Thursday 1 November 2012

A Daily Wird



Question:

My beloved doctor and teacher, Sheikh Muḥammad Saʿīd, may Allah keep him firm upon the truth, can you please give me – briefly – a daily wird of adhkār that I can observe in order to rectify myself and another wird that the family can gather together for? How nice it would be if it were the same awrād as your father, may Allah have mercy on him.

Answer (Sheikh Muammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī):[1]

The awrād that my father stuck with and advised others to do were the following: seeking Allah’s forgiveness (astaghfirullah) one hundred times before Fajr, the shahāda of la ilāha illa Allah one hundred times after Fajr, glorification (tasbīḥ) by saying subḥān Allah wa biamdihi Subḥān Allah al-ʿAẓīm one hundred times,[2] sending prayers upon the Messenger of Allah (Allahumma allī ʿalā Rasūlillah) one hundred times, and reciting the wird of Imam Al-Nawawī[3] every morning along with reciting whatever he could from the Qurʾān.[4]



[1] Translator’s note (tn): The original Arabic of this fatwā can he found on www.naseemalsham.com and a copy of this translation can be found on the English version of that website. The source for the image is here.

[2] (tn): i.e. after Fajr before sunrise and before sunset, due to the āya in Sūrat Ṭaha (20:130): “So be patient with what they say and glorify your Lord with praise before the rising of the sun and before its setting. And glorify Him during part of the night and at both ends of the day, so that hopefully you will be pleased.”

[3](tn): An authentic copy of this wird can be found here while the translation, transliteration and sanad can be found here It should be noted that one does not need an ījāza, or license, from a sheikh to read this wird. Sheikh Al-Būṭī was asked in this fatwā:

May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you. Our distinguished sheikh, would you please be so kind as to grant myself and my family a license (ījāza) for the wird of Imam Al-Nawawī and explain when and how it should be read? May Allah reward you.

Answer (Sheikh Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī):

Indeed Imam Al-Nawawī did not obligate the reader of this wird of his to take an ījāza from him in order to have permission to do so, nor did he authorise me or anyone else to grant this ījāza that you are requesting of me. Despite that, here I am advising every brother of mine for the sake of Allah to persistently read this wird due to the innumerable blessings that it contains.

A copy of this translation can be found here.

[4] (tn) These would include Sūrat Yā Sīn in the morning and Al-Wāqiʿah and Al-Mulk in the evening. In addition to the abovementioned wird and adhkār, one should also read whatever one can from the Adhkār of Imam Al-Nawawī, as Sheikh Al-Būṭī has recommended in this fatwā, a translation of which, by Al-Hajj Abu Ja’far Al-Hanbali, can be found here as well as here. For further information on self-purification, please read Purifying the Soul.

Related Posts:
Recommended Adhkār for Friday

Beneficial Notes on Jawharat At-Tawḥīd


By Sheikh ʿAbdul As-Salām Shākir
Checked by Sheikh Adīb Al-Kallās
Lines 1-22




1.
الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلَى صِلاتِهِ  ثُمَّ سَلامُ اللهِ مَعْ صَلاتِهِ

Praised be Allah for His gifts;
His blessings and peace be
2.
عَلَى نَبِيٍّ جَاءَ بِالتَّوْحِيْدِ   وَقَدْ خَلا الدِّيْنُ عَنِ التَّوْحِيْدِ

Upon a prophet who came with belief in the One God [tawīd]
when religion had become devoid of belief in the One God

In other words, we exalt our Master[1] and praise Him, He Who has blessed us with his gifts, followed by Allah’s salutations that are befitting of our master,[2] Muammad, may Allah’s prayers[3] and peace be upon him, along with His mercy – for indeed, alāt from Allah is mercy, from the angels it is seeking forgiveness and from the believers it is entreaty and supplication – upon our master, Muammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him; as Allah sent him with the Pure Religion,[4] calling all those who are legally responsible[5] from amongst the thaqalayn[6] to the worship of Al-Wāid,[7] Al-Aad[8] at a time in which there were various false objects of worship and tawīd was absent. Tawīd means to single out the Object of Worship with worship while believing that He is One in His Essence, Attributes and Actions.
3.
فَأَرْشَدَ الخَلْقَ لِدِيْنِ الْحَقِّ  بِسَيْفِهِ وَهَدْيِهِ لِلْحَقِّ

He  guided Creation to the religion of The True Lord
By means of his sword and his guiding to the truth

In other words, our master, Muammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, guided[9] all of the thaqalayn and showed them the Dīn of Allah, which is affirmed and established by the Qurʾān, the Sunnah and the Muammadan light which illuminates hearts and minds. And it was also by means of the sword, which is the tool of jihād, since jihād is an obligation against the disbelievers who wage war against the Call to Islam.

