Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (27/343)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

who is astray and acts contrary to the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the consensus of his Companions, and the scholars of his community. It is regarding this that two views have been stated: one holds that it is forbidden; the other holds that he incurs no blame but receives no reward.

What Muslim scholars practise is the prescribed form of visitation: they pray in his mosque, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and send greetings of peace upon him when entering the mosque and during prayer. Muslims agree that this is prescribed. I have mentioned this in my work on pilgrimage rites and in the fatwa, explaining that one sends greetings of peace upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and upon his two Companions. This is the matter concerning which I mentioned no disagreement in the fatwa, although disagreement does exist. Some scholars do not consider visiting graves recommended at all, while others consider it disliked altogether, as has been reported from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, al-Shaʿbī, and Muhammad ibn Sīrīn, who were among the eminent Successors. This has also been reported from Mālik. Another report from him holds that it is permissible, not recommended. This is also one of the two views within Ahmad’s school.

However, the apparent position of his school, and the position of the majority, is that the prescribed form of visitation is recommended. This consists of visiting believers’ graves to supplicate for them, greeting them with peace and praying for them. The graves of unbelievers are also visited, because doing so reminds one of the Hereafter.

As for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he has a distinction shared by no other created being: what is sought at anyone else’s grave—namely, supplicating for him—is something we are commanded [to do] (1) for the Messenger during the five daily prayers, when entering and leaving mosques, at the call to prayer, and whenever making supplication. He also forbade taking graves as places of prayer

(1) The text in square brackets is absent from the printed edition, and I did not find it in Safeguarding the Collected Fatwas against Omissions and Textual Corruption. Usāma ibn al-Zahrā’ — coordinator of the book for al-Maktaba al-Shāmila.

ضَالٌّ مُخَالِفٌ لِسُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلِإِجْمَاعِ أَصْحَابِهِ وَلِعُلَمَاءِ أُمَّتِهِ. وَهُوَ الَّذِي ذُكِرَ فِيهِ الْقَوْلَانِ: أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّهُ مُحَرَّمٌ وَالثَّانِي أَنَّهُ لَا شَيْءَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا أَجْرَ لَهُ. وَاَلَّذِي يَفْعَلُهُ عُلَمَاءُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ هُوَ الزِّيَارَةُ الشَّرْعِيَّةُ: يُصَلُّونَ فِي مَسْجِدِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَيُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّخُولِ لِلْمَسْجِدِ وَفِي الصَّلَاةِ وَهَذَا مَشْرُوعٌ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. وَقَدْ ذَكَرْت هَذَا فِي الْمَنَاسِكِ وَفِي الْفُتْيَا وَذَكَرْت أَنَّهُ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى صَاحِبَيْهِ. وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي لَمْ أَذْكُرْ فِيهِ نِزَاعًا فِي الْفُتْيَا مَعَ أَنَّ فِيهِ نِزَاعًا؛ إذْ مِنْ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَحِبُّ زِيَارَةَ الْقُبُورِ مُطْلَقًا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَكْرَهُهَا مُطْلَقًا كَمَا نُقِلَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ إبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِي وَالشَّعْبِيِّ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِين وَهَؤُلَاءِ مِنْ أَجِلَّةِ التَّابِعِينَ. وَنُقِلَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ مَالِكٍ. وَعَنْهُ أَنَّهَا مُبَاحَةٌ لَيْسَتْ مُسْتَحَبَّةً. وَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْقَوْلَيْنِ فِي مَذْهَبِ أَحْمَد؛ لَكِنَّ ظَاهِرَ مَذْهَبِهِ وَمَذْهَبِ الْجُمْهُورِ: أَنَّ الزِّيَارَةَ الشَّرْعِيَّةَ مُسْتَحَبَّةٌ. وَهُوَ أَنْ يَزُورَ قُبُورَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِلدُّعَاءِ لَهُمْ فَيُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَدْعُوَ لَهُمْ. وَتُزَارُ قُبُورُ الْكُفَّارِ؛ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ يُذَكِّرُ الْآخِرَةَ. وَأَمَّا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَهُ خَاصَّةٌ لَا يُمَاثِلُهُ فِيهَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ الْخَلْقِ وَهُوَ أَنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ عِنْدَ قَبْرِ غَيْرِهِ مِنْ الدُّعَاءِ لَهُ هُوَ مَأْمُورٌ [بِهِ] (١) فِي حَقِّ الرَّسُولِ فِي الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ وَعِنْدَ دُخُولِ الْمَسَاجِدِ وَالْخُرُوجِ مِنْهَا وَعِنْدَ الْأَذَانِ وَعِنْد كُلِّ دُعَاءٍ. وَهُوَ قَدْ نَهَى عَنْ اتِّخَاذِ الْقُبُورِ مَسَاجِدَ

(١) ما بين معقوفتين غير موجود في المطبوع، ولم أقف عليه في كتاب صيانة مجموع الفتاوى من السقط والتصحيف أسامة بن الزهراء - منسق الكتاب للموسوعة الشاملة