1.No Pucca Structure “Jabir said: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade (made haraam) that the graves should be plastered or they be used as sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them.” [Sahih Muslim 2:2116-8] The Messenger of Allah (SAW) the giver of the best guidance made haraam making graves Pucca or building structures over them.
2.Maximum height “Abu’l-Hayyaj al-Asadi told that ‘Ali (b. Abu Talib) said to him: Should I not send you on the same mission as Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent me? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without levelling It. This hadith has been reported by Habib with the same chain of transmitters and he said: (Do not leave) a picture without obliterating it.” [Sahih Muslim 2:2115]
3.Duaa for visiting the Graveyard Rasoolullah(SAW) mentioned the following Duaa for visiting the graveyard. “As � Salaamu alaa Ahlid � Diyaar minal Mumineena wal Muslimeen Yarhamullah al Mustaqdimeena min-naa wal Mustakhireen wa in-naa InshaAllahu bikum Laahiqoon “ “Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, God willing, join you.” [Sahih Muslim 2:2127] This is what is authentically proven from the Prophet (SAW).
4.Salaah Prohibited Rasoolullah (SAW) said “All of the earth is a masjid (place for sijdah)except graveyards and toilets” [Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood 1:492] Rasoolullah (SAW) further said “Offer some of your prayers in your houses and do not make them graves.” [Sahih Bukhari vol 2: no 280, Book of Tahajud chapter 36] [center]5.No other acts of Ibadah “Narrated `Aisha: When the Prophet became ill, some of his wives talked about a church which they had seen in Ethiopia and it was called Mariya. Um Salma and Um Habiba had been to Ethiopia, and both of them narrated its (the Church’s) beauty and the pictures it contained. The Prophet raised his head and said, “Those are the people who, whenever a pious man dies amongst them, make a place of worship at his grave and then they make those pictures in it. Those are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah.” [Sahih Bukhari vol 2: no 425, Book of Funerals chapter 69]
6.No Reading of the Quran in the graveyards a )When Rasoolullah(SAW) was asked about what to do while visiting the graveyard he only told to read the Duaa mentioned above. He did not tell the Sahabas to read the Quran or certain Surahs of the Quran like Surah Fatiha, Surah Falaq, Surah Nas, Surah Yasin. If we start saying today “No! It is necessary to read the Fatiha there” Then the question that arises is � “Why is it that our beloved messenger Muhammed(SAW) never told us to do that?” Either he did not know about it (Nauzobillah!) or he knew about it but did not tell us about it! In that case it is as if we are alleging that he did not fulfill his duty of passing the message of Allah fully and completely (Nauzobillah)! b) Rasoolullah (SAW) said “Do not make your houses as graveyards. Satan runs away from the house in which Surah Baqara is recited.” [Sahih Muslim 1:1707]
7. Can we visit the ‘Mazar’, let us know the hadith of our prophet regarding raised graves. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim vol. 2 pp 459-60, No. 2116-2118 “Jabir said : Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) forbade that the graves should be plastered or, they be used as sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them” [also Sahih Muslim vol. 2 Hadith No. 2114 (also see 2115)] I heard the messenger of Allah (pbuh) commanding (us) to level the grave. So if we cannot construct anything on the grave then how can Mazar exist, and when there is no existence of Mazar, where is the question of visiting it.
I have recently made a booklet answering all the accusations of these Wahabis and aswered all the verses of Quran and Hadith quoted by them.
You can pass on the answer given below if you find it appropriate.
(Kindly note that the font in Green is the answer to the hadith . And the fonts in Black is the original words of the hadiths quoted by your friend.)
Hadith Originally quoted by your friend:
1.No Pucca Structure“Jabir said: Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) forbade (made haraam) that the graves should be plastered or they be used as sitting places (for the people), or a building should be built over them.”[Sahih Muslim 2:2116-8]The Messenger of Allah (SAW) the giver of the best guidance made haraam making graves Pucca or building structures over them.
2.Maximum height“Abu’l-Hayyaj al-Asadi told that ‘Ali (b. Abu Talib) said to him: Should I not send you on the same mission as Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent me? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without levelling It. This hadith has been reported by Habib with the same chain of transmitters and he said: (Do not leave) a picture without obliterating it.”[Sahih Muslim 2:2115]
Answer:
In the above Hadiths Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) have ordered to destroy the images and level the high graves but these images were the images of false Gods and the images of the people who were dead.The kuffars used to WORSHIP them. And these garves were the graves of the KUFFARS and not Muslims. It is clearly mentioned in many books of Ahle sunnat wal Jamat that it is Haram to place the images of the dead people and Haram to make images.
Secondly, Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) didn't order to destroy/level the graves of Muslims. Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) ordered to destroy those graves which were worshiped and to destroy the images which were made around them.