4.
مُحَمَّدُ الْعَاقِبْ لِرُسْلِ رَبِّهِ  وَآلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَحِزْبِهِ

Muhammad, the last of his Lord’s Messengers
his family, his Companions and his party.

In other words, this is followed by the peace of Allah and His prayers upon a Prophet. He is Muammad, the last one, after whom there is no other Prophet. He is the seal of those sent and his Revealed Law abrogates all the Revealed Laws that came before him. ‘His family’ means every taqī[10] from amongst his Ummah when it is used in a general supplication.[11] ‘His Companions’ are those who gathered around him as believers and died in that state.[12] They are the best of the generations from the Ummah of our master, Muammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. ‘His party’ are his group[13] and his followers, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him.

Thursday 25 October 2012

Notes on ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā




Sunnahs of Ṣalāt Al-ʿĪd

By Sheikh Wahba Az-Zuḥaylī

It is sunnah[1] to do it in the masjid due to its honour, and if it is prayed outside it is disliked unless the masjid isn’t big enough for the people. Then the sunnah would be to do it outside, due to following,[2] and it would be disliked to do it in the masjid. If there is rain or extreme heat, then it is done in the masjid. It is absolutely sunnah to do it in the Masjids of Makka and Jerusalem, following the Salaf and the Khalaf.

It is also sunnah to revive[3] the nights of the two ʿĪds in worship, recitation of the Qurʾān and dhikr, due to what has been related with weak chains of transmission, “Whoever revives the night of ʿĪd, Allah revives his heart on the day hearts die.”[4] This reviving is achieved by spending most of the night.

It is recommended to have a ghusl after the middle of the night has passed, to scent oneself, to wear one’s best clothes, to look one’s best whether one is in one’s house or going out to the ʿĪd prayer, for both the old and the young, in the place of prayer or elsewhere, and it is recommended for children to attend looking their best.

It is recommended for the elderly to attend without scent or embellishment. For other than the imam, it is recommended to go to the place of prayer early, after the fajr prayer, to walk there and back, and to come back home a different way that is also shorter, as is the case with all other acts of worship.

For the prayer on ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā, one should make haste to the place of prayer, but for ʿĪd Al-Fiṭr, one should delay oneself slightly, due to his command, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which has been related mursalan,[5] to do so. With regards to the former, this is so that there is ample time after the ʿĪd Al-Aḍḥā prayer to perform the sacrifice, while with regards to the latter; it is so that there is ample time beforehand to give the Zakāt Al-Fiṭr.

On ʿĪd Al-Fiṭr, it is recommended to eat and drink before the prayer while on the ʿĪd of the Sacrifice, it is recommended to refrain from eating,[6] due to ittibāʾ, so that the two days are distinguished from the days that precede them. It is sunnah to eat from the liver of the sacrificed animal, due to ittibāʾ, and it is also sunnah to have an odd number of dates, due to ittibāʾ.

[Translated from Al-Fiqh Al-Shāfiʿī Al-Muyassar (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2008), p.285-286]

A note on takbīr:

The takbīr is as follows:

Allah Akbar Allah Akbar Allah Akbar
Lā ilāha illa Allah, w-Allah Akbar Allah Akbar, wa lillahil ḥamd.
Allah Akbar kabīra, wal-Ḥamdu lillahi Kathīra, wa subḥān Allahī bukratan wa aṣīla.

