when they visited graves, to say:
‘Peace be upon you, inhabitants of these dwellings, believers and Muslims. We shall, Allah willing, join you. May Allah have mercy on those among us and you who have gone before and those who are yet to follow. We ask Allah for well-being for ourselves and for you. O Allah, do not deprive us of the reward for their loss, do not subject us to trials after them, and forgive us and them.’”
If visiting the graves of believers in general is prescribed, then visiting the graves of the prophets and the righteous is all the more so. Yet the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has a distinction not shared by the other prophets and righteous people: we have been commanded to invoke blessings upon him and send him greetings of peace in every prayer. This is particularly emphasized during prayer, at the call to prayer, and in all other supplications. We have also been commanded to invoke blessings upon him and send him greetings of peace when entering a mosque—whether his mosque or any other—and when leaving it. Thus, everyone who enters his mosque must pray there and send him greetings of peace during the prayer.
Travelling to his mosque is prescribed. Nevertheless, the scholars distinguished between him and others, to the extent that Mālik—may Allah have mercy on him—disliked the expression, “I visited the grave of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” This is because the prescribed purpose of visiting graves is to greet their occupants with peace and supplicate for them. These greetings and supplications are already offered in the fullest manner during prayer, whether in his mosque or elsewhere, when hearing the call to prayer, and with every supplication. Invoking blessings upon him is therefore prescribed with every supplication, for he
“has a greater claim upon the believers than they have upon themselves.”
For this reason, the worshipper greets him with peace during prayer before greeting himself and all the righteous servants of Allah, saying:
“Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah