Muslims. One visits them, makes du'a for them, seeks mercy for them, and then departs.
As for if the graves are those of disbelievers, the graveyards of disbelievers, then visiting them for admonition and remembrance, without making du'a for them or greeting them, is permissible. Just as the Prophet visited the grave of his mother and was forbidden to seek forgiveness for her. He visited it for admonition and remembrance and did not seek forgiveness for her. And so it is with the other graves of the disbelievers. If the believer visits them for admonition and remembrance only, he does not greet them or seek forgiveness for them, because they are not worthy of that.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.