الله اكبر الله اكبر الله اكبر
لا اله الا الله و الله اكبر الله اكبر و لله الحمد
الله اكبر كبيرا و الحمد لله كثيرا و سبحان الله بكرة و أصيلا

For those not on ajj, it is recommended to make takbīr from dawn on the Day of ʿArafa, i.e. the 9th of Dhū Al-ijja, until ʿAsr on the last day of tashrīq, i.e. the 13th of Dhū Al-ijja,[7] after every prayer, obligatory or supererogatory, current or make-up, funeral prayer etc.  If one forgets, one does it upon remembering.

Please see Al-Fiqh Al-Shāfiʿī Al-Muyassar (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2008), p.287-288.

And Allah knows best.


Jumuʿah Prayer on ʿĪd

[Question] In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. May the peace, blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you. Is the obligation to pray the Jumuʿah prayer dropped if the first day of ʿĪd is a Friday? Thank you very much and may you always be in a good state.

[Answer (Sheikh Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī)]:


The obligation to pray the Jumuʿah prayer is not dropped because of it coinciding with ʿĪd if the person praying is present inside the city or town in which the ʿĪd and Jumuʿah prayers are held. The obligation is only dropped for someone who comes from another town to pray the ʿĪd prayer, for if he returns to his town he is not obliged to return once again to the town in which he performed the ʿĪd prayer in order to perform the Jumuʿah prayer.

[This original Arabic of this fatwā can be read here.]




[1] (tn): i.e. recommended
[2] (tn): Ar. Al-ittibāʾ, i.e. following the ḥadīth, which is a common term used by the Shāfiʿīs
[3] (tn): Ar. aḥyā, which literally means to revive or bring to life but in this context would mean to spend, i.e. spend the night in worship. Please see the ḥadīth below.
[4] Related by Ad-Dāraquṭnī mawqūfan [i.e. a statement, action or affirmation that is attributed to a Companion or group of Companions]. An-Nawawī says in ­Al-Majmūʾ, ‘Its chains of transmission are weak.’ He also adds that despite that, the scholars have recommended that the night be spent in worship, because weak ḥadīth are acted upon with regards to virtuous actions (faḍāʾil al-aʿamāl).
[5] (tn): i.e. a  ḥadīth in which there is no link in the chain of transmission after a Follower, such as a Companion and/or other Follower.
[6] (tn): i.e. before the prayer.
[7] (tn) It is related that Ibn Masʿūd would do this, may Allah be pleased with him, as related by Ibn Abī Shayba and Al-Ḥākim, and it is also related that ʿAlī did it, may Allah be pleased with him.

معلومات مفيدة : صلاة العيد

  مع الشيخ هشام الكامل 

كيفية صلاة العيد 


صيغ التكبير و الفرق بينهما 


الفرق بين صلاة العيد و الجمعة و الفرض و السنة


اداب العيد


Wednesday 10 October 2012

Introducing Shāfiʿī Fiqh (part 1)


From Al-Fiqh al-Manhajī ʿalā Madhhab al-Imam Ash-Shāfiʿī[1]
By Sheikhs Muṣṭafā Al-Khin, Muṣṭafā Al-Bughā and ʿAlī Ash-Sharbajī

Stairs leading to the minaret of Imam ash-Shāfiʿī’s Masjid, Cairo 

On defining the science of fiqh, its sources and some of its terminology:

The meaning of fiqh:

Indeed, fiqh has two meanings; a linguistic meaning and a terminological meaning.

As for the linguistic meaning, it is fahm.[2] The verb is faqiha/yafqahu, i.e. fahima/yafhamu.[3]

The Exalted One has said, “What is the matter with these people, they barely understand [yafqahūn] a single word?” [Sūrat An-Nisāʾ 4: 78] The Exalted One has also said, “But you do not understand [tafqahūn] their glorification…”  [Sūrat Al-Isrāʾ 17:44]

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Indeed, the length of a man’s prayer and the shortness of his speech is a sign of his fiqh.” (Related by Muslim: 869) i.e. a sign of his understanding.
  
