Monday, 31 December 2012
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 Muḥammad 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 biḥamdihi Subḥān Allah al-ʿAẓīm one hundred times,[2]
sending prayers upon the Messenger of Allah (Allahumma ṣallī 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
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 [tawḥīd]
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]
Muḥammad, may Allah’s prayers[3]
and peace be upon him, along with His mercy – for indeed, ṣalāt from Allah is mercy, from the angels it is seeking
forgiveness and from the believers it is entreaty and supplication – upon our
master, Muḥammad, 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-Wāḥid,[7]
Al-Aḥad[8]
at a time in which there were various false objects of worship and tawḥīd was absent. Tawḥīd 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, Muḥammad, 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 Muḥammadan
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 Muḥammad, 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, Muḥammad,
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 Ḥajj, it is recommended to make takbīr
from dawn on the Day of ʿArafa, i.e.
the 9th of Dhū Al-Ḥijja, until ʿAsr on the last day of tashrīq, i.e. the 13th
of Dhū Al-Ḥijja,[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.
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]
[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-Zuḥaylī[1]
It is sunnah[2]
to visit the grave of Al-Muṣṭafā, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after
finishing one’s Ḥajj or ʿUmrah, and it is recommended absolutely. It is
imperative for two reasons:
The first is that the majority of those coming for Ḥajj 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 ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAdī, found in Al-Kāmil
and other collections: “Whoever performs a Ḥajj and does not
visit me has treated me harshly.” It is also a sunnah to visit
Al-Masjid Al-Aqṣā, due to the ḥadīth: “Do not set out to travel
except to three masjids; Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām, Al-Masjīd
Al-Aqṣā 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 Ḥajj.
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 Rawḍa (which is
between the grave and the minbar) and one prays taḥiyat 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 (ḥaqq) 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 Rawḍa, 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]
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.