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]

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.

Sheikh Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī: Fatwā on Pornographic Films

[Question:] Is it true what I have read in the book of fatāwā that was issued by the Department of Iftāʾ in Dubai regarding the unlawfulness of watching disgraceful films, after which one must repent?  Sometimes, however, while watching social programmes, snapshots show actresses revealing their charms in a disgraceful manner, such as scenes in which they are dancing, or sometimes it is just the actresses themselves, as they appear in programmes without being properly covered. Thus, what should a believing man do?

[Answer (Sheikh Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī):]  There is no doubt about the unlawfulness of deliberately watching pornographic films.  As for the male viewer who comes across transient disgraceful scenes in normal programmes and films, what is required of him is to turn away and not look at them.  If the nafs has taken control and one cannot avoid watching, then repentance is the treatment and seeking forgiveness from the heart is what will rectify one’s state and wipe out sin.

[Translated from Maʿ An-Nās: Mashūrāt wa Fatāwa by Sheikh Muḥammad Saʿīd Ramaḍān Al-Būṭī, v.2, p.203-204, (Damascus: Dar Al-Fikr, 2003)]

Update (01/11/2012): A copy of this translated fatwā can now be found on the English version of www.naseemalsham.com. 

The Aphorisms of Ibn Ataillah: Hikma 181

With Sheikh Muhammad Saeed Ramadan Al-Bouti

مَن عبّر عن بساط احسانه أصمتته الاساءة و من عبّر عن بساط احسان الله اليه لم يصمت اذا أساء

Fizzy drinks are evil

Having seen the evidence, I don't touch fizzy drinks any more. Frankly they're evil, says leading biologist

• Consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1985 - from ten gallons per person a year to more than 25 gallons
• Sugary drinks lead to alterations in muscles similar to those in people with obesity problems and type 2 diabetes

 Biological scientist Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, who's just led a study into what soft drinks do to our bodies, has reached some shocking conclusions. When you read what he discovered, you may well choose never to touch the fizzy stuff again.

Fizzy drinks appear to increase the risk of heart disease, liver failure and hypertension

Once upon a time, fizzy drinks were an occasional luxury treat. 

Now, many of us think nothing of having at least one every day — maybe a lunchtime can of cola or a ‘natural’ lemonade from Pret. 

We use them as instant pick-me-ups, and even as ‘healthy’ sports aids bought from vending machines at the gym. 

No trip to the cinema is complete without a supersize soft drink, either.

It’s no surprise to learn, then, that our consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1985 — from ten gallons per person a year to more than 25 gallons.

We know this is not entirely good for us — but could sugary soft drinks be so dangerous that they should carry health warnings? 

This may sound alarmist, but new medical studies have produced worrying results.

Even moderate consumption — a can a day, or just two a week — may alter our metabolism so that we pile on weight.

The drinks also appear to increase the risk of heart disease, liver failure and hypertension. 

In children, soft drinks have been linked to addict-like cravings, as well as twisting kids’ appetites so they hunger for junk food.

Already, countries such as Denmark and France are introducing soft-drink taxes to cut consumption. 

In the U.S., around 100 medical and consumer organisations are now calling on the Surgeon-General to investigate the health effects of soda and other sugary drinks. 

Should we in Britain follow suit? 

Sugary soft drinks come in numerous guises — from ‘innocuous’ fizzy elderflower to ‘health’ drinks such as Lucozade and ‘sports’ beverages like Gatorade.

Last year, we swallowed an astounding 14,585 million litres of soft drinks, an increase of more than 4 per cent in 12 months, according to the British Soft Drinks Association. 

Our spending rose by nearly 6 per cent to £13,880 million in 2010 — the fastest growth in the past seven years. 

We clearly like our soft drinks. But the medical evidence is stacking up against them.

Last week, a study suggested they can cause weight gain and long-term health problems if drunk every day for as little as a month.

    

The research, by Bangor University and published in the European Journal Of Nutrition, reported that soft drinks actually alter metabolism, so that our muscles use sugar for energy instead of burning fat. 

It seems that exposure to liquid sugar causes genes in our muscles to change their behaviour, perhaps permanently.

Not only do we pile on weight, but our metabolism becomes less efficient and less able to cope with rises in blood sugar, say the researchers. 

This, in turn, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

‘Having seen all the medical evidence, I don’t touch soft drinks now,’ says Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, a biological scientist and expert in exercise nutrition who led the research.

'I think drinks with added sugar are, frankly, evil.’ 

In fact, the Bangor study is only the latest in a long line of reports warning of the link between soft drinks and serious health problems.

A study in March, for example, warned that men who drink a standard 12oz can of sugar-sweetened beverage every day have a 20 per cent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who don’t drink any sugar-sweetened drinks. 

The research published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, followed more than 42,000 men for 22 years.

Blood tests found soft-drink fans had higher levels of harmful inflammation in their blood vessels, and lower levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.

Energy drinks such as Red Bull have boomed in popularity in the past ten years. The regular version contains seven teaspoons of sugar per 250ml

The study suggested this may be a result of the sugar rush these soft drinks cause.