As for the terminological meaning, then fiqh refers to two matters:

The first is knowledge of the rulings of the Revealed Law[4] that are attached to the actions and statements of those legally responsible[5] and are taken from their detailed proofs, which are the texts from the Qurʾān  and Sunnah and what branches out from them, such as consensus[6] and personal reasoning.[7]

An example of this is our knowledge that the intention for wuḍūʾ is obligatory based on his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Indeed actions are by intentions.” (Related by Al-Bukhārī: 1; Muslim: 1907)

Another example is the intention from the night before being a condition for the validity of one’s fast, which is based on his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Whoever does not have the intention to fast from before dawn has no fast.” (Related by Al-Bayhaqī: 4/202, and Ad-Dāraquṭnī: 2/172, and he said, ‘It’s narrators are trustworthy.[8]’)

Our knowledge that Salāt Al-Witr is recommended is based on the ḥadīth of the Bedouin who asked the prophet about the obligations.[9] Then, after that, he said, ‘Is there anything else that I am obliged to do?’ He said “No, except that one does it voluntarily.” (Related by Al-Bukhārī: 1792 and Muslim: 11)

Another example is prayer being disliked[10] after ʿAṣr, which is based on his prohibition, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of prayer after ʿAṣr until the sun has set. (Related by Al-Bukhārī: 561 and Muslim: 827)

Wiping only some of the head in wuḍūʾ being obligatory is based on Allah’s statement: “And wipe your heads.” [Sūrat Al-Māʾida 5:6]  Therefore, our knowledge of these legal rulings is called fiqh in the terminological sense.

The second is the rulings of the Revealed Law themselves, and it is based on this that we say, ‘I have studied fiqh and learnt it.’ This means that you have studied the juristic[11] rulings of the Revealed Law that are found in the books of fiqh, and these rulings are derived from the Book of Allah,  the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the consensus of the scholars of the Muslims and their personal reasoning.

Examples of this would include the rulings of wuḍūʾ, the rulings of prayer,[12] the rulings of buying and selling, the rulings of marriage and suckling, war and jihād and so on.

These rulings of the Revealed Law themselves are called fiqh in the terminological sense.

The difference between the two meanings is that the first refers to knowledge[13] of the rulings while the second refers to the actual rulings of the Revealed Law.

How fiqh is connected to the Islamic creed

One of the particularities of Islamic fiqh - which, as we have said, is legal rulings that regulate the actions and statements of those who are legally responsible - is that it is firmly attached to faith[14] in Allah the Exalted and fastened to the pillars of the Islamic creed, especially the creed of faith in the Last Day.

That is because the creed of faith in Allah the Exalted is that which makes the Muslim adhere to the rulings of the Religion[15] and drives him towards applying them willingly and voluntarily.

It is also because whoever does not believe in Allah the Exalted is not bound by prayer and fasting and is not concerned with whether his actions are lawful[16] or unlawful.[17] Thus, adhering to the rulings of the Revealed Law is only a branch of having faith in the One Who sent them down and legislated them for His slaves.

The examples in the Noble Qurʾān that clarify this connection are many indeed. It will suffice us to mention some of them in order to see the extent of this connection between rulings and faith and between the Revealed Law and creed:

1) Indeed Allah, Mighty and Majestic, commanded purification and made it from the necessities of faith in Him, Glorified and Exalted, when he said. “O you who believe! When you stand up for the prayer wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows...” [Sūrat Al-Māʾida 5:6]

2) Allah mentioned prayer and Zakāt and joined between them and faith in the Last Day. The Exalted One has said, “Those who establish the prayer, pay the Zakāt and are certain of the Hereafter.” [Sūrat An-Naml 27:3] 

3) Allah made the fasting that leads to taqwā[18] obligatory and connected it to faith. The Exalted One has said, “O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before that you may achieve taqwā.” [Sūrat Al-Baqara 2:183]  

4) Allah the Exalted mentioned the praiseworthy attributes that the Muslim is adorned with and He attached that to faith in Him the Exalted and that which merits entry into Paradise. He has said: “It is the believers who are successful: those who are humble in their prayer; those who turn away from worthless talk;[19] those who pay the Zakāt; those who guard their private parts[20] – except from their wives or those whom they own as slaves, in which case they are not blameworthy; but those who desire anything more than that are people who have gone beyond the limits – those who honour their trusts and their contracts; those who safeguard their prayer: such people are the inheritors of Firdaws,[21] remaining forever therein.” [Sūrat Al Muʾminūn 23:1-11]