Regarding Plastering the graves it is not permissible to plaster the graves means to make the graves concrete from its root to the top. The borders of the garves can be made concrete but it should not be made concrete from the root to top and the top surface of the graves should be left open.In the above Hadith Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) has stoped to plaster the graves which means do not plaster them completely so that one is not able to know whether there is a grave or not and therefore immideately after this Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) gave the reason also “So that they not be used as sitting places”.
If someone says that All the Graves including the graves of Prophets ,Awliyas should be flattened to the ground level then Astagfirullah they are challenging the Sahabas. If Rasulallah (Sallallahualayhiwasallam) ordered to flatten the graves then why did Sahabas made the Blessed Grave of Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) raised up from the ground level???? Did they
go against the order of Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam)??? Did they went against the Shariah????
Lets us see how was the Grave to Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) was built????
Sahih Bukhari,Vol 4, Kitaab ul Janaaiz, Hadith no 812, Page no 148.
“Naratted by Sufyan At-Tammar(Radiallahutala’an), he said that, he had seen the Grave of the Prophet elevated and convex. “
Elevated means Raised especially above the ground: an elevated platform and Convex means rounded, curving outward or Having a surface or boundary that curves or bulges outward, as the exterior of a sphere.
Imam Ibn Abi Shayba said that the Graves of Hazrat Abu Bakr (Radiallahutala’an) and Hazrat Umar (Radiallahutala’an) are also elevated and convex.
Hazrat Imam Ibrahim Nakhaie says that whoever have seen the Graves of Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) and of the sahabas ,told me that all the graves were Raised especially above the ground and over them white Marble called Sange Marmar is covered.
Imam e Shobi says that I have seen the graves of Shohda-e-Uhud and the graves of Hazrat Umar (Radiallahutala’an) and Ibn Abbas(Radiallahutala’an) and all the graves are elevated and convex.
So from the above Hadith and sayings of the Qudamas we come to know that the graves should be elevated and convex and should not be flattened. The order which Rasulallah (Sallallahualayhiwasallam) gave for the graves to be flattened were those graves on which(around) Kuffar had made Images and those graves who were worshiped. By presenting the Hadith which is for other purpose and to fit them for the graves of Muslims is just playing with the Hadith. Naosubillah! And misguiding the innocent Muslims.
There are many Awliyas and Prophets and great Scholars of Islam who are very famous and people are spirituallay attracted to them.In this state of closeness with these scholars, people might go beyond the prescribed way of visiting the graves and do some disliked act. Just to be safe from these acts the Graves of these Pious people are sorrounded with some shelter. For e.g; The grave of Hazrat Imam Bukhari gave out the fragrance of Mushk. People started digging out the soil from his grave and take it to their home. Deep holes emerged in the graves. To protect the Grave ,then it was surrounded by walls and closed from the surroundings so that people would not take the soil from the grave.
Main Hazrat-e-Moosa Ka Asaa Mang Raha Hu
“Narrated `Aisha: When the Prophet became ill, some of his wives talked about a church which they had seen in Ethiopia and it was called Mariya. Um Salma and Um Habiba had been to Ethiopia, and both of them narrated its (the Church’s) beauty and the pictures it contained. The Prophet raised his head and said, “Those are the people who, whenever a pious man dies amongst them, make a place of worship at his grave and then they make those pictures in it. Those are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah.”[Sahih Bukhari vol 2: no 425, Book of Funerals chapter 69]
From the above Hadith we clearly see that the Yahudi’s and Nasrani’s used to worship the graves and they used to make the pictures of the Pious people who died among them.
It is the Aqedah of Ahle Sunnah wal Jamat that it is not permissible to pray namaz on the grave(to do sajda) and it is not permissibile to make pictures.
What does the “Build a place of worship at his grave” means??
The Yahudi and Nasrani used to do Sajda on the grave .So Rasulallah (Sallallahualayhiwasallam) said they build a place a worship at his grave.No Sunni does Sajda on the grave and those who do Sajda on the grave are the worst creature and it is garve sin to do Sajda on the grave even it is the Sajda of Respect(Sajda-e-Taazimi).
Regarding this Hadith , Allama Ayni and Allama Asqalani Qazi Bezawi says;
“Because Yahudi’s and Nasrani’s used to do Sajda on the graves of the Prophets in their respect and made their graves as Qiblah for Namaz and they had made their Graves as Idols, they were cursed. Muslims were not allowed to do such acts but they were allowed to build masjids near the graves of Awliya and Pious just to gain Barakah and pray near their grave , in such a direction that the grave do not comes in the direction of the Qiblah for Namaz.And such an act is free from the act which the Yahudi’s and Nasrani’s used to do.”
From the above explanation of Allama Ayni and Allama Asqalani Qazi Bezawi , we come to know that Allah showers his mercy near the graves of Awliya and pious people, and hence it is the place of Barakah and one can pray near the places of the Awliyas to gain barakah. And when one prays near the graves there should be a sutrah (Barrier) between them and the grave.
