Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Grave and its Significance

The Holy Shrine of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

The Holy Shrine of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is buried in the chamber of the Mother of the Believers, Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her), in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lived with Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

 Imam Bukhari (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated from Hazrat Aisha that during his illness, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to ask himself, “Where will I be today?” “Where will I be tomorrow?” “All this was in anticipation and longing for Hazrat Aisha’s turn.” When it was my turn, Allah raised you from the world while you were leaning on my chest, and you were buried in my house. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al-Jana’iz, No. 1389).

Where the Prophet should be buried?

Where the Prophet should be buried? Initially, there was a disagreement among the Companions regarding this matter; but when Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) narrated a hadith about this matter that he had heard directly from the Holy Prophet (PBUH), there was consensus and it was decided that this chamber of Hazrat Aisha (RA) would have the great privilege of becoming the burial place of the Prophet.

 The hadith is as follows: Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “I have been informed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died on Monday and was buried on Tuesday. The people offered his funeral prayer alone, no one led the prayer. Some people said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) should be buried near the pulpit, while others said that he should be buried in Jannat al-Baqi’.

 During this time, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: My ears have heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say that the Prophet is buried where he dies; therefore, his blessed grave was prepared for him in this chamber. Then when the time came for him to take off his shirt, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to take off their shirts, when suddenly a voice came from the unseen: “Do not take off your shirt!” Then the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) took off their shirts without taking off their shirts.” (Mu’ta’ of Imam Malik: Kitab al-Jana’iz, Chapter Maja fi Dafn al-Miyt)

The Fifth Caliph  When the wise Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) rebuilt the Prophet’s Mosque, he demolished all the other chambers of the wives of the Prophet, except for this sacred chamber.

The condition of the holy grave

 From the details given by Allama Samhudi, it is known that the holy grave of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the first towards the Qiblah, adjacent to it is the grave of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him), in such a way that his head is at the level of the blessed shoulder of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and then the grave of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), in such a way that his head is at the level of the shoulders of Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

As narrated by Nafi’ bin Abi Nu’aim, the grave of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the first in the direction of the Qiblah. Then, opposite the blessed shoulders of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is the grave of Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and opposite the shoulders of Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Allama Samhudi says that the opinion of most scholars is in accordance with this narration. (See Wafa’ al-Wafa’: 2/55)

 One was a grave digger (sandoqi) and the other was a grave digger (lahidi). When the tragedy of the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) occurred, the Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) gathered and sent for both of them and prayed to Allaah to choose one of them for His beloved. Among them, the one who prepared the lahidi grave emerged. (Al-Tabaqaat al-Kubra: 2/292)

Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) says that when the Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) gathered to give the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a bath, Hazrat Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) (the Prophet’s uncle) called two men and said to them: One of you should go to Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) and the other to Abu Talha (Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah used to dig shaqi graves for the people of Mecca, and Abu Talha used to prepare lahidi graves for the people of Medina).

 Ibn Abbas says that after sending these two men, Hazrat Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with them)  He raised his hands in the presence of the Lord and prayed to Allah to choose someone for His Prophet; so Abu Ubaidah (may Allah be pleased with him) was not found; but Abu Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) was found, so he prepared a grave for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and thus this happiness came to him. (Al-Wafa’ Bahwal al-Mustafa: 2/552)

 Those who have entered the Holy Chamber and seen the grave of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and have cooled their eyes have informed us that the companions did not make his grave firm; so it is narrated from Qasim bin Muhammad that he said: “I came to Hazrat Aisha and said to her: O my dear!  Show me the graves of the Prophet and his two companions. They showed me three graves, which were neither too high nor too low, and the red stones of the Medina desert were lying on them. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Janaiz, Chapter Maja fi taswiyat al-Qabr, Hadith No. 3218).

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Shape of the Grave

Regarding the condition and shape of the grave, Abu Bakr Ajuri has narrated from Ghunim bin Bustam Madani: He says that during the governorship of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA), I saw the grave of the Prophet (PBUH). It was about four fingers above the ground.  (Fath al-Bari 3/257)

Raja bin Haywa says: After buying the houses of the holy wives, Walid bin Abdul Malik wrote a letter to Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) to demolish the houses and include them in the expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque. When the house was demolished, three graves were revealed, the soil on top of which had fallen away (also). These explanations show that the few pictures that are common among some people, in which graves made of bricks and raised from the ground are not proven to be from the time of the Prophet, nor do they correspond to the reality of the event. (History of the Prophet’s Mosque: p. 164).

The virtue of visiting the Prophet

There are many hadiths about the virtue of visiting, which Sheikh Abdul Aziz Butiban has mentioned with research, some of which are as follows:

Allama Suyuti (may Allah be pleased with him) has also narrated it in Manahil al-Safa fi Takhreej ahadith al-Shifa, see (Rafa al-Manara to Takhreej ahadith al-Tawassul and al-Ziyarat. By Sheikh Mahmoud Abd Mamdouh, pp. 281-351)

 Allama Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (may Allah be pleased with him) has narrated in Tuhfat al-Zawaar from Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever sends blessings and peace upon me, Allah Almighty will return my soul, so I will respond to his greeting. (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 1745)

 Allama Bayhaqi (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first to mention this narration in “Bab Ziyarat al-Qabr al-Nabi”, and a large group of Imams have relied on it. Allama Sabki (may Allah be pleased with him) says that this belief is correct;  Because it involves the virtue and honor of the visitor, so we praise and glorify Allah the Almighty for it. (Tuhfat al-Zawwar ila Qabr al-Nabi (PBUH): 21)

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: When a person passes by the grave of a person he knows and greets him, the deceased responds to his greeting and recognizes him, and when he passes by the grave of an unknown person, the deceased responds to his greeting. (Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Sha’b al-Iman) Hafiz Ibn Hajar narrates from Allama Ibn Taymiyyah that the case of the martyrs, indeed all Muslims, is that when a Muslim visits them and greets them, they recognize them and respond to their greeting.