5) Allah the Exalted commanded that women be treated well and He paved the way for that by calling on the people who are legally responsible. The Exalted One has said, “O you believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by force. Nor may you treat them harshly[22] so that you can make off with part of what you have given them unless they commit an act of flagrant indecency.[23] Live together with them correctly and courteously. If you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which Allah has placed much good.” [Sūrat An-Nisāʾ 4:19] 

6) He commanded the divorced woman to wait for three periods and not to conceal what is in her womb if she is pregnant, and He connected this to faith in Allah and the Last Day. The Exalted One has said, “Divorced women should wait by themselves for three periods,[24] and it is not lawful for them to conceal what Allah has created in their wombs if they have faith in Allah and the Last Day.” [Sūrat Al-Baqara 2:228]

7) Allah, Glorified and Exalted, commanded the avoidance of wine, gambling,  idols and divining arrows after calling the believers with the description of faith, informing them that avoiding these things is connected to having sincere faith. The Exalted One has said, “O you who believe! Wine, gambling, idols and divining arrows are only filth from the handiwork of Satan. Avoid them completely so that hopefully you will be successful.” [Sūrat Al-Māʾida 5:90]

8) Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has declared usurious gain[25] unlawful and He has joined between leaving it off and the verification of one’s taqwā and faith. The Exalted One has said, “O you who believe! Do not consume usurious gain, multiplied and then re-multiplied. Have taqwā of Allah so that you may be successful.” [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān 3:130] He has also said, “O you who believe! Have taqwā of Allah and leave off whatever remains of usurious gain if you are believers.” [Sūrat Al-Baqara 2:278]

9)  Allah has encouraged action and He has surrounded it with the awareness of divine observation and responsibility. The Exalted One has said, “Act, for Allah will see your actions and so will His Messenger and the believers. You will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the Visible and He will inform you regarding what you did.” [Sūrat At-Tawba 9:105]

Thus, whenever you find a ruling of the Dīn in the Qurʾān, it is always connected to faith in Allah and to the pillars of the Islamic creed, and this is how Islamic fiqh acquires its religious sanctity. It has spiritual authority because it is the rulings of the Revealed Law, which have been issued from Allah the Exalted, necessitating obedience to Him and pleasing Him. In going against them, there is the danger of His wrath and displeasure. These are not secular laws, to which one’s conscience feels no attachment nor does one connect them to one’s Creator. The Exalted One has said, “No, by your Lord, they do not believe until they make you their judge in what they differ over and then they do not find any resistance within themselves to what you decide and they submit themselves completely.” [Sūrat An-Nisāʾ 4:65]


[1] (tn): (Damascus: Dār Al-Qalam, 1426/2005) v.1, p.7-12. Photo taken from here.
[2] (tn): i.e. understanding
[3] (tn) i.e. he understood/he understands
[4] (tn): Ar. ash-Sharīʿah
[5] (tn): Ar. mukallaf
[6] (tn): Ar. ijmāʿ
[7] (tn): Ar. ijtihād
[8] (tn): Ar. thiqāt
[9] (tn): Ar. al-farāʾiḍ
[10] (tn): Ar. makrūh
[11] (tn): Ar. fiqhī
[12] (tn): Ar. as-Ṣalāt
[13] (tn): i.e. the evidences that they are derived from
[14] (tn): Ar. al-īmān
[15] (tn): Ar. ad-Dīn
[16] (tn): Ar. ḥalāl
[17] (tn): Ar. ḥarām
[18] (tn): i.e. awe or fear of Allah which inspires a person to be on guard against sinful actions and eager to partake in actions that please Him
[19] (tn): Ar. Al-laghw, which refers to that which is false and to words and actions that have no benefit. 
[20] (tn): i.e. from the unlawful, especially fornication.
[21] (tn): Imam Ibn Kathīr says in his commentary of this āya, ‘It has been affirmed in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections [i.e. Al-Bukhārī and Muslim] that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When you ask Allah for Paradise, ask Him for Firdaws, for indeed it is the highest part of Paradise and the middlemost part of Paradise. From it the rivers of Paradise pour forth and above it is the Throne [ʿArsh] of the All-Merciful [Ar-Raḥmān].” [Tafsīr Al-Qurʾān Al-ʿAẓīm (Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 1423/2002), v.3, p.1981]
[22] (tn): Ar. wa la taʿḍilūhunna, i.e. do not prevent them from getting married.
[23] (tn): Ar. fāḥisha, i.e. bad character, recalcitrance (nushūz) or fornication.
[24] (tn): which, in the Shāfiʿī school, is three periods of purity between menstrual cycles.
[25] (tn): Ar. ar-ribā

