Visiting the Grave of the Prophet during Hajj

2-3-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it compulsory to visit the grave of the holy Prophet while one is performing the Hajj? Please verify because someone insisted that the Hajj is incompleted without it.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Visiting the grave of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) or Madeenah, is not one of the rituals of Hajj.  However, if a pilgrim wants to visit the Prophet’s sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) mosque in Madeenah and to travel there for the purpose of worship, acting according to the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ): “Do not travel for the purpose of worship except to three Mosques: Al-Haraam Mosque (in Makkah), the Mosque of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) (in Madeenah) and Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Palestine).” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim from the Hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri]; then this is permissible.

Therefore, if someone travels there for the purpose of worship, it is something good and desirable. In this case, it is permissible for him (the pilgrim) to visit the grave of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) as part of visiting the Prophet’s sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) mosque.  However, whoever performs Hajj without visiting Madeenah, his Hajj is correct and complete.

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 86597 and 131677.

Allah knows best.

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