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Publisher's
Note
21 June, 1995 Copyleft c Waqf Ikhlas, Istanbul, 1995. Permission to reprint & distribute is granted only if this heading
included, and the text is not modified in any way, shape or form to alter
the intended meaning.
Ihlas Holding A.S. Cagaloglu-ISTANBUL Tel: (90.212) 513 99 00
WOULD IT BE PROPER TO ENTER THE MASJID OF RASULULLAH BUT NOT VISITING HIS SHRINE?
15 - On page 259, the Wahhabi writes:
"It is forbidden for the one who enters Masjid an-Nabawi with a view
to performing salat to go to the grave to greet Rasulullah. Imam Malik
said that it was makruh to go to Qabr an-Nabi every time one enters the
Masjid. The Sahabis and the Tabiin used to go to the Masjid, perform salat
and go out. They would not go to the grave to greet, because, no such action
was ordered in Islam. It is a lie that the souls of the dead could be seen
in their living appearance. Such a vision happened only on the Miraj Night.
Muslims who came later committed what as-Sahaba did not do. A few Sahabis
would go to the grave solely to say salam only when they came back from
far countries. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar would go to the grave and greet whenever
he came back from a journey. No one else did so. It is a lie that Ahmad
ar-Rifai kissed Rasulullah's hand. It has been unanimously approved that
one should turn towards the Kaba and not the grave when praying in front
of the Hujrat as-Saada. It is prohibited by hadiths to come from distant
countries for visiting the Hujrat as-Saada."
The following writing is translated from the book Mirat al-Madina:
"It has become wajib upon me to intercede for those who visit my shrine,"
is said in a hadith ash-Sharif conveyed by Ibn Huzaima, al-Bazzar, ad-Daraqutni
and at-Tabarani (rahimahum-Allah). In another one reported by al-Bazzar,
"It became halal for me to intercede for those who visit my shrine," is
declared. The hadith ash-Sharif in the Sahih of Muslim and also quoted
in Abu Bakr ibn al-Makkaree's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) book Mu'jama says,
"If someone visits me solely for visiting me and without any other intentions,
he deserves my intercession for him on the Last Judgement." This hadith
ash-Sharif foretold that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam)
would intercede for those who go to al-Madinat al-Munawwara to visit him.
A hadith ash-Sharif reported by al-Imam at-Tabarani and ad-Daraqutni
and other imams of hadith (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) says, "He who visits
my grave after carrying out the hajj will be considered to have visited
me during my lifetime." Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), too, reported
this hadith ash-Sharif. Another one reported by ad-Daraqutni is: "The one
who does not visit me after carrying out the hajj will hurt me." Imam Malik
(rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), too, reported this hadith ash-Sharif. Rasulullah
(sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) requested that Muslims should visit
him because he wanted his umma to gain thawab by this way, too. A hadith
ash-Sharif reported by al-Imam al-Baihaki, says, "When a person greets
me, Allahu ta'ala gives my soul back to my body. I reply to his greeting."
Based on this hadith ash-Sharif, al-Imam al-Baihaki said, "Prophets are
alive in their graves." The Prophet's blessed soul being given back means
that from his high position he answers the one who greets him.
There are so many hadiths stating that the prophets ('alaihimu's-salawatu
wa 't-taslimat) are alive in their graves that they affirm one another.
One of them is the hadith ash-Sharif, "I will hear the salawat recited
at my shrine. I will be informed about the salawat recited at a distance,"
which was reported by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaiba and quoted in the books of
the six well-known great imams of hadith.
In the hadith ash-Sharif reported by Ibn Abi 'd-dunya on the authority
of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhuma), it is said, "If anyone
visits the grave of an acquaintance of his and greets him, the dead one
recognizes him and replies. If he greets a dead Muslim whom he did not
know, the dead will become happy and answer him."
As to how Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) can separately
reply to everyone who sends salam to him at the same moment, it is like
the sun illuminating thousands of cities simultaneously.
As it is understood that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam)
knows and answers when one greets him, could there be another honor and
bliss greater than this for a Muslim?
Hadrat Ibrahim ibn Bishar said, "I went to Medina to visit the Qabr
as-Saada after a pilgrimage. I greeted in front of the Hujrat as-Saada
and heard the reply 'Wa 'alaika 's-salam.' "
The poet Nabi said:
Beware of immodesty! Here where Allah's Beloved is!
