490 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allah — peace and blessings be upon him — passed by the graves of Madinah, turned his face toward them and said: ‘Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of the graves. May Allah forgive us and you. You have gone ahead of us, and we are following after.’” Related by al-Tirmidhī, who declared it Ḥasan (1).

• Degree of authenticity
The report is ḥasan. Its purport is supported by:

1. The narrated wording of Buraydah in Muslim (975) cited earlier, in which the Prophet — peace and blessings be upon him — used to teach them, when they went out to the cemeteries, to say: “Peace be upon you, O people of these dwellings, believers and Muslims. Surely, if Allah wills, we shall join you. We ask Allah to grant well-being to us and to you.”
2. The ḥadith of Abū Hurayrah in Muslim (974): “Peace be upon you, O abode of a believing people. Surely, if Allah wills, we shall join you.”
3. The ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah in Aḥmad (23904) with the same wording, adding: “O Allah, do not deprive us of their reward, and do not test us after them.”

• Vocabulary
– Salafunā: those who have preceded us in death.
– Wa-naḥnu bil-athar: with two short vowels; meaning, we follow you, coming after you, soon to join you.

• Lessons drawn from the two ḥadiths

1. The narrations indicate the recommendation of visiting graves: the legally prescribed visit whose purpose is to pray for the deceased and seek forgiveness on their behalf, as well as to take heed and be admonished by their condition.