Saheeh Seerah Al Albaanee English

It was also narrated by al-Baihaqee (in Dalaa’il al-Nubuwwah) with a different chain
something similar to it.
‏.رضيُاهللُعنه Al-Baihaqee and al-Ḥaakim also reported it from the Ḥadeeth of Ibn Mas`ood
And in Ṣaḥeeḥ Muslim from the Ḥadeeth of Abu Hurairah ‏:رضيُاهللُعنه The Messenger of
Allaah ﷺ visited the grave of his mother and he wept, and moved others around him
to tears, and said: ❝I sought permission from my Lord to beg forgiveness for her but
it was not granted to me, and I sought permission to visit her grave and it was
33 34
granted to me; so visit the graves, for that makes you mindful of death.❞
33 Ṣaḥeeḥ Muslim (976), also reported by Imaam Aḥmad (in his Musnad) and others.
34 [TN: As a precaution against shirk, the Prophet ﷺ took the following steps:
رضيُ‏ هللا had prohibited us from making pictures and statues as in the Ḥadeeth of `Aaishah and Ibn `Umar ُ ﷺ i) He
❝ them: and he said that those who make pictures will be punished severely in Hell-Fire and it will be said to ‏,عنهما
make alive what you have created❞. [Ṣaḥeeḥain] Even in this day we see the Christians, the Hindus, and the
Buddhist making statues and paintings and worshiping them.
ii) The second step he ﷺ had taken was to destroy all the pictures and statues and to level all the permanent
graves, as has been reported from the Ḥadeeth of `Alee ُ هللا ُ . [Ṣaḥeeḥ Muslim]
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عنه رضي
iii) The third step was to prohibit from making the grave as permanent, or whitewashing it, or writing on it, or
building any structure over it (like Masaajid and domes). [Ṣaḥeeḥ Muslim]
iv) The Prophet ﷺ was well aware that this Ummah (nation) will follow the footsteps of the people of the Book
– who built places of worship over the graves of their Prophets [Ṣaḥeeḥain] and made them into places of
festivities [Sunan Abu Dawood]. So the fourth step was to prohibit the people from visiting the graves. Then he
gave them permission only to increase their remembrance of the Hereafter. But this permission was given ﷺ
during the conquest of Makkah, i.e. near the end of the Prophet’s mission.
In the beginning stages of Islaam, it was prohibited by the Prophet ﷺ to visit the graves because the people in
Jaahiliyyah (days of ignorance) were deeply rooted in Shirk, and the Jews and the Christians had the graves of the
righteous converted into places of worship and worshiped them, and sought their help and called them in
difficulties. When the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) were in such a bad state, then the state of
the Mushriks could well be imagined.
The Prophet ﷺ prohibited the new Muslims from visiting the graves because of all the things that were going
on. The permission to visit the graves was only granted after the conquest of Makkah, which is near the end of
the Prophet’s mission. The permission was given when Islaam became widespread and people became firm in
their Imaan (Belief) and the fear of them falling into Shirk was subdued.
Moreover, in the very same Ḥadeeth, we are informed of the reason for the permission to visit the graves - that it
reminds one of the Hereafter. It is possible to remember the Hereafter only if the grave is simple, which reminds
us that we were created of this earth to it we will be returned. But if one were to go to the graves of the so-called
“Awliyaa'”, which are covered in very costly Ghilaaf (cloth); well-built and decorated in marbles and stones; and