doing so is forbidden, and eating from it is likewise forbidden.” End quote.

Visiting graves is recommended exclusively for men, for the purposes of reflection, taking admonition, and praying for the deceased and asking forgiveness on their behalf. The Prophet ﷺ said, “I had previously forbidden you to visit graves; now go and visit them,” recorded by Muslim and al-Tirmidhi, who added, “for it reminds one of the Hereafter.” Such a visit, however, must not involve undertaking a special journey.

Thus, visiting graves is recommended provided three conditions are met:

1. The visitor is a man, not a woman, because the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah has cursed the women who frequently visit graves.”
2. The visit entails no travel specifically for that purpose, as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Mounts are not to be saddled except to three mosques.”
3. The intention is limited to reflection, admonition, and supplicating for the deceased. If the aim is to seek blessings from the graves and shrines, or to request the dead to fulfill needs or relieve distress, then such a visit is an innovative act of polytheism.

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) said: “Visiting graves is of two kinds: one that is sanctioned by the law, and one that is innovated…”