WEBVTT 00:00:00.780 --> 00:00:09.779 *Riyad al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous), from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:18.309 Chapter: The Desirability of Visiting Graves for Men, and What the Visitor Should Say. 00:00:18.309 --> 00:00:23.519 On the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:27.519 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:33.549 "I had previously forbidden you from visiting graves, but now visit them." 00:00:33.549 --> 00:00:35.549 Narrated by Muslim. 00:00:35.549 --> 00:00:38.289 Among the beneficial points of this hadith: 00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:42.479 The hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:44.479 contain the abrogating (*nasikh*) and the abrogated (*mansukh*), 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:47.479 just as found in the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:51.479 This only occurs in commands and prohibitions; 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:54.479 as for informative reports (*akhbar*) regarding Allah, Mighty and Majestic, 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.479 or regarding His Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:00:57.479 --> 00:01:00.479 abrogation is strictly impermissible. 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:06.930 The prohibition against visiting graves is abrogated according to what is stated in this hadith. 00:01:06.930 --> 00:01:12.180 Encouragement to visit graves as a recommended and commendable act, 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:15.180 because the command came after a prohibition, 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:19.180 thus indicating permissibility or recommendation, as established in legal theory (*usul al-fiqh*). 00:01:19.180 --> 00:01:22.659 The underlying wisdom (*'illah*) in visiting graves 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:24.659 is that it serves as a reminder of the Hereafter, 00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:28.659 softens the heart, brings tears to the eyes, 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:33.079 reminds one of death, and shortens worldly hopes. 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:37.079 Visiting graves does not mean seeking assistance from the dead, 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:40.079 supplicating to those within them, or crying out to them for help, 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:45.079 for that is polytheism (*shirk*) which contradicts the wisdom of the legislated visit. 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:50.420 On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:54.420 Whenever it was her night with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:59.420 he used to go out, 00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:03.420 towards the end of the night, to al-Baqi', 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:08.419 saying: "Peace be upon you, abode of a believing people. 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:11.419 There has come to you what you were promised, 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:13.419 deferred until tomorrow, 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:17.419 and we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:21.419 O Allah, forgive the inhabitants of Baqi' al-Gharqad." 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:25.449 Narrated by Muslim. 00:02:25.449 --> 00:02:29.669 Al-Baqi' is the graveyard of the people of Madinah. 00:02:29.669 --> 00:02:32.669 "There has come to you what you were promised deferred until tomorrow" 00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:37.960 means that what you were promised would occur in the future has now reached you. 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:39.960 "Deferred" (*mu'ajjalun*) 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:45.219 refers to the appointed period between death and the Resurrection. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:49.219 Al-Gharqad is a type of thorny tree, 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:52.219 and the cemetery of Madinah was named after it 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:57.759 because this type of tree was present there. 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:00.050 Among the beneficial points of the hadith: 00:03:00.050 --> 00:03:03.300 The permissibility of visiting graveyards at night. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:09.300 The dead have witnessed what Allah promised them of bliss or punishment, 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:13.750 and in this is affirmation of the punishment and bliss of the grave. 00:03:13.750 --> 00:03:17.139 The ultimate fate of every living being is death. 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:20.139 The recommendation of seeking forgiveness for the believers, 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.740 and that this brings benefit to them. 00:03:23.740 --> 00:03:27.740 Regarding the meaning of the exception (*in sha' Allah*) in his saying, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: 00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:30.740 "And we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you," 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:32.740 there are two interpretations: 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:33.740 The first: 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:36.740 It refers back to the meaning of his saying: 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:39.740 "Abode of a believing people," 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:40.740 meaning: 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:45.740 "And we shall join you in a state of faith, if Allah wills," 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.740 since no believer is safe from tribulation; 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:50.740 we ask Allah for safety. 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:52.810 The second: 00:03:52.810 --> 00:03:54.810 It is not spoken out of doubt, 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:56.810 but rather in accordance with the customary idiom of the Arabic language. 00:03:56.810 --> 00:03:59.810 Do you not see the saying of the Exalted: 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:05.810 ﴿You shall surely enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in safety﴾? 