And from the above Hadith we come to know that (i) It is not permissible to pray namaz facing the Grave or do sajdah on the grave and (ii)It is Haram to make pictures of living beings especially the pictures of Awliyas.
There are many Hadith for the permissibility of visiting graves.
Apart from this more hadith quoted by the wahabis:
Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi reported Allah's Messenger (May peace be upon him) as saying: Do not sit on the graves and do not pray facing towards them. { Sahih Muslim Hadith no. 2121 }
The Ahle Sunnat wal Jamat also believes the same. For the proof refer to the books of Ahle Sunnah .
Reference:
Ruling:It is a forbidden act to sit, walk, defecate or pass water on the graves.It is not permissible to walk on the path leading through the graveyard, no matter whether it seems to be a new path or one guesses it to be a new path.
[Qanoon-e- Shariat, pg no 313]
[Bahar -e- Shariat , Vol 1,Pg 847]
[ Al Fatawa-e- Hindiya,Kitaab us salaat,Vol 1, pg. 166]
[Durr-e-Mukhtar, kitab us Salaah, vol 3, pg. 183.]
One should not Pray facing the Grave. If there is a grave in front of him ,he should place a Sutrah between him and the grave. Sutrah implies a sort of object like a pillar, wall or stick, etc, in front of a votary of salaat to act as a symbolic barrier between him and the others.
Next Hadith:
"Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said , "May Allah's curse be on the Jews for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets." { Sahih Bukhari vol.1 hadith no. 428 }
The Jews used to worship their Prophets and started worshiping them by believing them as Gods or Son of God. Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) is cursing the JEWS who WORSHIPED their Prophets and not The Muslims who visited the graves of the fellow Muslims. Instead Rasulallah (Sallallahualayhiwasallam) himself used to visit the Graves of Shohda- e- Uhud, Shohda-e- Badr,the graves in Janatul Baqi which we can see from many Hadiths.
Visiting Graves is the Sunnah of Rasulallah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) and the Sunnah of Sahabas and Salafs and the great scholars of Islam. So by stopping the Muslims from visiting the graves and presenting the Hadith which is regarding the Kuffars and which has nothing to do with visiting the Graves of Muslims is a grave sin. The Wahabis are just deviating the innocent muslims from the right path and misguiding the muslims. May Allah save us from these Deviants.Aameen.
Ibn Majah (Mishkat) Baab Ziaratul Quboor,1769:
Narrated by Ibn Masud(Radiallahutala’an), “Allah's Messenger (Sal-allahu-aleihi-wasallam) said: "I prohibited you from visiting graves, but visit them now, because they teach renunciation in the world and remind the hereafter."
Sahih Muslim, no. 977:Ibn Buraida (Radiallahutala’an) narrates from his father that the Messenger of Allah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) said: “I used to forbid you from visiting graves. Now, do visit them…”
Sahih Muslim, no. 974:Sayyida A’isha(Radiallahutala’anha) narrates that “Whenever it was her turn to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam), he used to go to the Baqi (graveyard) in the last portion of the night and say: “May you be safe, O abode of the believing people. What you have been promised has come to you. You are tarried till tomorrow and certainly we shall follow you if Allah wills. O Allah, forgive the inmates of the Baqi-al-Gharqad.”
Narrated by Ayesha (Radiallahutala’anha)Transmitted by Muslim (Mishkat) She asked: O Apostle of Allah (Sal-allahu-aleihi-wasallam), what shall I recite (meaning) at the visiting of graves? He said: Say, Peace be on the inmates of the abodes of the believers and Muslims, and may Allah show mercy to those who predeceased us and who will succeed us, and we shall join you, if Allah wills. [1767]
The above and many other narrations of the Messenger of Allah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam) are more than sufficient to prove the permissibility and desirability of visiting graves.
It is a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam), as we have seen in the above Hadiths quoted above.
The benefits of visiting Graves:
(1)It reminds, the person visiting, of death.(2)It reminds, the person visiting, of the purpose of one’s life and helps him in removing the love of this world from his heart and striving in the betterment of the hereafter.(3)One benefits from the baraka of the person visited if one goes with a good intention, whether one realizes it or not. Those with more spiritual clarity realize this more clearly.(4) It benefits the one visited, because of the reward of recital of Qur’an (and other matters) one makes.
Having said the above, one must always remember not to engage oneself in any unlawful and blameworthy act when visiting graves, such as prostrating (sajda) to the graves, which is undeniably a grave sin. Similarly, excessive mourning, crying and wailing has also been prohibited by the Messenger of Allah(Sallallahualayhiwasallam). Intermingling of the sexes at the graves of many saints is very common, which is unlawful, and must be avoided.
May Allah save us from the Deviant sects and keep us on the Straight path.Aameen.
Islam means mercy so be mercifull
