To present oneself before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the ultimate wish of every Momin and the dream of every lover. This is the best means of forgiveness and pardon for a sinner.
The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has given glad tidings to those who visit Him. Some of those Hadith are being presented here:
Those who visit His blessed grave visit Him
Those who visit the grave of Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) should have the intention that they are visiting the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Himself; as per the Marfu’ Hadith recorded by Imam Ibnul Hamam (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) in Fath Ul Qadeer on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him): Visiting My grave after Me is like visiting Me Myself.
Hadhrat Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlwi has mentioned the following Hadith as proof of visiting the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in his book “Jazbul Quloob”:
Shafa’at becomes Wajib for those who visit the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
Translation of Hadith: Whoever comes to visit Me in such a way that there is no other purpose apart from this, then on the Qiyamah, surely I will intercede (Shafa’at) for that person.
Hadhrat Qazi Iyaz (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has recorded this Hadith in Ash “Shifa” on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him):
Translation of Hadith: Whoever visits My grave, My Shafa’at becomes Wajib on that person.
Reward of 2 Haj
Translation of Hadith: Whoever performs Haj and comes to My Masjid to visit Me, 2 accepted Haj will be written for that person.
Those who don’t visit Him, hurt Him
Translation of Hadith: Whoever performs Haj of the House of Allah and does not visit Me has hurt Me
Ibn Asakar (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has recorded another Hadith in “Tuhfatuz Zaair”:
Translation of Hadith: Whoever does not visit My grave hurts Me.
Living in Madinah
Imam Baihaqui (May Allah be well pleased with him) has narrated another Hadith in Shu’ab Ul Iman:
Translation of Hadith: Whoever comes to Madinah Munawwara to visit Me, on the day of Qiyamah, he (or she) will be My companion and in My protection.
Translation of Hadith: Whoever relocates to Madinah and faces with patience the difficulties he (or she) faces there, then on the Day of Qiyamah, I will that person’s witness and interceder (Shafe’e in Urdu)
Translation of Hadith: Whoever passes away in Makkah Mukarrama or Madinah Munawwarah, on the day of Qiyamah, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) will raise that person among those who are in peace.
Dying in Madinah
Imam Tirmidhi has narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) the following Hadith:
Translation of Hadith: If it is possible for someone to die in Madinah, then that person should settle in Madinah until death overtakes, because of the day of Qiyamah, I will especially intercede for those who die in Madina.
Advice to the visitors of the Holy Prophet
Presenting oneself at the doors of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the best of all those things which takes one closer to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and qualifies one for the intercession (Shafa’at) of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). There is a Hadith in Sunan Dara Qutni, Shu’abul Iman, Jame’ Ul Ahadith, Jam’ul Jawame’, Majma’ Uz Zawaaid, Kanz Ul Ummal and other books of Hadith:
Translation of Hadith: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Umar (May Allah be well pleased with them), he said that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Whoever visits My grave, My Shafa’at is Wajib for that person.
Sunan Dara Qutni, Kitab Ul Haj, Hadith No: 2727.
Shu’abul Iman, Hadith No: 4159.
Jame’ Ul Ahadith, Hadith No: 22304.
Jam’ul Jawame’, Hadith No: 5035.
Majma’ Uz Zawaaid, Vol. 4, Pg No: 5841.
Kanz Ul Ummal, Hadith No: 42583.
Do not slam slippers on the ground in Masjid Nabawi:
Any work should be done with proper restraint and calmness. Haste and rashness are not suitable for a refined temperament. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did every work with calmness and grace. See a sentence from a lengthy Hadith of Sahih Muslim:
Translation: Ummul Momineen Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqua (May Allah be well pleased with her) says: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) softly took His cloak, calmly wore His sandals, opened the door softly, stepped outside and softly closed the door. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, Pg No: 313, Hadith No: 974)
Slamming the slippers on the ground and putting them down in such a way that they make noise is not preferred anywhere. In Masjid, this act is all the more not preferable. While entering the Masjid and leaving them, the etiquette of the Masjid should be kept in mind. Nothing should be done which disturbs the people offering Salaat or those busy in Dhikr or recitation of the Holy Quran. Thus, while removing slippers or wearing them, we should do it softly.
These are the rules for any Masjid. The rules for Masjid Nabawi and the Haram are stricter than that of other Masjid. So, while wearing/removing slippers, the Haji should keep in mind the sanctity of these places. They should be very careful lest anything done by them is taken as disrespect and they suffer eternal losses – both of this world and the next world.
Calling out to someone in Masjid Nabawi
Calling out to someone in a loud voice in Masjid Nabawi is strictly prohibited and against the etiquette of Masjid Nabawi. This is the place where the blessed grave of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is present. We should present ourselves here as models of respect and reverence. This is that court where raising one’s voice has been prohibited and the punishment for raising one’s voice is that all the good deeds and worship will be wiped out and the person will not even know what happened. Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) says about the manner of presenting oneself before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam):
O ye who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not. Surah Hujuraat (49:2)
Even after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) into the presence of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), the command remains the same that voices should not be raised there.
There is a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:
Translation of Hadith: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Saib Bin Yazid (May Allah be well pleased with him), he said: I was standing in Masjid Nabawi, when someone threw a pebble at me. I turned and saw it was Hadhrat Umar Farooq (May Allah be well pleased with him). He gestured: Bring these 2 men to me. I took both of them and went to Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him). Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked them: From which tribe are you? Or he asked: Which place do you come from? Both of them said: We are the natives of Taif. Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: If you had lived in this city, I would have punished you. You dare to raise your voices in the Masjid of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?
Hadhrat Shaykh Ul Islam Imam Muhammad Anwarullah Farooqui (May Allah shower His Mercy on him), the founder of Jamia Nizamia writes in the explanation of this Hadith:
Translation: This shows that nobody could raise their voices in Masjid Nabawi and the one who did would be considered liable for punishment. Even though, Hadhrat Saib (May Allah be well pleased with him) was not far, out of this respect Hadhrat Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) did not call out to him, but threw a pebble at him. All this respect was because of the fact that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is present there in His eternal life, because if this was for any Masjid, then there is no reason for saying “in the Masjid of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
Another sign is that this punishment was for those who lived in the city, who were well aware of the respect of the Masjid Nabawi. If any Masjid was meant there, then the people of Taif would not be exempted as Masjid were there in Taif also.
Imam Qazi Iyaz (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) writes about the respect of presenting oneself before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam):
Translation: The way being respectful and honoring the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was compulsory before the passing away of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), it is compulsory in the same way after the passing away of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) into the presence of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala). It is Wajib on every person who has Iman that whenever he or she hears the mention of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) or himself does it, to express utmost devotion and be respectful in actions and deeds and to honor Him as per the instruction of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), because he or she is in the presence of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
Imam Qazi Iyaz (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) says that this has been the practice of our Pious Predecessors (Salf Saliheen) and our great Imams. In Madina Munawwarah, the visitors should be mindful of the respect of the Masjid Nabawi and should do anything which even has the shadow of disrespect.