Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī said:
“In my view, one should supplicate for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, using words that invoke blessings, and for Abū Bakr and 'Umar using words of peace, in view of the differing versions of Ibn 'Umar’s report.”
This supplication explains the supplication mentioned in Ibn Wahb’s transmission. Mālik said, as transmitted by Ibn Wahb:
“When greeting the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and supplicating, one should stand facing the grave, not the qiblah. He should draw near and offer greetings, without touching the grave.”
This, then, means greeting him and supplicating for him by invoking blessings upon him, as explained above. The same applies to every supplication mentioned by Mālik’s followers, such as those cited by Ibn Habīb in al-Wādiha and by others. He continued:
Mālik said in al-Mabsūt:
“Residents of Medina are not required to stop at the grave whenever they enter or leave the mosque; that is only for visitors from elsewhere.”
He also said in the same work:
“There is no harm in someone returning from a journey or setting out on one standing at the Prophet’s grave, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, invoking blessings upon him and supplicating for him, Abū Bakr, and 'Umar.”
He was asked:
“Some residents of Medina who have neither returned from a journey nor intend to undertake one do this once or more each day. Sometimes, on Friday or on other days, they stand at the grave once, twice, or more, offering greetings and supplicating for a while.”
Mālik replied:
“I have not heard of the scholars of our town doing this. One is free to refrain from it. The later generations of this community will be set right only by what set its earliest generations right. I have not heard that the earliest generations of this community, its first members, used to do this. It is disliked except for someone who has returned from a journey or intends to undertake one.”
Ibn al-Qāsim said:
“I saw the people of Medina come to the grave and offer greetings whenever they left the city or entered it.” He said: “And for that reason he considered . . .”
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