A Comprehensive Advice on the Rulings of Visiting Graves

This message was sent to the program from the Iraqi Republic, from the Ta'mim Governorate. The sender (E. Y. M.) or the female sender (E. Y. M.) asks about the graves of the awliya (close friends of Allah). She says: My question is: We have in Iraq innovations, and they are: that some people intend to go to the graves of the awliya and the righteous from a far place, and when visiting the grave they take off their shoes, and the graves are built upon. She says in her message: It is built upon them like mosques. Is this permissible? And when they enter, they pray two rak'ahs, which is the prayer of visitation, called: a sunnah (recommended practice). Is this permissible or not? Please inform us, may Allah guide you to what is good, and may Allah reward you with good for us?
Answer: This is an important question with a great significance, and it is the exalting of graves through innovative visitation, building upon graves, and making mosques over them. These are matters of importance. It should be known that visiting graves is a sunnah (recommended practice); because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said .
But the intention of the visitation is not to call upon the dead, or seek aid from them, or ask them for help, or rub against the grave, or the like of that. No, the intention of the visitation is: remembering the Hereafter... remembering death, and making du'a' (supplication) for the dead and seeking mercy for them if they are Muslim. This is the intention; for this reason he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And in the other wording: So the sunnah (recommended practice) for the visitor when he visits is to greet the buried ones and to make du'a' (supplication) for them with forgiveness and mercy. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach his Companions when they visited graves to say: And in a wording: And he used to say when he visited al-Baqi': So the sunnah (recommended practice) when visiting graves is like this: to make du'a' (supplication) for them with forgiveness and mercy... to greet them and make du'a' (supplication) for them. This is what is prescribed. As for visiting them to call upon them other than Allah, to ask them for help... to seek aid from them... to make vows to them, this is from major shirk (associating partners with Allah), and I seek refuge in Allah from it. And this is from the practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance of Abu Jahl and his companions at the graves. So this is not permissible, rather it is from major shirk (associating partners with Allah).
And likewise, prayer at the graves is not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he said: .
So it is not permissible to pray in the graves, nor to linger at them, nor to ask their people, nor to seek aid from them, nor to make vows to them as mentioned before. And when Umm Habibah and Umm Salimah saw a church in Abyssinia and the images in it, they informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of that, and he said: , so he informed that they are the worst of creation because of their exalting of the graves by building upon them and making mosques over them and the like of that. So what some people do of making mosques over graves, or making domes over the graves decorated with gold and silver and other things, all of this is reprehensible. And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prohibited plastering the graves, and sitting upon them, and building upon them. So it is not permissible for Muslims to build mosques upon the graves, nor domes, nor other buildings. Rather, they remain open and exposed in the cemetery in the graveyards. The visitor comes to them and greets them while standing, then he departs. And it is not permissible to pray at them, nor between the graves, nor to rub against the soil, nor to sit at them for recitation or du'a' (supplication). All of this is reprehensible. Rather, he greets them and makes du'a' (supplication) for them and departs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, and as his Companions did, and as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught them that.
And prayer at the graves is from bid'ah (religious innovation) and from the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah) also. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , that indicates that the graves are not to be prayed in, nor prayed at. Rather, prayer is in the mosques... in the houses. As for the graves, no; because prayer at them is from the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and from the means of worship other than Allah.
And likewise, building upon them, and likewise making mosques over them, and likewise making domes over them, and carpeting them and perfuming them, all of this is from the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah). And it is not befitting for a person of intellect to be deceived by what the ignorant people do of this thing, as in many lands they exalt the graves and build upon them mosques and domes. And this is from the great reprehensible things, and from the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah), as is not hidden from the people of knowledge.
So my advice and counsel to the questioner is to beware of this. If he visits the graves, he visits them with a Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) visitation: he greets them and makes du'a' (supplication) for them if they are Muslims, and he departs. As for praying in the mosque that is over the grave, or at the graves, this is reprehensible.
Likewise, sitting at them for du'a' (supplication) or recitation, likewise it is not permissible. And likewise, the greatest and most serious is calling upon them, and seeking aid from them, and making vows to them, and asking them for help. This is done by some ignorant people, and it is from major shirk (associating partners with Allah).
So it is obligatory to beware of that with the utmost caution. And many Muslims have much ignorance in these matters. They do what they see the common people do at the graves, and they do not know the rulings of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) in that.
And it is obligatory upon the scholars in every land to teach the people and to guide the people to the sunnah (recommended practice) of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and to warn them from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and bid'ah (religious innovation). This is the obligation upon the people of knowledge in every place. But because of the scarcity of scholars and the scarcity of people of verification, this evil has increased in many lands. And they thought it was religion, and they thought it was something prescribed. So they hasten to it, thinking that they are on guidance and on truth in that. And this is a calamity that must be pointed out. And it is obligatory upon every Muslim to ask about what is difficult for him, and not to be lax with the customary matters that his fathers and predecessors followed. No, rather he asks. For the disbelievers, it was their custom to follow their predecessors without insight, as Allah related from them that they say: [Surah al-Zukhruf: 23]. So it is not befitting to imitate the disbelievers in that. Rather, you ask the people of knowledge if they are with you, or you write to them in any land. You ask them about what is difficult for you from the matters of your religion, so that you are on insight; because Allah said: [Surah al-Nahl: 43].
So it is obligatory upon the people of Islam, if they do not have knowledge, to ask. That is: every person who does not have knowledge asks about what is difficult for him in the matters of graves... in the matters of his prayer... in his zakah (the obligatory alms)... in his fasting... in his transactions, in everything.
The presenter: Thank you, Your Eminence the Shaykh.