“In the name of Allah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive my sins and open for me the gates of Your bounty.”

Offering this salutation whenever one enters the mosque suffices in place of greeting him at the grave. It is something particular to him and entails no harm. One does this in prayer as well: people invoke blessings and peace upon him during prayer, and invoke blessings upon him when they hear the call to prayer, asking that he be granted al-wasīlah. This is based on the report narrated by Muslim in his Sahīh from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀs, who said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When you hear the caller to prayer, repeat what he says, then invoke blessings upon me, for whoever invokes blessings upon me once, Allah will bless him ten times. Then ask Allah to grant me al-wasīlah, for it is a rank in Paradise befitting only one of Allah’s servants, and I hope to be that servant. Whoever asks that I be granted al-wasīlah will be entitled to my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.”

They knew that the salutation recommended at his honoured grave is the greeting offered upon meeting someone, just as it is recommended at the grave of any Muslim and upon meeting him. Thus, others share in this, as he said:

“No man greets me with peace without Allah restoring my soul to me so that I may return his greeting.”

He also said:

“No man passes the grave of a believing brother whom he knew and greets him with peace without the deceased recognising him and returning his greeting.”

When he visited the graveyards, he would say:

“Peace be upon you, inhabitants of these abodes, believers and Muslims. We shall, if Allah wills, join you. You have gone ahead of us, and we shall follow you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.”

He would teach his Companions, when they visited the graves, to say: