THE SPECTACLES OF DEATH SERIES -No: 32 - In the Description of Visiting the Graves.

 In the Description of Visiting the Graves.

[Photo Illustration Only - Avoid sitting on any graves around, keep standing the best thing to do]

To visit graves every week is laudable and for this purpose, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Thursday are excellent. To visit the graves on the eve of ‘Shab-iBarat’ (the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban), during ten days of ‘Zilhijjah’ (the last month of the Muslim calendar) and on the days of ‘Id’ as well as during the first ten days of ‘Muharram’ is also desirable. Muhammad b. Wasi (peace be upon him) has said: ‘‘The dead recognize those who visit the graves on Thursday and Friday.” 

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to go to Uhud every year to visit the graves of the martyrs of ‘Uhud’ and, after him Saiyidina Abu Bakr and Saiyidina  ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) used to visit these graves. Allama Ibn Hajar ‘Asqalani has written that it is a great mistake to forsake the visiting of graves on the grounds that some visitors of the graves indulge in innovations in religion or that there is the gathering of women along with men there. The visiting of the graves and the struggle to prevent and stop these vices should continue simultaneously. 

If an aged woman goes to visit the grave to remember death and to pray for others or for the reward of virtue in the Hereafter, this act of hers is lawful. When a person makes up his mind to visit the graves, it is preferable that he should first observe two raka‘s of voluntary prayer and in each raka‘ah after reciting Surah! Fatiha (1) he should recite ‘Ayat-ul-Kursi’ once and Sura (113) say: ‘Allah is One,’ thrice and pray for its reward in favour of the dead. Almighty God illuminates the grave of the dead because of - this act of devotion’ besides conferring upon him huge reward for it. He should then walk straight to the graveyard by taking off his shoes and then by standing in front of the grave with his back towards the Holy Mecca, he should recite as under:

*“O occupants of the graves! May peace be on you! May Allah grant us forgiveness and you too. You are our predecessors and we are your successors. Then he should pray by reciting whatever he can for the reward in favour of the dead. And if possible he should recite Sura Fatiha, Sura ‘Alif Lam Mim‘ upto Mufl-hoon and ‘Ayatul Kursi’, and also the concluding verses of Sura al-Baqara from ‘Aminar-Rasul’ to the end of this Sura as well as Sura Ya Sin, Sura ‘the Sovereignty’, Sura Rivalry in worldly increase, and Sura: 

Say Allah is One, either eleven times or seven times, and should say: O Allah, confer its reward upon such and such dead. Abu Bakr b. Sa‘id says: It is preferable that he should send reward after reciting Sura: ‘Say! Allah is One’, either five or seven times. If the dead is a sinner, he will be granted forgiveness and if he is pious, the reciter will be favoured with forgiveness. The religious scholars have said that a person who says voluntary prayers with a view to seeking reward from Allah for all the believing persons—male and female every one of them gets its full reward and there is also no reduction in the reward of the person who prays. The same is the faith of those

 Allah/ Prophet / علیہ السلام    /رضي الله عنه /رَحِمَهَا ٱللَّٰهُ