Only if you resolve to act modestly, Nabi, go in this shrine,
A hadith ash-Sharif says, "After my death, I will hear as I do when
I am alive." Another hadith ash-Sharif says, "Prophets are alive in their
graves. They perform salat." These hadiths show that our Prophet (sall-Allahu
ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) is alive in his shrine with a life we do not
know. It is written in very reliable books that Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rifai,
[He passed away in Basra in 578 A.H. (1183 A.D.). His shrine and mosque
were repaired and ornamented by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid Khan II.]
one of the prominent awliya', and many other awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu
ta'ala) heard the reply when they greeted Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala
'alaihi wa sallam) and that Ahmad ar-Rifai attained the honor of kissing
Rasulullah's blessed hand. Saying that these are lies is like throwing
mud at the sun. The great Islamic scholar Jalal ad-din 'Abd ar-Rahman as-Suyuti
(rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), who passed away in Egypt in 911/1595, refuted
them in his well-documented book Sharaf al-Muhkam and proved that Rasulullah
(sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) was alive in his grave and heard
those who greeted him. One of the hadiths he quoted in his book is: "I
saw the Prophet Musa (Moses) performing salat in his grave on the Miraj
Night." Abu Nuaym (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), the author of Hilya, too, quoted
this hadith ash-Sharif.
A hadith ash-Sharif, quoted in Abu Yala's (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) Musnad,
says, "Prophets live and pray in their graves."
Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), during his last illness,
said, "I have always felt the bitter taste of the food I ate at Khaibar.
The poison I ate that day tears my aorta now." This hadith ash-Sharif indicates
that Rasulullah died as a martyr. Allahu ta'ala declared in the 169th ayat
karima of Surat al 'Imran, "Never regard those who have been martyred on
the way of Allah as dead! They are alive!" So, it is obvious that our master
Rasulullah is alive in his grave like all martyrs.
Al-Imam as-Suyuti wrote: "Awliya' (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) of high
status can see the prophets ('alaihumu 's-salawatu wa 't-taslimat) as if
they had not died. Our Master's seeing Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) alive in
his grave was a mujiza, and a wali's seeing in the same way is a karama.
Disbelief in karama arises from ignorance."
A hadith ash-Sharif reported by Ibn Habban, Ibn Maja and Abu Dawud (rahimahum-Allahu
ta'ala) says, "On Fridays recite the salawat for me repeatedly! The salawat
will be conveyed to me." When it was asked whether it would be conveyed
to him after his death, too, the Prophet (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa
sallam) answered, "Soil does not rot prophets' bodies. Whenever a Muslim
says the salawat for me, an angel informs me of it and says, 'So-and-so's
son, so-and-so of your umma sent his salam and prayed for you.' " This
hadith ash-Sharif shows that our Prophet is alive in his shrine in a life
which a man of this world cannot understand. Hadrat Zaid ibn Sahl (radi-Allahu
ta'ala 'anh) said, "One day, I was enjoying Rasulullah's company. His blessed
face was cheerful. I asked why he smiled. 'Why should I not be happy? Jabrail
gave me good news just a moment ago: Allahu ta'ala has declared that whenever
my umma recite a salawat for me once, Allahu ta'ala will send a salawat
ten times in reply to them,' he answered."
Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) is a great favor for
the whole Umma after his death, as he was Allahu ta'ala's compassion for
his companions in his life. He is the cause of goodness.
Mahal ibn 'Amr said, "One day, I sat with Said ibn Musayyab (rahimahum-Allahu
ta'ala) by our mother Umm Salama's (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha) room. Many
people came to visit the Hujrat as-Saada. Said, being astonished at the
people, said, 'How stupid they are! They think Rasulullah (sall-Allahu
ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) is in the grave. Do prophets ever stay in their
graves longer than forty days?' " Nevertheless, Said [Said ibn Musayyab
was one of the seven famous 'ulama' in Medina. He passed away in Medina
in 91 A.H. (710 A.D.).] himself had said he had heard the adhan called
in Rasulullah's grave on the day the disaster called Harra happened. Hadrat
'Uthman (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh), when his house was blockaded, said,
"I will not go anywhere! I cannot leave Medina and Rasulullah." If the
words which Mahal ibn 'Amr reported from Said were true, Rasulullah would
not have called Muslims to visit his grave. As a matter of fact, Bilal
al-Habashi (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) went to Medina and visited Rasulullah's
shrine on the order he received from Rasulullah in his dream after the
conquest of Jerusalem. Hadrat 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (radi-Allahu ta'ala
'anh), Khalifa of the Muslims, used to send salat and salam from Damascus
to Medina with special officials. Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh),
when he returned to al-Madinat al-Munawwara after conquering Jerusalem,
first went to the Hujrat as-Saada, visited Rasulullah and conveyed salat
and salam onto him.
