Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alaikum

Prophet Muhammed(pbuh) told that the 3 generations after him are the best generations.so practises like celebratin milad un nabi n other pracises should have been followed since those times n that is y we r following.so wat ppl in those generations after Prophet Muhammed(pbuh) were doing wasnt right?cos Prophet has told those r the best generations so we can follow them but now most ppl don practise many things n is all thr only since 100 yrs or so n wat ppl from the generations after Prophet has been followed since nowadays n shudnt that be right?

If women cant visit graves frequently didnt Ayisha(Prophet Muhammed's wife)  visit Prophet's grave everyday ask dua' to Allah.Can we visit graves frequently n ask Dua to Allah.they say ppl in the graves say Aameen to our prayers.We r not doing shirk here.Shirk is equating sum1 with Allah.We don say that the dead person is Allah we believe in one God n thats Allah.Cant we do that then?

pls answer my questions to the point.

keep up the good work.thanks.

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Answer:

Birthdays & can women visit graves?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your question: Prophet Muhammed(pbuh) told that the 3 generations after him are the best generations.so practises like celebratin milad un nabi n other pracises should have been followed since those times n that is y we r following.so wat ppl in those generations after Prophet Muhammed(pbuh) were doing wasnt right?cos Prophet has told those r the best generations so we can follow them but now most ppl don practise many things n is all thr only since 100 yrs or so n wat ppl from the generations after Prophet has been followed since nowadays n shudnt that be right?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.437 Narrated by Abdullah

The Prophet (saws) said, "The best people are those of my generation, and then those who will come after them (the next generation), and then those who will come after them (i.e. the next generation).”

Indeed the Messenger of Allah (saws) declared the above words of Truth! But there is absolutely no evidence that the noble people of these three generations ever performed or celebrated the ‘milaads’ of the Prophet (saws), or their loved ones!

You are claiming and assuming that the people of those three noble generations performed celebrations like the ‘milaad’ and other such practices, which are not followed by the true believers today! Can you please provide evidence for your claims from the Quran or Sunnah? If not, and I assure you there is none, then bear witness that those noble people in those noble generations never did celebrate the ‘milaad’.

Your question: If women cant visit graves frequently didnt Ayisha(Prophet Muhammed's wife)  visit Prophet's grave everyday ask dua' to Allah.Can we visit graves frequently n ask Dua to Allah.they say ppl in the graves say Aameen to our prayers.We r not doing shirk here.Shirk is equating sum1 with Allah.We don say that the dead person is Allah we believe in one God n thats Allah.Cant we do that then?

pls answer my questions to the point.

It is reported in an authentic narration that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “, "May Allah curse the women who are frequent visitors of the graves."

Firstly, it is inconceivable that Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) would have gone against such a clear command of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Secondly, Prophet Mohamed (saws) was buried in the house of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.)!

Thirdly, Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) would go to the graveyard once in a while to visit the grave of her deceased brother, Abdur-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr; but never frequently.

The wisdom behind visiting graveyards was never to go there and pray for ourselves, or make the dead speak or help us in our prayers!

The concept and wisdom of visiting graveyards are two:

So that one may remember that one day he too will die and be buried in the ground; thus remembering the Hereafter.

To pray to Allah Subhanah to have Mercy and forgive the ones who are dead.

If one goes to the graveyards once in a while, remembers the Hereafter, or prays to Allah Subhanah to have Mercy on the dead; there is absolutely no harm.

But to go to graveyards frequently, or to make the graves of some pious people a place of worship, or celebrate huge events on the graves of some pious slaves of Allah, or to believe that the dead can hear our prayers or answer them or get them answered, or to invoke the dead and make them an intercession for our prayers, etc. are absolutely against the teachings and guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Your Question: We r not doing shirk here.Shirk is equating sum1 with Allah.We don say that the dead person is Allah we believe in one God n thats Allah.Cant we do that then?

None, except the absolutely ignorant, will ever claim that the dead person is the grave is Allah! Shirk is associating someone with Allah, or sharing Allah’s Attributes with someone, or sharing Allah’s Rights with someone!

Thus if a person believes that the dead person in the grave can hear everything we say, or can respond to our call, or can answer our prayers, or can get our prayers answered, etc. then we would be sharing some of the Attributes of Allah Subhanah with someone, and that would be manifest shirk!

‘Shirk’ or associating another in God-head with Allah, has three main parts:

Shirk in Allah’s Self

Shirk in Allah’s Attributes

Shirk in Allah’s Rights

Shirk in Allah’s Self:

This would be if one were to claim that Allah has a son, or has a mother, father, brothers, sisters, family, children; or to claim that someone or something originated Allah! This is committing ‘shirk’ in Allah’s Self.

Shirk in Allah’s Attributes:

Allah has declared 99 of His attributes in the Glorious Quran, and Allah Alone knows how many more there are. For example, Allah is the ‘Al Aleem’ (The All Knowing). He Alone is the All Knowing, of the seen and the unseen! If we believe anybody else of His creation knows everything, or even has the power to know everything, then we have wrongfully elevated someone to the position of Allah’s Attributes, and this is a clear form of shirk.

Similarly, Allah is the ‘As Samee’ (The All Hearing). He Alone is the All Hearing… We humans can only hear upto certain decibels; below that limit we cannot hear, and above that limit is unbearable! Allah Alone hears everything… If we believe anybody else of His creation hears everything, or even has the power to hear everything, then we have wrongfully elevated someone to the position of Allah’s Attributes, and this is again shirk.

Similarly, Allah is the ‘Al Qader’ (The One who is Able to do all things). He Alone has the Power to do anything and everything! If we believe that anybody of His creation can do whatever they want, even when Allah does not permit him, this is shirk! Everything that happens in this world, needs Allah’s permission… only when He permits, can a thing happen. To believe that somebody can hurt us, or harm us, without the permission of Allah, is a clear form of Shirk.

Shirk in Allah’s Rights:

The biggest Right of Allah is that being our Creator and our Sustainer, He Alone deserves our invocation and our worship. This is absolutely the biggest Right of Allah. No one deserves that we bow down to him and pray to him or call on him to answer our prayers … This is the Sole Right of Allah Alone. If anyone goes to anybody, any person, any idol, any grave, any shrine, anything… and asks them to fulfill our prayers, or even to tell them to take our Message to Allah, this is an absolute form of Shirk! Allah Alone deserves that we pray to Him, call on Him, serve Him, sacrifice for Him, fear Him, obey His laws, follow His appointed Messengers, and obey and follow the commandments of His Revealed Book! If we do any of the above for anybody else other than Allah, then it is Shirk.

Bowing in prostration to the grave of the Prophet (saws), is to share a right that is due to Allah Subhanah Alone with someone else, no matter who that person or thing is! The Jews shared Allah’s Rights with Moses and Uzair, and were cursed by Allah; the Christians shared Allah’s Rights with Jesus, and were cursed by Allah! May Allah have mercy on the people who call themselves believers, but want to share the Right of Allah with their Prophet (saws)!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan