On the authority of ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn: he once saw a man who would approach a small opening beside the Prophet’s grave, squeeze himself into it, and make supplication there. ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn forbade him and said, “Shall I not relate to you a report I heard from my father, from my grandfather, from the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him? He said: ‘Do not make my grave a recurring festival, and do not turn your houses into graves. Your greetings reach me wherever—or in whichever place—you may be.’” This narration is recorded in al-Mukhtāra.
Biographical note on ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn: He is ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, known as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, the most virtuous of the Successors; he died in 93 AH.
furja: an opening in the wall.
al-Mukhtāra: the title of a compilation that contains reliable narrations not found in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, authored by Ḍiyāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Maqdisī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy on him.
Relevance of the ḥadīth to this chapter: it prohibits approaching the Prophet’s grave for the purpose of making supplication there; doing so at any other grave is even more reprehensible. Such conduct is a form of turning it into a festival and is a gateway to shirk.
Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:
- The prohibition of making supplication at the Prophet’s grave, as a safeguard for pure monotheism.
- The legitimacy of condemning a wrongful act and of teaching those who are unaware.
- The prohibition of undertaking a journey solely to visit the Messenger’s grave—again, as a safeguard for tawḥīd.
- The only sanctioned purpose for visiting the Prophet’s grave is to convey salutations, which reach him whether one is near or far.