Yazid ibn al-Mahree said, "I visited 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (radi-Allahu
ta'ala 'anh), the Governor of Egypt, on my way from Damascus to Medina.
He said to me, 'Oh Yazid! Please convey my salat and salam to Rasulullah
when you have the bliss of visiting him!' "
Imam Nafi' (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) [Nafi was one of the prominent among
the Tabi'un and formerly a slave freed by Abdullah ibn Umar. He passed
away in Medina in 120 A.H. (737 A.D.).] reported that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar
(radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhuma), whenever he came back from an expedition
or war, would visit the Hujrat as-Saada, first Rasulullah (sall-Allahu
ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam), then Hadrat Abu Bakr and then his father Hadrat
'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhuma), greeting each of them. Though the Wahhabite
book Fat'h al-majid confirms this, too, it writes that visiting the Prophet's
grave was not allowed in Islam and that no one but 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar
visited him. However, it is written in valuable books that most of the
Sahabis (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain) did visit him. It is a filthy
slander that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar committed an act not permitted by Islam.
The Wahhabi author praises the as-Sahabat al-kiram highly when it suits
his interests, but he shamelessly commits such filthy slanders when it
does not suit him. If it had not been permitted to visit the Prophet's
shrine and to say salat and salam, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar would not have done
so, or the Sahabis who saw him would have told him that it was prohibited.
His behavior and the silence of those who saw him show that it is permitted
and meritorious. Imam Nafi' said, "I have seen more than a hundred times
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar say, 'As-salama 'alaika ya Rasul-Allah!' 'As-salamu
'alaika ya Aba Bakr!' and 'As-salamu 'alaika ya Abi (father)!' during his
visits to Rasulullah's shrine."
One day, Hadrat 'Ali (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) entered Masjid ash-Sharif
and wept long in front of Fatima's (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha) room. Then
he entered the Hujrat as-Saada and said, "As-salamu 'alaika ya Rasul-Allah."
And he wept again. Then, saying, " 'Alaikuma 's-salam ya akhawayya wa rahmat-Allah,"
he greeted Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat 'Umar and went out.
It was for this reason that our scholars of fiqh (rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala)
came to Medina and performed salat in Masjid ash-Sharif after pilgrimage.
Then they visited and received blessings by seeing the Rawdat al-Mutahhara,
the Minbar al-Munir and the Qabr ash-Sharif, which is superior to the 'Arsh
al-ala; the places where the Prophet sat, walked and leaned; the pole he
leaned against when the wahi came and the places where as-Sahabat al-kiram
and the Tabiin (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain), who worked when the
Masjid was being built and repaired or who had the honor of giving financial
help, walked. Those scholars and sulaha' who came later would come to Medina
after hajj and do as our 'ulama' of fiqh did. It is for this reason that
pilgrims have been visiting al-Madinat al-Munawwara.
The 'ulama' have given different answers to the question whether one
[a pilgrim] should first go to Medina or visit the Prophet's shrine after
hajj. 'Alqama, Aswad and 'Amr ibn Maimun, three superiors among the Tabiin
(rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) said that one should first go to Medina. Al-Imam
al-Azam Abu Hanifa (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), the sun of Islamic scholars,
said that it would be better to perform hajj and then leave Mecca for Medina.
So it was written in the fatwa of Abu 'l-Laith Nasr as-Samarqandee (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala), who passed away in 373/985.
During the sultanate of 'AbdulHamid Khan II, it became a custom among
[the Ottoman] pilgrims to stay in Medina between the two 'Iyds and to leave
Medina for Mecca when the time for hajj came. Some pilgrims would go direct
to Mecca and, after 'Arafat, come to Medina to perform the visitation.
Then they would go to Yanbu, the port of Madina, where they would take
a steam-ship on the way back to their countries passing through the Suez
Canal.
