The Prescribed and the Prohibited in Visiting Graves

The second question is from the brother Ahmad Muhammad Husayn from Iraq. He says: Is it permissible for men to visit graves or not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: Visiting graves is a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice) established from our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit graves and say: He (peace and blessings be upon him) also taught his companions that when they visited graves, they should say: In another narration, he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: .
So it is the sunnah (recommended practice) for men to visit graves; because they remind one of the Hereafter and remind one of death, and they help in preparing for the Hereafter. It is recommended for him to say what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his companions, so the visitor says: May Allah forgive us and you, and have mercy on us and you, and similar to this good supplication.
As for women, no, women do not visit graves; because he (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who visit graves. So women do not visit graves. As for men, it is prescribed for them to visit graves, but they should not speak in jest, meaning: they should not say bad words. So it is not permissible to supplicate to the dead, nor to call upon the dead for aid, nor to ask them for help as some ignorant people do. This is reprehensible and shirk (associating partners with Allah). So it is not permissible for a Muslim or anyone else to supplicate to the dead or call upon them for aid; because the dead person’s deeds are cut off except for three things: . As for asking for help or aid or rescue, whether it be from a Prophet or a wali (close friend of Allah) or anyone else, that is not permissible. Rather, this is specific to Allah alone; He is the One who is supplicated to and asked. And likewise, it is permissible with the living creature who is present; there is no harm. You say to your brother who is present: Give me such and such... Help me with such and such, Lend me, Help me build my house... Help me fix my car; there is no harm. But the dead is not asked. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And Allah the Exalted says: [Al-Jinn:18]. And as for what some ignorant people do at some graves, saying: O my master so-and-so, help, help, or rescue me, or cure my sick person, all of this is reprehensible and all of it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), as the scholars have explained. And Allah is the One to be asked for help.
The intention of this is that he visits the graves and supplicates for them with forgiveness and mercy, and does not add to that by asking them for anything from them, such as saying: Intercede for me, or cure my sick person, or help, help, or similar to that.
And it is not permissible to take graves as a place for prayer at them, or circumambulation around them, or supplication at them. No, rather he visits them as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited them, and as the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited them: they greet them, and supplicate for them with forgiveness and mercy, and through this, the remembrance of death and the remembrance of the Hereafter is achieved. Thus the sunnah (recommended practice) is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And Allah is the guarantor of success.
As for specifying the visit to graves after the Eid prayer, as if he visits the living and the dead, I do not know any basis for this. And I have not known from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or from the Companions that they used to go out to al-Baqi' after the Eid prayer. The good is in following the righteous Salaf (the earliest generations), the good is in following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [Al-Imran:31]. So his taking the visit to graves after the Eid prayer as a followed method, what I see is to leave that.
But if he is free, meaning that time is free for him and he visits them, not with the intention that this is a sunnah (recommended practice) or that this is a suitable time, then there is no harm in that. He visits them in the morning or in the evening or at night or after the Fajr (dawn) prayer; all of this is fine. But his specifying it after the Eid prayer and thinking that this is a nearness to Allah or a specific sunnah (recommended practice), we do not know any basis for that. But if he comes to them and visits them without intention, once on the day of Eid or after the Eid prayer or at the end of the day of Eid, and visits the graves not with the intention that this is a sunnah (recommended practice) or that this time is suitable for it, then there is no blame on him. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.