Innovations Connected to Visitation in Madinah
Now, it is part of the Sunnah to undertake a journey for the purpose of visiting the Noble Prophet’s Mosque and al-Masjid al-Aqsa—may Allah soon return it to the Muslims—because of the great merit and reward mentioned in the texts. People customarily visit these two mosques either before or after Hajj, yet many of them commit numerous innovations along the way, matters well known to the scholars. In order to convey the truth and to warn others, I shall list those I have come across:
132 – Setting out on a journey expressly to visit his grave, peace and blessings be upon him.¹
133 – Sending written petitions with pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, charging them to convey one’s greetings to him.
(1) The Sunnah is to travel with the intention of reaching the Prophet’s mosque, following his statement: “Mounts are not to be saddled except to three mosques….” Once there, and after performing the prayer of salutation to the mosque, one may visit his grave, peace and blessings be upon him.
It must be stressed that undertaking a journey specifically to visit his grave—or any grave—is one thing, while visiting a grave without such a journey is another. Some later writers, including certain academics, have confused the two and alleged that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya in particular, and the Salafis in general, reject the legitimacy of visiting the Prophet’s grave. This claim is patently false. For a detailed rebuttal see our response to Dr. al-Buti, published successively in the journal al-Tamaddun al-Islamiyyah and later issued as a separate booklet entitled Defence of the Prophetic Hadith…, recently reprinted by offset press; praise be to God.