Friday 5 October 2012

Visiting the Grave of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace


By Sheikh Wahba Az-Zuaylī[1]



It is sunnah[2] to visit the grave of Al-Muṣṭafā, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after finishing one’s ajj or ʿUmrah, and it is recommended absolutely. It is imperative for two reasons:

The first is that the majority of those coming for ajj or ʿUmrah travel a very long distance to do so. Thus, to come so close to Madīna and not visit would be offensive.

The second is the adīth of Ibn ʿAdī, found in Al-Kāmil and other collections: “Whoever performs a ajj and does not visit me has treated me harshly.” It is also a sunnah to visit Al-Masjid Al-Aqā, due to the adīth: “Do not set out to travel except to three masjids; Al-Masjid Al-arām, Al-Masjīd Al-Aqā and this Masjid of mine.” Thus, it is sunnah to visit Jerusalem and to visit Al-Khalīl Ibrahim, peace be upon him, even though doing so is not connected to the ajj.

It is sunnah for the one who has made the intention to visit Al-Madīna Ash-Sharīfa in order to visit his grave, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to invoke many blessing and much peace upon him while on the way and to ask Allah to benefit him from this visit and to accept it from him. It is also sunnah to perform a ghusl before entering Al-Madīna and to wear one’s cleanest and finest clothes.

Upon entering the Masjid, one heads for the Rawa (which is between the grave and the minbar) and one prays taiyat al-masjid[3] next to the minbar. After finishing the prayer, one thanks Allah for this sublime blessing. Then one heads towards the Noble Grave and one faces his head[4] with one’s back to the qibla. Then one gives him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the greeting of peace, due to the report: “There is no one who gives me the greeting of peace except that Allah returns my spirit to me so that I can return the greeting to that person.”[5]

The minimum greeting of peace is to say, ‘as-Salām ʿalayk yā Rasūl Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and not to raise one’s voice, out of etiquette with him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, just as was the case in his lifetime.

Then one moves about half a metre to the right and gives the greeting of peace to Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and then one moves another half meter to the right and gives the greeting of peace to ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him, saying, ‘as-Salām ʿalayk yā Abā Bakr, as-Salām ʿalayk yā ‘Umar.’

Then one returns to one’s first position, which is facing his face, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and one makes tawassul by his rank (aqq) and seeks his intercession before one’s Lord.
One of the best things that the visitor can say after that is:

يا خيرَ مَنْ دُفنتْ بالقاع أعظُمُه * فطابَ من طيبهنَّ القَاعُ والأكمُ
نفسي الفداءُ لقبرٍ أنتَ ساكنُهُ * فيه العفافُ وفيه الجودُ والكرَمُ
أنت الحبيب الذي ترجى شفاعته* يوم الحساب اذا ما زلت القدم

O the best to have his bones buried in the earth,
The fragrance of which scents that which is below and that which is above

Might my soul be the ransom for the grave you dwell in,
In which there is purity, magnanimity and munificence.[6]

You are the Beloved, whose intercession shall be sought,
On the Day of Reckoning, whenever feet slip

Then one faces the qibla and supplicates for oneself and for whomever one wishes from amongst the Muslims. One also supplicates at the Minbar and in the Rawa, due to his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “What is between my house and my Minbar is a meadow from the meadows of Paradise.”[7]

It is sunnah to visit Al-Baqīʿ[8] and Qubāʾ.[9]

One should also be mindful  of praying in his Masjid as it was in his time, for prayer therein is equivalent to one thousand prayers.[10] One should also be wary of circumambulating his grave, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and of praying inside his private quarters with the intention of exaltation.

It is extremely disliked to make one’s front or back touch the walls of the grave, and it is also disliked to wipe it with one’s hand and to kiss it.

It is sunnah to fast in Madīna as much as one is possible and to give out in charity to the neighbours of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, those resident and those from outside, as much as possible.