Qadi 'Iyad, author of Shifa' ash-Sharif who passed away in Marrakush
in 544/1150 and Shafi'i scholar Imam Yahya an-Nawawi, who passed away in
Damascus in 676/1277, and Hanafi scholar Ibn Hammam (Humam) Muhammad al-Siwasi,
who passed away in 861/1456, (rahimahum Allahu ta'ala) said that there
had been ijma' al-umma on the fact that visiting Rasulullah's (sall-Allahu
ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) blessed shrine was very meritorious. Some scholars
said that it was wajib. It is a sunnat to visit graves. Visiting the most
valuable grave, the Hujrat as-Saada, is the most valuable sunnat.
Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) used to visit the
Baqi' cemetery and the martyrs in Uhud. 'Abd al-Haqq ad-Dahlawi (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala), who was one of the great 'ulama' in India that passed away in
1052 A.H. (1642), while narrating the Battle of Uhud in his Persian book
Madarij an-Nubuwwa, quotes Abu Farda (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) as saying,
"One day Rasulullah visited the martyrs in Uhud. After saying, 'Oh my Rabb
who is worth being worshiped! I, Thy servant and Messenger, testify that
these got martyred to gain Thy Consent,' he turned to us and said, 'If
someone visits and greets these martyrs, they will answer him. They will
answer the same way till the Last Day.' " Again, while visiting the martyrs
Rasulullah said, "You were patient. Salam be on you!" Hadrat Abu Bakr and
Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhuma), when they were Khalifas, used
to visit the martyrs in Uhud and addressed them similarly. Fatimat al-Huzaziyya
(rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) said, "I was passing by the Uhud field. I said,
'Oh Hamza (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh), Rasulullah's uncle, salam be on you!'
Then I heard the answer, 'May Allah's salam, mercy and blessings be upon
you!' " Utaf ibn Khalid al-Mahzuni said that his aunt greeted the martyrs
in Uhud and that they replied to her, "We know you!"
The sixty-third ayat karima of Surat an-Nisa', "If they, after tyrannizing
over their nafses, come to you and beg Allahu ta'ala's pardon, and if My
Messenger prays for their forgiveness, they will certainly find Allahu
ta'ala as the acceptor of tawba and merciful," is a command for both men
and women to visit the shrine of the Prophet. It was said that it was mustahab
to read this ayat while visiting the shrine.
Imam 'Ali (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) quoted Muhammad ibn Harb al-Hilali
(radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) as saying, "I visited the Hujrat as-Saada three
days after Rasulullah's (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) burial.
After the visit I sat in a corner. A villager came and threw himself on
the Prophet's grave. He took soil from the grave and sprinkled it on his
face. He said, 'Ya Rasul-Allah! Allahu ta'ala declared about you in the
ayat [above, which he recited]. I have oppressed my nafs. I seek absolute
forgiveness through your intercession.' I heard a voice from the grave:
'good news to you! Your sins are forgiven'."
Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) came to Uhud from
Medina to visit the martyrs in Uhud. Therefore, it is an 'ibada to go to
al-Madinat al-Munawwara to visit the Prophet's shrine. The 'ulama' of Islam
(rahimahum-Allahu ta'ala) have unanimously stated that it is a very meritorious
deed.
The hadith ash-Sharif, "Only three masjids [The masjid al-Haram in Mecca,
the Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina and the Masjid al-Aqsa in Quds (Jerusalem).]
are to be gone to for visiting," shows that it is very meritorious to go
to al-Madinat al-Munawwara with a view to visiting the Qabr as-Saada. Those
who do not do so will remain deprived of its great thawab, and perhaps
they will have neglected a wajib. Going on long journeys to visit masjids
other than these three is permitted if it is for Allah's sake. But it is
haram in case of other intentions.
Question: "Imam Hasan ibn 'Ali (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) did not permit
visitors to approach the Qabr as-Saada. And Imam Zain al-'Abidin (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala), saying that Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam)
declared, 'Do not make a [place of] festival of my shrine! Do not make
cemeteries of your houses! Recite salawat on me wherever you are; your
salam will be conveyed to me,' did not permit approaching the Qabr as-Saada.
What would you say about that?"
Answer: These statements are not congruous with the hadith ash-Sharif,
"Only three masjids are to be gone to for visiting." Further, the two imams
probably wanted to prevent only those who would behave disrespectfully.
