The location of the grave of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) and the legislated visitation of graves

We move on to another issue, or to other issues. A message was received from our brother Adam Muhammad Uthman, a Sudanese resident in Iraq. Our brother has several questions, one of which is: People have spoken a lot and disagreed about the grave of our master al-Husayn; where is its location? And do Muslims benefit from knowing its exact location?
Answer: The correct view is that his body was in Iraq; his body is in Iraq, because he was killed in Iraq. As for his head, there is disagreement about it. It was said to be in Sham, and it was said to be in Egypt, and it was said to be elsewhere.
And the correct view is that what is in Egypt is not his grave; rather, it is a mistake, and it is not the head of al-Husayn there. Some scholars have written on this and clarified that there is no basis for the presence of his head in Egypt, nor any reason for it to be in Egypt. Rather, it is most likely in Sham, because it was transported to Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah, who was in Sham. Therefore, there is no reason to suspect it is in Egypt. Rather, it was either preserved in the stores of Sham, or it was returned to his body in Iraq.
In any case, people have no need for this. People have no need to know where his head was buried or where it was. Rather, one should pray for him for forgiveness and mercy. May Allah forgive him and be pleased with him. He was killed while wronged, so one should pray for him for forgiveness and mercy, and hope for much good for him. He and his brother al-Hasan are the masters of the young men of Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. He is a wronged person who has a great reward, and martyrdom is hoped for him. As for him and his brother, as mentioned earlier, there is a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that they are the masters of the young men of Paradise. Whoever knows his grave and greets him and prays for him, there is no harm, just as other graves are visited. One visits his grave only if it is known, like the graves of other Muslims, to pray for them and seek mercy for them. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): So, whoever visits the grave of al-Husayn or al-Hasan or so-and-so or so-and-so to pray for them, seek mercy for them, and seek forgiveness for them, as is done with other graves, this is a recommended practice (sunnah). However, visiting graves to call upon them other than Allah, or to seek aid from them, or to rub against their soil, this is among the abominations and is not permissible. Nor is it permissible to build upon them, whether a dome, a mosque, or anything else. This is because the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Jabir narrated in the authentic collection... Jabir narrated in Sahih Muslim from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Therefore, no dome, mosque, or anything else should be built upon it. It is also not permissible to plaster it, perfume it, or place curtains on it. All of this is prohibited. Nor should one pray at the grave. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Muslim narrated this in his Sahih from Jundub ibn Abdullah al-Bajali. This indicates that prayer at graves is not permissible, nor is it permissible to make them into mosques. Why?
Because it is a means to associating partners with Allah (shirk). It is a means to worshipping others besides Allah by calling upon them, seeking aid from them, making vows to them, and rubbing against their graves. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against this. Graves are visited only for the purpose of greeting them, praying for them, and seeking mercy for them. Praying for them, not calling upon them other than Allah. Rather, one prays for them: "May Allah forgive you, O so-and-so. May Allah have mercy on you... May Allah be pleased with you... May Allah expiate your sins."
As for saying: "O my master! I am under your protection, I am of your kin, intercede for me... help me, heal my sick person," this is an abomination and is not permissible. This is calling upon other than Allah, and it is a type of major shirk. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: So, the visitation is permissible, but without traveling... without there being a journey for the sake of the visitation.
The Shaykh: It is a legislated visitation. The legislated visitation is permissible, but the innovated visitation, whose purpose is rubbing against the graves, or calling upon them, or seeking aid from them, is an abomination and is absolutely not permissible. The legislated visitation is permissible, but without traveling, without setting out on a journey. If he is in the same town, he visits them in the town. But if he sets out on a journey to visit a grave, this is not permissible. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): May Allah send blessings and peace upon him.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.