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This Hadeeth again is very clear in its meaning. All traveling for
the sake of worship has been prohibited except to the three
Masjids. This is how the Sahabah understood this Hadeeth.
It is mentioned in Musnad Ahmad, while returning from a trip,
Abu Basrah al-Ghifaree met Abu Hurayrah and the latter
asked him where he was coming from. Abu Basrah replied that he
was coming back from at-Toor 285 where he had made prayer. Abu
Hurayrah said: “If only I had caught you before you had set
out, for I heard Allah’s Messenger say: “Don’t travel (for
religious purposes) to other than three Masjids…” 286
Abu Qaz’ah also related that he had wanted to go to at-Toor, but
when he asked Ibn Umar about it, he quoted the Prophet’s
prohibition of (religious) travel to other than the three Masjids. 287
These two narrations show that the Sahabah understood the
prohibition in the Hadeeth to include all places, including at-Toor.
Doubt (3) Moulana Zakariyah says, ‘and the blessings of the
tomb are another issue. I ask if visiting the graves of the Prophets
will be prohibited? Then when visiting them is not prohibited,
then the graves of the righteous are like them.” 288
(a) Even if traveling to the graves of the Prophets were true, it
would not be a proof for traveling to the graves and tombs of the
Sufi saints.
285 At-Toor is the mountain mentioned in the Qur’aan, (2: 60),
generally understood to be Mount Sanai (Dictionary of Islam, p.647
and Arabic English Lexicon, vol.2, p.1890.]
286 Musnad Ahmad. Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albnee in Ahkaam al-
Janaa’iz p.226.
287 Collected by al-Azraqee in Akhbaar Makkah, p.304, and
authenticated in Ahkaam al-Janaa’iz, p.226.
288 Fazaail-e-Aamaal (Hindi Trans.) Virtues of Hajj, Chapter. Ziyarat
of Medina, p.150, Explanation of Hadeeth no.12, (Idara Ishaat
Diniyat, First Edition (1984).
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