00:04:05.810 --> 00:04:09.810 And doubt cannot possibly be attributed to Allah the Exalted, 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:12.810 the Knower of the unseen. 00:04:12.810 --> 00:04:16.959 On the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.959 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:22.959 used to teach them, whenever they went out to the graveyards, 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:26.019 that the speaker among them should say: 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:31.019 "Peace be upon you, inhabitants of these abodes, among the believers and Muslims, 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:35.019 and we, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. 00:04:35.019 --> 00:04:39.019 I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you." 00:04:39.019 --> 00:04:41.180 Narrated by Muslim. 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:45.339 Among the beneficial points of the hadith: 00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:51.339 The Prophet's keenness, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to teach his Ummah what benefits them. 00:04:51.339 --> 00:04:53.689 Knowledge precedes action, 00:04:53.689 --> 00:04:56.689 which is why the Messenger, peace be upon him, 00:04:56.689 --> 00:05:00.689 taught them before they acted. 00:05:00.689 --> 00:05:05.139 It is impermissible to undertake an act of worship without knowledge. 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:08.329 The recommendation of supplicating for the dead, 00:05:08.329 --> 00:05:11.329 including oneself in the supplication, 00:05:11.329 --> 00:05:15.329 and specifically designating the greetings of peace and supplications for the people of faith. 00:05:15.329 --> 00:05:20.449 On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: 00:05:20.449 --> 00:05:23.449 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:05:23.449 --> 00:05:26.449 passed by some graves in Madinah, 00:05:26.449 --> 00:05:29.449 so he turned his face toward them and said: 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:33.449 "Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of the graves. 00:05:33.449 --> 00:05:36.449 May Allah forgive us and you. 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:39.449 You are our predecessors, and we are following in your footsteps." 00:05:39.449 --> 00:05:43.949 Narrated by al-Tirmidhi. 00:05:43.949 --> 00:05:48.949 "Our predecessors" (*salafuna*) means those dear ones who died before a person. 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:51.240 "Following in your footsteps" (*nahnu bi-l-athar*) 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.240 means we shall be following you shortly. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:06:01.509 Chapter: The Dislike of Wishing for Death Due to Harm That Has Befallen One, 00:06:01.509 --> 00:06:05.509 and That There Is No Harm in It Due to Fear of Tribulation in One's Religion. 00:06:05.509 --> 00:06:09.660 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, 00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:13.660 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:17.660 "None of you should wish for death; 00:06:17.660 --> 00:06:21.660 for if he is a doer of good, he may increase in it, 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:25.660 and if he is an evildoer, he may seek to make amends." 00:06:25.660 --> 00:06:30.660 Agreed upon, and this is the wording of al-Bukhari. 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:35.790 In a narration by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, 00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:39.790 from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said: 00:06:39.790 --> 00:06:42.790 "None of you should wish for death, 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:46.790 nor pray for it before it comes to him; 00:06:46.790 --> 00:06:50.819 for when one dies, his deeds come to an end, 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:55.819 and indeed, a believer's life only adds to his goodness." 00:06:55.819 --> 00:07:00.459 "He may seek to make amends" (*yusta'tab*) means that he might return to Allah the Exalted 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:02.459 in repentance and redressing injustices, 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.459 seeking the pleasure of Allah the Exalted. 00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:09.230 Among the beneficial points of the hadith: 00:07:09.230 --> 00:07:13.389 The prohibition against wishing for death and asking for it from Allah the Exalted 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:15.389 before it descends upon a person, 00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:18.389 because an increase in life spent in piety towards Allah the Exalted 00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:21.389 brings an increase in good deeds. 00:07:21.389 --> 00:07:25.839 Supplication is answered when it coincides with an hour of response; 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.839 for this reason, wishing for death was prohibited, 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.839 and it is counted among the disliked forms of supplication. 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:36.319 A believer should take advantage of his life 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.319 in obedience to Allah and in increasing good deeds, 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:42.319 and in holding oneself accountable and repenting 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.319 from whatever sins and misdeeds have issued from him. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:50.540 On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 00:07:50.540 --> 00:07:54.540 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 00:07:54.540 --> 00:07:59.540 "None of you should wish for death because of harm that has afflicted him; 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:02.540 but if he must do so, 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:04.540 let him say: 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:08.540 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is good for me, 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:13.540 and take my soul if death is good for me.'" 