Manners-Grave Visitation

“Bismillahir Rahmannir Raheem”Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salaatu was- Salaamu ‘Alaa Sayidinaa Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Asabihi Ajma ‘een (tauheed- risalat- ahkirat and islam-iman-ihsan)

THE ETIQUETTE/MANNERS  OF GRAVE VISITATION

Respect for the muslim must be the same when alive or after death.

It is a Sunnah of the Beloved Habeeb of Allah (saws) to visit the graves.

The purpose of visiting the graves is to remember death and the dead ones

1.greeting him/her with salaam’s 2.praying for forgiveness for him/her 3.asking  Allah (swt) to raise the spiritual status of the deceased. For ex- it is a way of expressing dutifulness to deceased parents by visiting them regularly .

This may be achieved through various practices, such as the offering of du’as [supplications], to recite the Qur’an,charity/sadaqa   etc etc  known as (Essal-e-Sawab/conveying the rewards  to others both living or dead)

Ziyarat can be done anyday of the week (especially on Thursday/Friday/Monday).

One should enter the shrine or approach the grave from the foot-end of the grave, and then should stand with his back towards the qiblah, and his face, facing the face of the deceased. (‘Radd-al-Mukhtar’)

How to convey the salaam when facing the graveyard?

Assalam-o-Alaykum ya ahl al quburi yaghfir ullahu lana wa la kum antum salafuna wa nahnu bil athar (tirmidhi)

Or  “Assalaamu ‘alaykum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-Muslimeen, in sha Allaah bikum laahiqoon, as’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah (muslim)

or assalamu alaika ya sayeedi (mention the name )rahmatullah alai(for awliya allah)

or  Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayka ya Rasool-Allaah, al-salaam ‘alayka ya Aba Bakr, al-salaamu ‘alayka ya abati (O my father),” …… This was classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar.

He should then sit at a distance if he wishes, the lenghth of time he would sit with him when he was alive.

Then one should recite Durud Sharif three, five, seven or an odd number of times. Thereafter one should recite however many surahs of the Holy Qur’an; for example, Surah Yasin, Surah Mulk, the 4 ‘Qul’s’, Surah al-Fatiha, Alif-Laam-Mim until “Muflihun” and the Ayah al-Kursi, and “Amanar Rasulu”. Finally, one should recite Durud Sharif and send the Thawaab to the deceased [Esal-e-Thawaab]. It is best that one makes the intention of sending the reward to all the mu’minin and mu’minat (male and female believers,) as everyone shall receive the full reward without their rewards being decreased. [Radd al-Muhtar]

General Dua- Allahumag Firii Wali Wale Dayya Wal Ustaad’e Wal Jamee’il Mu’mineena Wal Mu’meenat Wal Muslimeena Wal Muslimat  BirahmatikaYa Ar’hamarr’ahimeen’ Other supplications and invocations can also be made.

There is also great reward in attending the graves of the beloved on certain nights, for eg-Shab-e-barat, and Shab-e-Qadr. It is also permissable to go to visit the graves on Eid days, and also on the Tenth of Dhil Hijjah.

You cannot burn candles/incense sticks on the graves. Don’t sit or step on the graves. Remove slippers when offering dua /essale sawaab.Don’t indulge in false/unnessary talks. No circling of the grave .don’t do Sajdah before the grave its haraam .

So be careful. People oppose the natural ways of islam these days by calling shirk shirk .Respect for the grave is utmost important. if the opposite person is not mushrik then the accuser himself will become mushrik, by calling others mushrik (hadith)

But if one sees something that the shar’iyyah disallows… then he should not stop going but rather continue going as no good action should be discontinued merely for the observance of a bad act. He should however regard that act as bad, and then do what he can to prevent that bad act from re-occuring..

Then it is better for us to have the etiquette/manners shown to us by the Most Beloved Messenger of Allah (saws), and to follow that accordingly, instead of having our Great Ones in disrepute because of our actions.

When I want to talk to allah I say prayers and when I want that he talk to me I recite quran- Hazrath Ali(ra)

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