This increased sudden sugar load on the body may also explain research which found just two carbonated drinks (330ml each) every week appears to double the risk of pancreatic cancer, reported the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Meanwhile, soft drinks with high levels of fruit juice may cause severe long-term liver damage, according to an Israeli study.

People who drank two cans of these drinks a day were five times more likely to develop fatty liver disease — a precursor to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Dr Hans-Peter Kubis says he no longer touches soft drinks after his research

In the Journal of Hepatology, the lead investigator, Dr Nimer Assy, warned high levels of fructose fruit sugar in the drinks can overwhelm the liver, leading it to accumulate fat.

Perhaps most disturbing is the picture emerging from various studies that suggest sugary drinks expose children to a perfect storm of obesity threats.

Four years ago, researchers at University College London’s Health Behaviour Research Centre discovered a powerful — and lucrative  — effect sugary soft drinks have on youngsters. 

The study of 346 children aged around 11 found drinking soft drinks makes them want to drink more often, even when they’re not actually thirsty — and that their preference is for more sugary drinks. 

Children who drank water or fruit juice in the tests didn’t show this unnecessary need to drink. 

The researchers expressed concern that this may set the children’s habits for life — in particular, giving them an ‘increased preference for sweet things in the mouth’, without compensating for the extra calories by eating less food.

More recent research suggests fizzy drinks may sway children’s tastes towards high-calorie, high-salt food. 

Part of this worrying phenomenon was revealed earlier this year by Oregon University investigators. 

Their study of 75 children aged between three and five found those given sugary soft drinks avoided eating raw vegetables such as carrots or red peppers, but went for foods high in calories, such as chips. 

This did not happen when the children were given water to drink. 

The researchers said this wasn’t about simple fussiness. Instead, our tastes for food and drink seem to be shaped in a like-with-like manner. 

This discovery comes on top of an earlier finding, by heart experts at St George’s, University of London, that children and teenagers who consume sugary soft drinks are far more likely to prefer foods high in salt. 

Dr Kubis believes that liquid sugars not only alter our bodies, but also foster addict-like responses. 

‘The body absorbs liquid sugars so much faster because they are more easily taken into the stomach lining, and this rapid intake fires up the body’s pleasure responses,’ he says.

Coca-Cola in the U.S. has reduced levels of one of its ingredients following fears that it could cause cancer

‘At the same time, your brain reduces its desire for the taste of nutrients such as vitamins or minerals,’ says Dr Kubis. This is what makes these sugary drinks so habit-forming.

‘There is a huge overlap between what is addictive behaviour with drugs and the use of sweet food,’ he adds. 

‘In lab experiments, even rats who have been made addicted to cocaine will prefer to have a sugary drink instead of cocaine.’ 

He says sugary drink habits aren’t necessarily an addiction ‘because not all of us suffer withdrawal symptoms when we cut out sugary drinks’. 

The story may be different with children, however. ‘With children, there is more evidence of addictive behaviour,’ Dr Kubis says. 

‘You get tantrums, restlessness  and distress if you stop their soft-drink consumption.’

This may be because children’s developing brains are more prone to developing sugar cravings, or because children’s desires are simply more transparent.

Sadly, there’s little point shifting from sugary soft drinks to ‘healthy alternatives’ such as fizzy real-fruit lemonades or fruit-juice drinks, says Dr Kubis, because the liquid sugar problem still remains.

‘Posh soft drinks with real fruit might be marketed as healthy, but this may be rather cynical, as such drinks can be just as dangerous,’ he explains, adding that some fruit drinks contain more sugar than a can of fizz.

SUGAR: THE BIGGEST DANGER HIDDEN IN A CAN OF COKE

Doctors are in no doubt - the biggest danger from cola doesn’t come from the hidden additives, flavourings  or colourings, but from sugar.

Too much sugar leads to obesity, the major cause of cancer in the western world.

It also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, causes heart disease and increases the risk of stroke.

The over-consumption of sugar has been linked to depression, poor memory formation and learning disorders in animal experiments. And it rots teeth.

Each regular can of  cola contains eight teaspoons of sugar. When you drink that much sugar so quickly, the body experiences an intense sugar rush. 

The cane and beet  sugar used in Coca-Cola is used up quickly by the body,  which soon experiences a  rapid drop  in energy, leading to cravings for more sugar.

     
Even when it comes to ‘healthy’ sports drinks, the evidence is that they’re not only a waste of money, because you don’t need them, but they could also be harmful. 

An investigation by the universities of Oxford and Harvard warned that popular brands such as Lucozade and Powerade contain large amounts of sugar and calories which encourage weight gain, the British Medical Journal reported earlier this month.

On top of all this is the damage fizzy drinks can wreak on teeth. A study in the journal General Dentistry in June found that cola is ten times as corrosive as fruit juice in the first three minutes of drinking. 

One of the chief culprits is citric acid, which gives tangy drinks their kick.