When one wants to travel, it is recommended to say farewell to the Masjid with two units of prayer and then approach the Noble Grave, repeat the original greetings of peace and say:


اللَّهُمَّ لا تَجْعَلْ هَذَا آخِرَ العَهْدِ من حَرَمِ رَسُولِ الله، وَيَسِّرْ لي العَوْدَ إِلى الحَرَمَيْنِ سَبِيلاً سَهْلَةً وَارْزقْنِي العَفْوَ والعَافِيةَ في الدُّنْيا والآخِرَةِ، وَرُدَّنا إلى أهلنا سالِمِينَ غانِمِينَ

O Allah, do not make this my last visit to the Sacred Masjid of the Messenger of Allah and facilitate for me to return to the two Sacred Masjids easily. Grant me pardon and well-being in the life of this world and the Hereafter and return us to our people safe and sound.[11]

Then one leaves facing him and one does not walk backwards.[12]


[1] (tn): translated from Al-Fiqh Al-Shāfiʿī Al-Muyassar (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2008) p.308-310
[2] (tn) i.e. recommended
[3] (tn): i.e. to greet the masjid
[4] (tn): what is actually meant here is his face, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
[5] Related by Abū Dāwūd with an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) chain of transmission
[6] (tn): These first two lines are found in the ḥadīth of Al-ʿUtbī has related by Imam An-Nawawī in Al-Adhkār, which is as follows:

It is on the authority of Al-ʿUtbī, who said, ‘I was  sitting next to the grave of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,  when a Bedouin came and said, “Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. I heard Allah the Exalted saying, “If only, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Ever-Returning, Most Merciful.” [Al-Nisāʾ 4:64] I have come to you seeking forgiveness from my sins, seeking intercession through you to my Lord. Then he started saying:

O the best to have his bones buried in the earth,
The fragrance of which scents that which is below and that which is above

Might my soul be the ransom for the grave you dwell in,
In which there is purity, magnanimity and munificence.

Then he left and my eyelids felt heavy, and then I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in my sleep and he said to me, “O ʿUtbī, catch up with the Bedouin and give him the glad tidings that Allah the Exalted has forgiven him.”’ [Al-Adhkār min Kalām Sayyid Al-Abrār (Beirut: Al-Maktaba Al-ʿAṣriya, 1421/2000), p.169]

[7] Related by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim
[8] (tn): i.e. the graveyard in Madīna, next to the Masjid, where several Companions, Followers, Followers of Followers and other prominent Muslims are buried.
[9] (tn): It is recommended to pray therein due to the ḥadīth related by Imam Al-Tirmidhī and others: “Prayer in Masjid Qubāʾ is like an ʿUmrah.” Imam Al-Tirmidhī classed it as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.
[10] (tn): Sheikh Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī was asked whether praying within the expansions of the Masjid still guaranteed the same reward and his response was that the reward is the same and has been that way ever since the first expansion, and this is the consensus of the scholars.  The only exception is the Rawḍa, which has been given a special distinction on the tongue of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. One can read the fatwā here.
[11] (tn): This supplication is also found in the Adhkār with a slightly different wording:

اللَّهُمَّ لا تَجْعَلْ هَذَا آخِرَ العَهْدِ بِحَرَمِ رَسُولِكَ، وَيَسِّرْ لي العَوْدَ إِلى الحَرَمَيْنِ سَبِيلاً سَهْلَةً بِمَنِّكَ وَفَضْلِكَ، وَارْزقْنِي العَفْوَ والعَافِيةَ في الدُّنْيا والآخِرَةِ، وَرُدَّنا سالِمِينَ غانِمِينَ إلى أوْطانِنا آمِنِينَ

O Allah, do not make this my last visit to the Sacred Masjid of Your Messenger and facilitate for me to return to the two Sacred Masjids easily with Your grace and Your favour. Grant me pardon and well-being in the life of this world and the Hereafter and return us safe and sound to our homelands, free from harm.

[Al-Adhkār min Kalām Sayyid Al-Abrār (Beirut: Al-Maktaba Al-ʿAṣriya, 1421/2000), p.168]

[12] (tn): Rather, one departs in a sideways fashion towards the right. Walking backwards is only done when walking away from the Kaʿba.