[Therefore,] Imam Malik (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) did not even permit staying
a long time near the Qabr as-Saada. Imam Zain al-'Abidin (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala), in his visitations to the Hujrat as-Saada, would stand by the
pillar in the direction of the Rawdat al-Mutahhara and greet. So, it was
understood that Rasulullah's (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) blessed
head was on that side of the Hujra. That was the place to stand by during
visits before the rooms of Rasulullah's blessed wives (radi-Allahu ta'ala
'anhunna) were annexed into the Masjid as-Saada. The visitors stand in
front of the door of the Hujrat as-Saada and greet.
Harun ibn Musa al-Hirawi asked his grandfather 'Alqama: "On which side
of the Qabr as-Saada had the visitors stood before the rooms of our Prophet's
wives (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhunna) were annexed into Masjid as-Saada?"
His grandfather said, "Because the door of the Hujrat as-Saada had not
been walled up before Hadrat 'Aisha died, they used to stand in front of
the door."
Hafiz 'Abd al-'Azim al-Munziri (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), a scholar of
hadith who passed away in Egypt in 656 A.H. (1257), said, "The hadith ash-Sharif,
'Do not make my shrine a [a place of] festival,' means 'Do visit me as
frequently as you can,' that is, 'Do not restrict your visiting my grave
to one or two times a year! Do visit me at every occasion!' And the hadith
ash-Sharif, 'Do not turn your houses into cemeteries!' means 'Do not make
your houses look like cemeteries by not performing salat in them.' " Since
it is not permitted to perform salat in a cemetery, 'Abd al-'Azim al-Munziri's
words are right. Most of the 'ulama' explained the former hadith as: "For
visiting the Qabr as-Saada, do not fix a certain day like a feast." Jews
and Christians used to assemble together, play instruments and dance when
they visited the graves of their prophets.
Therefore, visitors to the Qabr as-Saada should not stay long but leave
soon after greeting and praying. Muslims should deem visiting the Qabr
as-Saada a very meritorious 'ibada. They should go to al-Madinat al-Munawwara
however far they may be and try to visit frequently. That is, one should
not restrict it to once a year, but, whenever one can afford, one should
go and visit without staying long in front of the Hujrat as-Saada.
Abu Hanifa (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), the sun of the 'ulama' of Islam,
said that visiting the Qabr as-Saada, one of the most valuable of mustahabs,
was an 'ibada of a degree nearly equal to wajib.
In the Shafi'i madhhab, one who vows to visit the Qabr as-Saada has
to fulfill his vow. As for the one who vows to visit another grave, there
is no unanimity that he should fulfilled his vow, but he had better fulfill
it.
It is necessary for the one who vows to visit the Masjid al-Haram on
foot to fulfill his vow, because the Farida (obligatory acts) of hajj are
performed in Masjid al-Haram. And since Masjid as-Saada contains the Qabr
as-Saada which is more estimable than both the Kabat al-Muazzama [in the
Masjid al-Haram in Mecca] and Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem], a vow to go
to that blessed masjid on foot, because it will include the intention to
visit the Qabr as-Saada, should certainly be fulfilled.
A vow to visit the Kabat al-Muazzama should be fulfilled according to
all the four madhhabs. There is no unanimity as to whether a vow to visit
Masjid as-Saada or Masjid al-Aqsa should be fulfilled. However, the disagreement
is about visiting the masjid itself; the one who vows to visit the Qabr
as-Saada has to fulfill his vow.
'Abdullah Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Zaid (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) was asked:
"If someone, who is sent as a deputy to carry out the hajj and ordered
to visit the Qabr as-Saada, only carries out the hajj and returns without
visiting, is it necessary for him to return the money given to him to spend
during the visit to the Qabr as-Saada?" Hadrat Ibn Zaid, one of the prominent
among the Maliki scholars who passed away in 389 A.H. (999), said, "He
has to give it back."