 Hafiz Ibn Hajar says that when this is the case of ordinary Muslims, then what about the Sayyid al-Awleen and al-Akhirain!  Imam Sabki says: Visiting the Holy Shrine is an act of worship in the sight of Allah Almighty, the performance of which is considered desirable in the light of the Book, Sunnah, consensus and analogy. As far as the Holy Quran is concerned, Allah Almighty says: {And if they, after wronging themselves, had come to you and asked forgiveness from Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting repentance and Merciful} (Surah An-Nisa: 64)

Translation: If these people, after having wronged themselves, had come to you and asked forgiveness from Allah and the Messenger of Allah had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting repentance and Merciful. This verse indicates the encouragement to attend the service of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and seek forgiveness from him. And this position and status will not be cut off with his death.

 As for the proof of the virtue of visiting the graves from the Hadith and Sunnah, there are a few Hadiths that have been mentioned. In addition to these, the command to visit the graves has been mentioned in the agreed upon narrations, and the grave of the Prophet is the master of the graves. And the virtue of visiting the grave is also proven by consensus; thus, Qadi Ayyad Maliki (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a Sunnah on which the entire Islamic Ummah has agreed, and it is a virtue that has been encouraged.

As for the matter of analogy, it is proven that visiting the people of Baqi’ and the martyrs of Uhud is recommended. When visiting the graves of these people is considered recommended, then visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) will be recommended in the first degree; because it is his right and his veneration is obligatory. (Shifa’ al-Suqam: 18).

 There is consensus among the scholars of the Ummah on the recommendation of visiting the graves of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and there is no consensus among the Ummah on the recommendation of visiting the graves of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and there is no consensus on the error.

 Sheikh Khalil has quoted Ibn Hubairah in his book “Manasik” from “Ittafiq al-A’imam” that Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), Imam Shafi’i (may Allah be pleased with him), Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be pleased with him), and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah be pleased with him) agreed that visiting the graves of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the best recommendation.

Hafiz Ibn Hammam (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Hanafis says: “According to our scholars: visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the best recommendation.” (Fath al-Qadeer: 3/189)

Allama Ibn Abidin al-Shami (may Allah be pleased with him) writes: “Visit to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the best recommendation; rather, it is  It has also been said that it is obligatory upon whoever has the means.  (Rad al-Muhtar: 2/126)

 Ibn Qudamah al-Hanbali said: “Visit to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is recommended, and the evidence for this is the narration that Dar al-Qutni has narrated from his Sunnah on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever performs Hajj and visits my grave after my death, it is as if he visited me during my lifetime.” Then he mentioned the narration of ‘Utba’ which was narrated from a Bedouin who came to the grave of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (Al-Mughni: 3/588). A similar narration is also mentioned in Kashf al-Qinaa by al-Bahuti al-Hanbali.

 Allamah al-Dhahabi said: “The one who stands near the Holy Shrine and offers salutations and blessings out of need, has great good news for him, for he has made a good visit, has adopted the best path in his need, love and affection, and has worshipped more than the one who recites salutations and blessings in his own country.” (Sira’ ‘Aalam al-Nublaa)  4/484)

 Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) from among the Shawafi’i said: “It is appropriate for every pilgrim to go to visit the Prophet’s shrine, whether he comes to Medina on the way to his homeland or not; because it is the greatest of acts of worship, the most fruitful of efforts, and the best of the recommended acts. Allamah Qastalani has said the same thing in Al-Mawahib Al-Diniyah.

 And as for the Malikis, we have mentioned the rituals of Sheikh Khalil later.

 The argument for prohibiting the visit to the Prophet’s shrine from the hadith of the Prophet: “Let no one travel except to three mosques.” is not sound; because many scholars have rejected it. Hafiz Ibn Al-Hajr (may Allah have mercy on him) has spoken well about it in Fath Al-Bari and has concluded by saying that after this discussion, the words of those who prohibit traveling to visit the Holy Shrine are no longer worthy of attention.

Etiquette of Visiting

The scholars have mentioned the etiquette of visiting in detail, we will limit ourselves to mentioning a few of them in the following lines. When the pilgrim faces Medina and starts walking in that direction, he should send abundant blessings and peace upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and pray to Allah that he may benefit from visiting the Prophet (peace be upon him) and accept it.

It is appropriate to give charity before standing in front of the Prophet, as Allah Almighty says: {O you who believe! When you meet the Messenger, give charity between your hands. We will save you} (Al-Mujadilah: 12) [O you who believe!  Give charity before you are absorbed in the word of the Messenger of God!]

 Although the command of the verse is abrogated; but some scholars consider it recommended even after his death.

 And it is recommended that before entering Medina, one should take a bath and wear clean clothes, and when one reaches the door of the Prophet’s Mosque, one should enter with the right foot first and when one leaves, one should leave with the left foot first.

 After entering, one should face the direction of “Riyadh al-Jannah” and offer the Tahiyyat al-Masjid prayer. Then, one should approach the Holy Grave and stand in front of the bright face of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with respect, about four yards from the wall of the Holy Grave. Then, considering respect, one should offer the salutation in a medium voice, maintaining the highest level of respect and not raising the voice too high.

Then, one should step back one yard to the right and offer the salutation to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allaah be pleased with him). After that, one should step back one yard to the right and offer the salutation to Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allaah be pleased with him). Then, one should return to the direction of Paradise and not leave any gap in the farewell prayer.