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Fatwa CenterPraying at graves
Question
I was told that Imam Shaafi used to pray two Raka's at the grave of Abu Hanifah whenever he had some trouble and his trouble would go away with this act. Can this be done?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
What you have been told, dear brother, is one of the many fabricated stories about this great Imam. Here is what he says about this issue in his book Al Umm (The mother). 'Chapter concerning the grounds where it is lawful to pray and the grounds where it is forbidden'. Ibn Uyayanah told us reporting from Amar Ibn Yahya Al Muzini reporting from his father that the Prophet said: "All the earth is a mosque except the graveyard and the bathroom". Imam Shafie said 'And we hold this opinion' i.e., that the prayer should not performed in the bathroom or the graveyard.
So, if this is his opinion how could he pray at the grave of Imam Abu Hanifa - as claimed by this story?
Ibn Hajar Al Haithami one of the eminent Shafie scholars said: 'Praying to graves is a major sin'.
He also said:'The Shafiete scholars (our colleagues) forbid praying to the graves of Prophets, or pious people glorifying them and seeking Baraka (blessing) from them'.
So, this story is wrong and fabricated and even if it were a true story, nobody should imitate Imam Al Shafie in this act as there are many sound Ahadith forbidding this. The Prophet said: "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians because they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship".[Reported by Imams Al Bukhari and Muslim]
In another Hadith "Among the worst people are those who will be alive when The Hour (The last Day) comes and the people who use graveyards as mosques". [Al Tabarani]
The Muslims were inflicted by many trials and struck by droughts and catastrophes and they did not go to the grave of the Prophet to seek help or pray at his grave.
Indeed all this is from the innovated acts and the Prophet said: "The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them, and then those coming after (the second generation). "Imran the narrator of this Hadith said "I do not know whether the Prophet mentioned two or three generations after your present generation. The Prophet added, 'There will be some people after you, who will be dishonest and will not be trustworthy and will give witness (evidences) without being asked to give witness, and will vow but will not fulfill their vows, and fatness will appear among them".
All Muslims are agreed that the best people after the Prophet are his companions.
Allah knows best.
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