Imam Malik (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) said concerning visiting the Qabr
as-Saada, "In Masjid ash-Sharif, one should turn his back towards the qibla
[Kaba] and face the Hujrat as-Saada, greet modestly and respectfully and
recite the salawat. Two rak'as of salat [tahiyyat al-masjid] should be
performed in the Rawdat al-Mutahhara after entering the masjid. Then, standing
in front of the Muwajahat as-Saada, first Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala
'alaihi wa sallam), then Hadrat Abu Bakr and Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu
ta'ala 'anhuma) should be greeted, and then some certain prayers should
be said, because Rasulullah, or any believer, hears his visitors, their
salams and prayers. Though it is permitted to pray as one wishes and to
say whatever prayers one remembers, it is better to say the certain prayers
recommended by the 'ulama.' "
Al-Imam al-azam Abu Hanifa (rahmat-Alahi ta'ala 'alaih) said that, when
he was in Medina, he saw that Ayyub as-Sahtiyani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala),
one among the sulaha' who passed away in Basra in 131 A.H. (748), came
and entered the masjid, stood facing the Qabr as-Saada, and, the qibla
behind him, wept.
Abu 'l-Laith as-Samarqandee (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), giving reference
to al-Imam al-Azam Abu Hanifa, said, "Visitors should face the qibla, leaving
the Hujrat as-Saada behind." However, Shaikh Kamal ad-din ibn Hammam (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala) wrote, "Al-Imam al- Azam Abu Hanifa described the ritual of the
visit in his Musnad, so, what Abu 'l-Laith and his followers reported was
based on a former ijtihad of al-Imam al-Azam, who later declared that one
should face the Hujrat as-Saada. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala
anhuma), too, said that one should pay salam by facing the Hujrat as-Saada
with the qibla being behind." Muhammad Ibn Jamaat (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala),
a Shafi'i scholar who passed away in Damascus in 733 A.H. (1333), wrote
in his book Manasik, "While visiting the Prophet's shrine, one should stand
about two meters from the corner corresponding to Rasulullah's blessed
head, this corner being on one's left and the qibla on one's right-hand
side, and then turn slowly around until one faces the window of the Muwajahat
as-Saada, leaving the qibla wall behind. Just when one faces the Qabr as-Saada
one should say the salam.
Hence, the visitor should stand between the Rawdat al-Mutahhara corner
of the Hujrat as-Saada and the qibla wall, Rasulullah's blessed head being
on his left two meters from him, then slowly turn to face the Hujrat as-Saada,
leaving the qibla behind. Then he should say salat and salam and pray.
And so were al-Imam ash-Shafi'is and other imams' ijtihads, and today the
visit is carried out in this manner.
On the qibla side of the Hujrat as-Saada, there was not much empty space
before the rooms of Rasulullah's blessed wives (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhunna)
were annexed to the Masjid as-Saada; so it was very difficult to stand
facing the Muwajahat as-Saada. Visitors would stand facing the qibla and
greet in front of the door in the Rawdat al-Mutahhara wall of the Hujrat
as-Saada. Later, Imam Zain al-'Abidin would greet, with the Rawdat al-Mutahhara
being behind. After the annexation of the rooms of the blessed wives to
the masjid, the Hujrat as-Saada was visited standing in front of the window
of the Muwajahat ash-Sharifa.
The imams of Islam collected the many rules of observances and conditions
for those who live in Medina and for visitors. These conditions and rules
were codified in fiqh and manasik books. All were compiled clearly and
in detail in Takmilat al-manasik by Ayyub Sabri Pasha (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala),
the author of Mirat al-Haramain.
The first tomb built in the history of Islam was the Hujrat al-Mu'attara,
where Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) was buried. Our
master Rasulullah passed away in the room belonging to his beloved wife,
our mother 'Aisha (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha), before noon on Monday, the
twelfth of Rabi' al-awwal 11 A.H. On Wednesday night he was buried in that
room.
Hadrat 'Aisha's (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha) room was three meters high
and was built with adobes and date-palm branches. It had two doors, one
on the west, which faced the Rawdat al-Mutahhara, and the other on the
north. Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh), while he extended Masjid
as-Saada in 17 A.H. during his caliphate, surrounded the Hujrat as-Saada
with a low stone wall.' Abdullah ibn Zubair (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh),
when he became the Caliph, rebuilt this wall with black stones. He was
martyred in 73 A.H. (692). This wall was not roofed and there was a door
on the northern side. When Hadrat Hasan (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) passed
away in 49 A.H., his brother Hadrat Husain (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) took
his corpse to the door of the Hujrat as-Saada as requested in his brother's
will and wanted to take the corpse into the shrine to pray and ask for
intercession. Some people opposed it, thinking that the corpse would be
buried in the shrine. To prevent the clamor, the corpse was not taken into
the shrine and was buried at the Baqi' cemetery. Lest such events might
happen again later, the doors of the room and the one outside were walled
up.
