Ruling on visiting graves and staying there to eat, drink, and recite dhikr
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A brother from Egypt asks and says: There is a deceased righteous man in our town, and a maqam is built over his grave. It is our custom that every year we go to him with the people, men and women, and they stay with him for three days engaging in praise, tahliyyat, and dhikr. The descriptions are as is known, O Shaykh. He seeks guidance and direction. May Allah reward you with good?
Answer: This action is not permissible; rather, it is among the religious innovations that people have introduced. Therefore, it is not permissible to build a structure over his grave, whether it is called a maqam, a dome, or anything else. The graves in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the time of the Companions were open, with no structures over them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade building over graves and plastering them, and he said:Sahih Muslim 529 It is agreed upon that it is authentic. Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: : Sahih Muslim 970a So building over graves is an abomination, and so is plastering them, placing decorations on them, or placing curtains on them; all of this is an abomination and a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). Therefore, it is not permissible to place domes, curtains, or mosques over them.
Likewise, visiting them in the manner described by the questioner—sitting with them, reciting tahliyyat, eating food, rubbing against the grave, or making du'a' (supplication) at the grave, or praying at the grave—all of this is an abomination. It is all a religious innovation and is not permissible. What is prescribed (mashru') regarding visiting graves is that one visits them, makes du'a' for the deceased, and then leaves. One passes by the graves and says: "Peace be upon you, people of the abodes of the believers and the Muslims, and we, if Allah wills, will be joining you. We ask Allah for well-being for us and for you. May Allah have mercy on those of us who have gone before and those who come after." And similar supplications only. This is what is prescribed, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions. He used to teach them when they visited graves to say:Sunan Ibn Majah 1547Sahih (Darussalam), and the hadith of 'A'ishah: Sunan an-Nasa'i 2037Sahih (Darussalam), and the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1053Da'if (Darussalam). This is what is prescribed.
As for staying at the grave to eat and drink, or for tahliyyat, or for prayer, or for reciting the Qur'an, all of this is an abomination. One should say the taslim (closing salam) and leave, make du'a' for the deceased, and ask for mercy for him. As for making it a place for du'a', or a place for recitation, or a place for tawaf (circumambulation), or a place for tahliyyat, or sitting with it, or eating for one day, two days, or three days, this has no basis. This is a religious innovation and one of the means to shirk. So one must be cautious of that and must abandon that. Yes.
Answer: This action is not permissible; rather, it is among the religious innovations that people have introduced. Therefore, it is not permissible to build a structure over his grave, whether it is called a maqam, a dome, or anything else. The graves in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the time of the Companions were open, with no structures over them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade building over graves and plastering them, and he said:
Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدAllah's Messenger (ﷺ) forbade that the graves should be plastered or they be used as sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them.
نهى رسول الله ﷺ أن يجصص القبر وأن يقعد عليه وأن يبنى عليهLikewise, visiting them in the manner described by the questioner—sitting with them, reciting tahliyyat, eating food, rubbing against the grave, or making du'a' (supplication) at the grave, or praying at the grave—all of this is an abomination. It is all a religious innovation and is not permissible. What is prescribed (mashru') regarding visiting graves is that one visits them, makes du'a' for the deceased, and then leaves. One passes by the graves and says: "Peace be upon you, people of the abodes of the believers and the Muslims, and we, if Allah wills, will be joining you. We ask Allah for well-being for us and for you. May Allah have mercy on those of us who have gone before and those who come after." And similar supplications only. This is what is prescribed, which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions. He used to teach them when they visited graves to say:
As-salamu ‘alaykum ahlad-diyar minal-mu’minina wal- muslimin, wa inna insha’ Allah bikum lahiqun, nas’alul-laha lana wa lakumul-‘afiyah (Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of the abodes, believers and Muslims, and we will join you soon if Allah wills. We ask Allah for well-being for us and for you).
السلام عليكم أهل الديار من المؤمنين والمسلمين وإنا إن شاء الله 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 والمستأخرينPeace be upon you O inhabitants of the grave! May Allah forgive us and you; you are our predecessors and we are to follow you.
السلام عليكم يا أهل القبور، يغفر الله لنا ولكم، أنتم سلفنا ونحن بالأثرAs for staying at the grave to eat and drink, or for tahliyyat, or for prayer, or for reciting the Qur'an, all of this is an abomination. One should say the taslim (closing salam) and leave, make du'a' for the deceased, and ask for mercy for him. As for making it a place for du'a', or a place for recitation, or a place for tawaf (circumambulation), or a place for tahliyyat, or sitting with it, or eating for one day, two days, or three days, this has no basis. This is a religious innovation and one of the means to shirk. So one must be cautious of that and must abandon that. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.