Diet Coke has no sugar - but still contains chemicals that can rot the teeth

A study in the British Dental Journal found four cans of fizzy drink a day increased the risk of tooth erosion by 252 per cent.

The drinks industry, of course, has spent countless millions of pounds bombarding us with sophisticated and expensive marketing in order to weld their products in  our minds to images of healthiness and fun.

Few who lined the streets of Britain for the Olympic torch procession could have failed to notice the role of Coca-Cola.

The company paid more than £100 million for the exclusive rights to be the official provider of soft drinks at the Games. 

The late Coca-Cola chief executive, Roberto Guizueta, said: ‘Eventually, the number-one beverage on Earth will not be tea or coffee or wine or beer. It will be soft drinks — our soft drinks.’

Today, however, there is a growing backlash against soft drinks.

Earlier this month, a group of leading health organisations, including the American Cancer Association, the American Diabetes Association, Yale University’s Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity, and the American Heart Association, called on the U.S. Surgeon-General to investigate the health effects of soda and other sugary drinks.

Soft drinks play a major role in the U.S.’s obesity crisis, the campaigners say, and they want a study into them similar in scale and impact to the Surgeon-General’s landmark report on the dangers of smoking in 1964. 

Kathleen Sebelius, the former Governor of Kansas, who campaigns on behalf of the American Cancer Society, declared: ‘An unbiased and comprehensive report on the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages could . . . perhaps begin to change the direction of public behaviour in their choices of food and drinks.’

Legislators are already starting to act. In May, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced a ban on serving cartons bigger than 16oz (a pint). 

Last year, the Hungarian government imposed a tax on unhealthy drinks and foods.

CITRIC ACID: HELPING FIZZY DRINKS ROT YOUR TEETH

Citric acid gives lemons, oranges and grapefruit their kick and cola its bite, helping to make the drink nearly as corrosive as battery acid when it comes to teeth.

Prolonged exposure to cola and other fizzy drinks strips tooth enamel causing pain, ugly smiles and — in extreme cases — turning teeth to stumps.

A study in the journal General Dentistry found that cola is ten times as corrosive as fruit juices in the first three minutes of drinking.

The researchers took slices of freshly extracted teeth and immersed them in 20 soft drinks. Teeth dunked for 48 hours in cola and lemonade lost more than five per cent of their weight.

A study in the British Dental Journal found that just one can of fizzy drink a day increased the risk of tooth erosion. While four cans increased the erosion risk by  252 per cent.

    
And, earlier this year, France imposed a tax on sugary soft drinks after a study found that more than 20 million of its citizens are overweight.

Health campaigners here are pressing for a similar tax. Researchers at Oxford University calculate that a 20 per cent tax on soft drinks would reduce obesity and overweight in Britain by 1 per cent — roughly 400,000 cases across Britain. 

‘We don’t get anything like that  level of success from trying to educate people about healthy eating,’ says researcher Dr Mike Rayner.

‘I am not suggesting that people should never have soft drinks,’ he stresses. ‘I myself like drinking them. But they really should be restricted to weekends and  holiday treats.’

Understandably, the idea of a tax has met stiff opposition from the British Soft Drinks Association.

Its spokesman, Richard Laming, argues that ‘soft drinks, like any other food or drink, can be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet, and there is no reason to tax them’.

On top of that, he says, UK soft drink manufacturers are producing more low-sugar products. 

‘About half of the soft drinks market in the UK is made up of reduced or zero calorie drinks nowadays.’

Nor is Mr Laming impressed by last week’s Bangor University findings. 

‘The study lasted only four weeks and had only a tiny sample size of just 11 people. That is no basis on which to make claims about effects that last a lifetime.’

Dr Kubis acknowledges the study’s limitations and says that he is working to produce a much larger trial to see if the findings are confirmed in people who start consuming large amounts of sugary soda. 

In this, he faces one significant problem.

‘It is difficult to find young people who have not previously been exposed to a lot of soft drinks,’ he laments.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2181290/Having-seen-evidence-I-dont-touch-fizzy-drinks-Frankly-theyre-evil.html#ixzz22i4B0TUp



See also: http://www.naturalnews.com/036691_sodas_health_risks_fizzy_drinks.html

The Adhkār of Fasting

Alhamdulilah, a new article is now available from www.marifah.net on the Adhkār of Fasting, which is a translation from the Adhkār of Imam An-Nawawi. Insha'Allah, you will find it very beneficial and useful in the coming weeks, and with Allah alone is every success.

Assalaam alaykum,

Mahdi

UPDATE (24/05/2017): The marifah.net website is down. This translation is now available here and here.

Explaining the 15th of Shaʿbān

Alḥamdulilah, Al-Hajj Abu Ja’far Al-Hanbali has translated the relevant section from Imam Ibn Rajab Al-Ḥanbalī’s Laṭāʾif Al-Maʿārif. Please have a read here.

As for the Shāfiʿī position, one can refer to Reliance of the Traveller, section j2, p.291-293.

Assalaam alaykum,

Mahdi

Human Livestock

Understanding socialism/liberalism/progressivism/statism/the vision of the anointed etc.