The sixth Umayyad Caliph Walid (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), when he was
the governor of Medina, raised the wall around the room and had a small
dome built over it. The three graves became invisible from the outside,
and the room was secured from being entered. After he became the Caliph,
he ordered 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), his successor
as the governor of Medina and later the eighth Caliph, to build a second
wall around it when the rooms of the Pure Wives (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhunna)
were removed and Masjid as-Saada was enlarged in 88 A.H. (707). This wall
was pentagonal and roofed and had no doors.
Jamal ad-din al-Isfahani (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala), vizier of the Atabeg
State governed by Zengees in Iraq and the first cousin of Salah ad-din
al-Ayyubi, constructed a grating made of sandal-and-ebony wood around the
outer wall of the Hujrat as-Saada in 584 A.H. (1189). The grating was as
high as the ceiling of the masjid. It burned away in the first fire. Iron
grating was constructed and painted green in 688. This grating was called
the Shabakat as-Saada (Blessed Lattice). The qibla, east, west and north
sides of the Shabakat as-Saada are called the Muwajahat as-Saada, Qadam
as-Saada, Rawdat al-Mutahhara and Hujrat al-Fatima, respectively. As al-Makkat
al-Mukarrama is to the south of al-Madinat al-Munawwara, one who stands
facing the qibla in the middle of Masjid an-Nabi, that is, at the Rawdat
al-Mutahhara, has the Hujrat as-Saada on his left and the Minbar ash-Sharif
on his right.
Marble flooring was laid on the ground between the Shabakat as-Saada
and the outer walls and on the outer area in 232 A.H. (847), and it has
been renewed many times. The last restoration of the floor was done on
the order of the Ottoman Sultan 'Abd al-Majid Khan.
The small dome, which was constructed with the pentagonal wall, is called
the Qubbat an-Nur. The Kiswat ash-Sharifa sent by the Ottoman Sultans (rahimahum-Allahu
ta'ala) was laid on that dome as a cover. The big, green dome which is
over the Qubbat an-Nur and which is called the Qubbat al-Khadra is the
dome of Masjid as-Saada. The kiswa on the outer side of the grating, the
shabaka, used to be hung to the arches supporting the Qubbat al-Khadra.
These internal and external curtains were called the Sattara. The Shabakat
as-Saada has three doors, one in each of the east, west and north sides.
Nobody except the directors of the Haram ash-Sharif may enter the Shabakat
as-Saada, and no one can enter inside the walls since there is neither
a door nor a window. There is only a small hole covered with wire gauze
on top of the dome. Just above this hole is the hole in the Qubbat al-Khadra.
The dome of Masjid ash-Sharif was gray until 1253 A.H. (1837), when it
was painted green by order of Sultan Mahmud 'Adli Khan. It was painted
again by order of Sultan 'Abd al-Aziz Zhan in 1289 A.H. (1872).
No one has spent as much money and effort as Sultan 'Abd al-Majid Khan
(rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) did to repair and embellish Masjid as-Saada. He
spent seven hundred thousand gold coins to restore the Haramain. The restoration
was completed in 1277 A.H. (1861). Everyday he did a service for Rasulullah
(sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) and in this connection his kashfs
and karamas were witnessed. Sultan 'Abd al-Majid Khan ordered that a model
of the early form of Masjid an-Nabawi be made and put in the Khirka-i Sharif
Mosque, in Istanbul, so Major Haji 'Izzet Effendi (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala),
a professor at the Engineering school and a designer, was sent to Medina
in 1267. 'Izzet Effendi measured every dimension and constructed a 1/53
model and sent it to Istanbul. The model was placed in the Khirka-i Sharif
Mosque, which was built by 'Abd al-Majid Khan.
After 'Abd al-Majid Khan's repair works, the distance between the qibla
wall and the Shabakat as-Saada became seven and a half meters; from the
eastern wall to the grating of the Qadam as-Saada became six meters; the
width of the Shabakat ash-Shami became eleven meters; the Muwajahat ash-Sharifa
grating became thirteen meters long, and the distance between the Muwajahat
ash-Sharifa and the Shabakat ash-Shami became nineteen meters. The width
of Masjid an-Nabawi on the qibla side is seventy-seven meters and its length
from the qibla wall to the Damascene wall is 117 meters. The Rawdat al-Mutahhara,
which lies between the Hujrat as-Saada and the Minbar ash-Sharif, is nineteen
meters wide. These lengths are calculated on the basis that one dhra' of
Medina is fourty-two centimeters. The dhra' shar'i mentioned in fiqh books
is forty-eight centimeters.
