Nor is travelling there in conjunction with Hajj an act of devotion. The expression, “May Allah sanctify your pilgrimage,” is baseless and invalid, as is the report:

“Whoever visits me and my father in a single year, I guarantee him Paradise.”

This is a lie according to the consensus of hadith experts. Likewise, every hadith narrated concerning visiting the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is weak—indeed, fabricated. The compilers of the Sahīh and Sunan collections and the Musnads, such as Ahmad’s Musnad and others, did not narrate any such report. What is found in the Sunan collections, however, is the report narrated by Abū Dāwūd from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said:

“No man greets me with peace but Allah restores my soul to me so that I may return his greeting.”

Thus, he returns the greeting of anyone who greets him at his grave, while the greetings of those who greet him from afar are conveyed to him. As reported by al-Nasā’ī, he said:

“Allah has appointed angels at my grave who convey to me the greetings of peace from my community.”

It is also reported from him in the Sunan collections that he said:

“Send abundant blessings upon me on Friday and the night preceding it, for your blessings are presented to me.” They asked, “How will our blessings be presented to you when you have decayed?” He replied, “Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets.”

He thus explained, peace and blessings be upon him, that blessings and greetings of peace reach him from afar. Allah has commanded us to send blessings upon him and greet him with peace. It is authentically reported in the Sahīh that he said:

“Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will bestow blessings upon him ten times in return.”

May Allah bestow blessings and abundant peace upon him.