Ruling on Visiting the Mosque of the Prophetﷺ

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Visiting the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ is not part of the conditions of Hajj, and neither is it one of its pillars or obligations; rather it is a recommended act (Sunnah) and can be performed at any time.


Furthermore, it is compulsory that the intention for the visit should be to pray in the Mosque, and not to visit the grave. On the authority of Abu Hurairah t, who said that the Prophet ﷺsaid: “No one should journey to any Mosque except for three Mosques: the Haram Mosque, the Prophet’s Mosque and al-Aqsaa Mosque.” [ Source: Muslim.]


Shayk al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: “If the intention of traveling is to visit the grave of the Prophet ﷺ , but not to pray therein, then the view of the Imams and majority of scholars is that it is neither a legislated nor a commanded act. The ahadeeth about visiting the grave of the Prophet ﷺ are all weak, according to the consensus of the scholars of ahadeeth, rather they are all fabricated and none of the reliable narrators of the Sunan related any of them, nor have any of the imams used any of them as evidence.” [ Majmoo’ al- Fatawa vol.27, pg 26.]
Rulings Regarding the Visit and its Etiquettes

1- When the visitor to the Mosque arrives there, it is Sunnah for him to enter with his right foot saying: “Allahummaftah lee abwaaba rahmatika.” [ Source: Muslim.] Meaning: Oh Allah, open the doors of Your mercy for me.


2- He observes two raka-at to greet the Mosque. It is better to observe the two raka-at in the area of the Noble Meadow.


3- It is Sunnah to visit the grave of the Prophet ﷺ and those of his two companions, Abu Bakr and Umar. He (the pilgrim) stands politely and reverently facing the grave of the Prophet ﷺ, and in a low voice says: “As-salamu ‘alaika aiyuhal nabeyu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, Salallahu ‘alaika, wa jazaka ‘an omatika Khayran.” Meaning: may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet. May Allah bless you, and reward you on behalf of your nation.


After uttering the above, it is recommended to take a step or two to the right to reach the grave of Abu Bakr t and greet him, saying: “As-salamu ‘alaika ya Aba Bakr khalifata rasoullulahi, salallahu ‘alaiyhee wa salama, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, radyallahu ‘anka wa jazaka ‘an omati mohammadin, salallahu ‘alayhee wa salam, khairan.” Meaning: may Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you, O Abu Bakr, Caliph of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. May Allah bless you and reward you on behalf of the nation of Muhammad ﷺ


Following that, it is recommended to take a step or two to the right once more to reach the grave of Omar t and greet him, saying: “As-salamu ‘alaika ya Omar, Ameeral Mo’mineen, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, radyallahu ‘anka wa jazaka ‘an omati mohammadin, salallahu ‘alayhee wa salam, khairan.” Meaning: may Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you, O Omar, Ameer of the believers. May Allah bless you and reward you on behalf of the nation of Muhammad ﷺ.


4- It is Sunnah for someone visiting the Prophet’s Mosque to pray the five daily prayers therein and engage in much remembrance of Allah and supplication to Him there, and also perform many supererogatory prayers, especially in the Noble Meadow.


5- It is Sunnah to visit the Quba Mosque to pray therein and it is more preferable if such a visit takes place on a Saturday, according to the hadeeth of Ibn Umar t who said: “The Messenger of Allah used to visit the Quba Mosque both while on his mount and on foot and he used to observe two rak’aat therein.” In another wording, “He used to visit the mosque at Quba every Saturday (i.e. every week).” [ Source: Muslim.]


6- It is Sunnah to visit the cemetery of Baqee’[ Al-Baqee’: The place where a large number of the companions were buried.] and the graves of Hamzah and other martyrs, because the Prophet ﷺ used to visit them to pray for them. He would say: “As-salam alaykum ahlad diyaar minal mu’mineen wal muslimeen wa innaa insha Allah bikum lalaa’ikoon, as’alu llaha lana walakumul ‘aafiyah.” Meaning: “Peace be upon you, O people of the graves from among the believers and Muslims. Indeed we shall join you if Allah wills. I ask Allah to grant us and you safety.” [ Source: Muslim.]
source: islamkingdom