Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque

The Twelfth Topic

Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque

Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque is Sunnah: It is one of the three mosques to which journeys are undertaken, and the Sharia has encouraged visiting it and praying in it. Among that: From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Journeys are not undertaken except to three mosques: this mosque of mine, the Sacred Mosque, and al-Aqsa Mosque.” (1) And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except the Sacred Mosque.” (2) And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “What is between my house and my pulpit is a garden of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is upon my basin.” (3)

It is Sunnah for the pilgrim and others to visit the Mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him)— visiting it before the Hajj or after it; it has no fixed time for visiting, and this visit is not one of the conditions, pillars, or obligations of Hajj, and is separate from it. If one performs Hajj without visiting the Mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his Hajj is valid and nothing is upon him. He should bear in mind that the purpose of traveling to the Prophetic city is to visit the Prophet’s Mosque— not to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s grave, the graves of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), Quba’ Mosque, or other places; because it is not permissible to undertake a journey to a place of worship except to these three places, as in the preceding hadith of Abu Hurayrah: the Sacred Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque, and al-Aqsa Mosque. When the visitor reaches the Prophet’s Mosque, it is Sunnah for him to do as he does when entering any mosque: he advances his right foot and says: “In the name of Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah; I seek refuge in Allah the Magnificent, in His noble Face, and in His eternal sovereignty, from the accursed Satan. O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.” He has no dhikr specific to it.

And from Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi or Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with them): the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When one of you enters the mosque, let him say: ‘O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy,’ and when he leaves, let him say: ‘O Allah, I ask You for Your bounty.’” (1) And from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, from the Prophet (peace be upon him), that when he entered the mosque he would say: “I seek refuge in Allah the Magnificent, in His noble Face, and in His eternal sovereignty, from the accursed Satan.” (2) And it is established from Ka‘b al-Ahbar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “And I will tell you two things—do not forget them: when you enter the mosque, greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say: ‘O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy,’ and when you leave, greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say: ‘O Allah, protect me from Satan.’” (3) And it is established from ‘Abdullah ibn Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he entered the mosque he would greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and say: “O Allah, open for me the doors of

Your mercy,” and when he left he would greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and seek refuge from Satan. (1) Then he prays two rak‘ahs as the greeting of the mosque— from Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When one of you enters the mosque, let him perform two rak‘ahs before sitting down.” (2) If he prays them in the Rawdah, it is better—from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “What is between my house and my pulpit is a garden of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is upon my basin.” (3) If it is not feasible for him in the Rawdah, he prays anywhere in the mosque. Visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the graves of his two companions (may Allah be pleased with them): After he has performed the greeting of the mosque upon first entering the Prophet’s Mosque, it is legislated for him to go and greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two companions Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both). 1. He stands before the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s grave, facing the grave with reverence

and lowered voice, saying: “Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.” And if he adds to his greeting: “Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah; peace be upon you, O chosen of Allah among His creation; peace be upon you, O master of the messengers and leader of the righteous. I bear witness that you conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, advised the ummah, and strove in Allah with true striving”—there is no harm in that, for all of this is among his attributes (peace be upon him). If he confines himself to the first alone, that is good— because it is what is reported from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), as will come. 2. Then he takes a step to his right to be before the grave of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: “Peace be upon you, O Abu Bakr.” And if he adds something appropriate to his greeting there is no harm—such as saying: “Peace be upon you, O successor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) over his ummah; may Allah be pleased with you and reward you on behalf of the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) with good.” If he confines himself to the first alone, that is good— because it is what is reported from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), as will come. 3. Then he takes a step to his right to be before the grave of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: “Peace be upon you, O ‘Umar.” And if he adds something appropriate to his greeting there is no

harm—such as saying: “Peace be upon you, O commander of the faithful; may Allah be pleased with you and reward you on behalf of the ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) with good.” If he confines himself to the first alone, that is good— because it is what is reported from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). From Nafi‘, the mawla of Ibn ‘Umar: Ibn ‘Umar, when he returned from a journey, would enter the mosque, then go to the grave and say: “Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah; peace be upon you, O Abu Bakr; peace be upon you, O my father.” (1) And from ‘Abdullah ibn Dinar, who said: “I saw ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar standing at the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s grave, sending salah upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and upon Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both).” (2) He must observe the legislated manners and the proper courtesies when greeting the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two companions—with reverence and a lowered voice, for raising the voice in the mosques is prohibited. From al-Sa’ib ibn

Yazid, who said: I was standing in the mosque when a man threw pebbles at me; I looked and there was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab. He said: “Go and bring me those two.” I brought them to him; he said: “Who are you two”—or “where are you from?” They said: “From the people of al-Ta’if.” He said: “Had you been from the people of this city I would have hurt you—you raise your voices in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).” (1) And it is not proper to prolong standing and supplicating at the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and the graves of his two companions— Imam Malik ibn Anas disliked it and said: it is an innovation the Salaf did not practice, and nothing will rectify the latter part of this ummah except what rectified its first. Imam Malik ibn Anas also disliked for the people of Madinah that every time a person entered the mosque he would come to the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s grave— because the Salaf did not do that; they would come to his mosque and pray in it behind Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), saying in the prayer: “Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,” then when they finished the prayer they sat or left, and they did not come to the grave for the greeting—knowing that the salah and salam

upon him in the prayer are more complete and better. It is obligatory upon him to supplicate only Allah Most High alone— he does not supplicate to the Messenger (peace be upon him), does not seek rescue through him, and does not request aid or needs except from Allah Most High alone, whether in the Prophet’s Mosque or elsewhere.

Allah Most High said: ﴿وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدۡعُونِيٓ أَسۡتَجِبۡ لَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ عَنۡ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدۡخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ﴾ [And your Lord said: Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell humbled.] (Ghafir 60) [Ghafir: 60].

And He, glorified be He, said: ﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌۖ أُجِيبُ دَعۡوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِۖ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلۡيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡشُدُونَ﴾ [And when My servants ask you concerning Me—indeed I am near; I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.] (Al-Baqarah 186) [Al-Baqarah: 186].

And He, glorified be He, said: ﴿ٱدۡعُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ تَضَرُّعٗا وَخُفۡيَةًۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ﴾ [Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like the transgressors.] (Al-A'raf 55) [Al-A‘raf: 55].

And He, glorified be He, said: ﴿قُلۡ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحۡيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ﲡ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُۥۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرۡتُ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ﴾ [Say: Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds—no partner has He; with this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.] (Al-An'am 162-163) [Al-An‘am: 162, 163].

And He Most High said: ﴿وَلَا تَدۡعُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَۖ فَإِن فَعَلۡتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذٗا مِّنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ﴾ [And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you; for if you did, then indeed you would be among the wrongdoers.] (Yunus 106) [Yunus: 106].

And Allah commanded His messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to make clear to his ummah that he does not possess for himself benefit or harm—He, glorified be He, said: ﴿قُل لَّآ أَمۡلِكُ لِنَفۡسِي نَفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ وَلَوۡ كُنتُ أَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ لَٱسۡتَكۡثَرۡتُ مِنَ ٱلۡخَيۡرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ ٱلسُّوٓءُۚ إِنۡ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٞ وَبَشِيرٞ لِّقَوۡمٖ يُؤۡمِنُونَ﴾ [Say: I hold not for myself benefit or harm except what Allah wills; and if I knew the unseen I would have amassed much good, and no evil would have touched me. I am only a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.] (Al-A'raf 188) [Al-A‘raf: 188]. And Allah commanded him to make clear to his ummah that he does not possess for them harm or benefit—He, glorified be He, said: ﴿قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أَدۡعُواْ رَبِّي وَلَآ أُشۡرِكُ بِهِۦٓ أَحَدٗا ﰓ قُلۡ إِنِّي لَآ أَمۡلِكُ لَكُمۡ ضَرّٗا وَلَا رَشَدٗا﴾ [Say: I only call upon my Lord and do not associate anyone with Him. Say: Indeed, I do not possess for you harm or right guidance.] (Al-Jinn 20-21) [Al-Jinn: 20, 21]. It is not permissible for him to wipe the wall of the chamber, kiss it, or prostrate at it. It is Sunnah for those in Madinah—residents and visitors—to visit Quba’ Mosque and pray in it. From ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to come to Quba’ Mosque riding and walking, and pray two rak‘ahs in it.” (1) It is also Sunnah for him to visit al-Baqi‘ cemetery and greet the Companions

who are buried in it, such as ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) and others; and likewise it is Sunnah for him to make a visit to the martyrs of Uhud in order to greet them, supplicate for them, and uphold the Sunnah of remembrance and taking admonition. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught us what to say when visiting the graves— from Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to teach them when they went out to the graves, and their speaker would say: “Peace be upon you, O people of the dwellings among the believers and the Muslims; indeed we—if Allah wills—are joining you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.” (1) And from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): the Messenger of Allah used to visit al-Baqi‘ and say: “Peace be upon you, abode of a believing people; what you were promised is coming to you tomorrow—you are deferred; and indeed we, if Allah wills, are joining you. O Allah, forgive the people of Baqi‘ al-Gharqad.” (2) This is how visiting graves is legislated to be. As for supplicating to the dead, seeking rescue through them, requesting intercession from them, seeking aid through them, making tawaf around graves, or lingering at them—all of that and more are prohibited innovations and part of innovated visitation; indeed, some of it is shirk, such as supplicating to the dead and seeking rescue through him.

As for visiting some mosques and places and deliberately praying in them out of belief in their virtue—other than the Prophet’s Mosque and Quba’ Mosque—all of that has no basis; no evidence has come recommending their visitation, or prayer in them, or preferring them. All of that is among innovations. May Allah send salah upon our prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................ 5 The First Topic: The definition of Hajj, its ruling, and the wisdom of its legislation ................................................................ 8 The Second Topic: Travel and its manners ................................................................ 11 The Third Topic: The conditions of Hajj ................................................................ 17 The Fourth Topic: The set times and places of Hajj and ‘Umrah ................................................................ 24 The Fifth Topic: The types of Hajj rites ................................................................ 30 The Sixth Topic: The hady in Hajj and its description ................................................................ 34 The Seventh Topic: The restrictions of ihram ................................................................ 38 The Eighth Topic: The fidyah of the restrictions ................................................................ 51 The Ninth Topic: The description of ‘Umrah ................................................................ 55

The Tenth Topic: The pillars and obligations of Hajj ................................................................ 76 The Eleventh Topic: The description of Hajj ................................................................ 89 Summary of the rites of Hajj ................................................................ 121 The Twelfth Topic: Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque ................................................................ 121 Table of Contents ................................................................ 132

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