To conceal the great services done to the Haramain ash-Sharifain and
to destroy the magnificently ornamented, invaluable works by the Ottomans,
a new work of repair and extention of Masjid an-Nabawi was ordered by 'Abd
al-'Aziz of the Sa'udi lineage in 1368 A.H. (1949), which was started in
1370 and finished in 1375. The total area increased from 9000 to 11648
square meters. The length of each of the eastern and western walls became
128 meters while that of the northern wall became 91 meters. There are
232 columns under the vaults. The height of the two new minarets is 70
meters each. Masjid al-Haram in Mecca was enlarged in 1375 (1955) from
29177 to 160168 square meters. It has 7 minarets each 90 meters high. The
hills as-Safa and al-Marwa were covered with roofs and joined to Masjid
al-Haram. The names of many places were changed to new ones.
'Uthman ibn Maz'un (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) was the first who was buried
in the Baqi' cemetery, the only cemetery in Medina. Rasulullah (sall-Allahu
ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) erected a big gravestone with his blessed hands
at the grave of this foster brother of his. Hence, it became a sunnat to
erect grave-stones.
The la-madhhabi destroyed the tombs in Medina. Sultan Mahmud Khan (rahimah-Allahu
ta'ala) restored them all. After the First World War, the British took
Medina from the Ottomans and gave the city to 'Abd al-'Aziz, who ruined
all the tombs. They destroyed the sacred buildings, even the artistically
magnificent building built over the Well of Zemzem by 'Abd al-Hamid Khan
I (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala). They destroyed even the blessed house where
Rasulullah honored this world with his birth. They built shops on its ground.
The first domed tomb after the Hujrat as-Saada was the dome built over
the graves of Rasulullah's blessed wives in the Baqi' cemetery. On the
day our mother Zainab bint Jahsh (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha) died, the weather
was so hot that Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) set up a tent to
shelter the people from the hot sun while the grave was being dug. The
tent was left over the grave for a longtime. Thenceforth tents or huts
were set up, and later domes were built over graves. The first coffin was
made again for our mother Zainab; when Hadrat 'Umar did not permit the
Sahabis except her mahram relatives [whom she could not have married by
law] to attend the funeral, the Sahabis felt sorry at the prospect of not
being able to attend the funeral, and Asma' bint 'Umais said, "I saw a
coffin in Ethiopia. It prevents the corpse from being seen." Then a coffin
was made as described by Asma' bint 'Umais, and all the Sahabis attended
the burial.
Our master Rasulullah (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) used to
visit the martyrs (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum) in Uhud every year. He would
greet the martyrs standing at a place called Hurrat al-Waqum. He greeted
each one separately when he visited them in the eighth year of the Hegira.
"They are martyrs. They know who visits them. They hear when they are greeted
and they reply," he said. Hadrat Fatima az-Zahra' (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anha)
used to visit Hadrat Hamza's (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh) grave every two
days and would put a mark so that the grave should not be forgotten. She
would go there every night before Fridays to perform salat of many rak'as
and would weep much.
Al-Imam al-Baihaki (rahimah-Allahu ta'ala) quoted 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar
(radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhuma) as having said, "My father Hadrat 'Umar and
I visited the martyrs on a Friday before sunrise. My father greeted all
of them. We heard their reply. My father asked me, 'Did you answer me?'
'No, the martyrs did,' I said. He took me on his right and said salam to
each of them separately. We heard each of them reply three times. Father
immediately prostrated and thanked Allahu ta'ala." Hadrat Hamza, his nephew
'Abdullah ibn Jahsh and Mus'ab ibn 'Umair (radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain)
were buried in the same grave. The remaining seventy martyrs were buried
together by twos or threes in one grave, and a few are in the Baqi' cemetery.
[The names of all these martyrs are written in Mir'at al-Madina, from which
the foregoing long passage is translated.]
note: references to the " author" at the begining of the article are to the author of "Fathul Majid" the sharh {commentary} of "Kitaabul Tawhid" by Ibn Abdul Wahhab al Najdi |
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