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:15.629 Agreed upon. 00:08:15.629 --> 00:08:18.920 On the authority of Qays ibn Abi Hazim, who said: 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:23.920 We visited Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, to inquire after his health, 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:26.920 and he had been cauterized seven times. 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:27.920 So he said: 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.920 "Our companions who have passed away before us departed 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.919 without the world diminishing anything of their reward, 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:38.919 while we have attained worldly wealth for which we find no place except the dust. 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:42.950 And were it not that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:08:42.950 --> 00:08:44.950 forbade us from praying for death, 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:46.950 I would have prayed for it." 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:52.210 Then we came to him another time while he was building a wall of his, 00:08:52.210 --> 00:08:53.210 and he said: 00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:57.210 "Indeed, a Muslim is rewarded for everything he spends, 00:08:57.210 --> 00:09:02.210 except for that which he puts into this dust." 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:04.269 Agreed upon, 00:09:04.269 --> 00:09:07.269 and this is the wording of al-Bukhari's narration. 00:09:07.269 --> 00:09:10.100 "Departed before us" (*salafu*) 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:14.389 means they died and went to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. 00:09:14.389 --> 00:09:16.389 "Without the world diminishing anything of their reward" 00:09:16.389 --> 00:09:20.389 means they did not enjoy any worldly pleasures 00:09:20.389 --> 00:09:25.389 that would diminish what has been prepared for them in the Hereafter. 00:09:25.389 --> 00:09:29.710 "We find no place for it except the dust" 00:09:29.710 --> 00:09:32.710 means we accumulated wealth beyond our need, 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:37.710 finding no place to store it except in the earth, 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:40.710 burying it therein out of fear of theft. 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:44.480 Among the beneficial points of the hadith: 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:46.639 The prohibition against wishing for death. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:51.019 The virtue of Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:54.019 his deep awareness of his Master, 00:09:54.019 --> 00:09:58.019 and his severe self-reproach and self-reckoning, 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:00.019 even in permissible matters. 00:10:00.019 --> 00:10:03.409 Encouragement to visit the sick. 00:10:03.409 --> 00:10:06.980 The virtue of emulating those who died upon Islam 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:10.980 before partaking in any of the worldly luxuries. 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:14.620 Spending on construction and building 00:10:14.620 --> 00:10:18.620 carries no reward if it is done without a genuine need or necessity, 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:22.620 because it is putting wealth in other than its proper place, 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:26.620 and because spending excessively on building fosters attachment to this world 00:10:26.620 --> 00:10:28.620 and distracts from the Hereafter. 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:32.230 The permissibility of cauterization when needed, 00:10:32.230 --> 00:10:34.230 as it is the final remedy; 00:10:34.230 --> 00:10:38.230 however, one should know that cauterization is disliked 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:41.230 because it conflicts with optimal reliance on Allah (*tawakkul*). 00:10:41.230 --> 00:10:46.570 Chapter: Scrupulousness (*Wara'*) and Avoiding Doubtful Matters. 00:10:46.570 --> 00:10:50.590 Allah the Exalted said: 00:10:50.590 --> 00:10:55.590 “When ye welcomed it with your tongues, and uttered with your mouths that whereof ye had no knowledge, ye counted it a trifle. In the sight of Allah it is very great.” (24:15) 00:10:55.590 --> 00:10:57.590 And the Exalted said: 00:10:57.590 --> 00:11:00.590 ﴿Indeed, your Lord is ever watchful.﴾ 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:06.679 On the authority of al-Nu'man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:11.679 I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saying: 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:13.679 "Verily, the lawful is clear, 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:15.679 and the unlawful is clear, 00:11:16.679 --> 00:11:21.679 and between them are doubtful matters about which many people have no knowledge. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:23.679 So whoever guards against doubtful matters 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:26.679 clears his religion and his honor, 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:28.679 and whoever falls into doubtful matters 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:30.679 falls into the unlawful, 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:33.679 like a shepherd who grazes his flock around a sanctuary, 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.679 on the verge of pasturing within it. 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.779 Truly, every king has a sanctuary; 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:42.779 truly, the sanctuary of Allah is His prohibitions. 00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:46.940 Truly, in the body there is a piece of flesh: 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:49.940 if it is sound, the entire body is sound, 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:52.940 and if it is corrupted, the entire body is corrupted. 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:56.059 Truly, it is the heart." 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:58.059 Agreed upon. 00:11:58.059 --> 00:12:02.059 Both scholars recorded it through various chains with similar wordings. 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:04.960 "Clear" 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:06.960 meaning evident and manifest. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:09.120 "Doubtful matters" 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:14.309 meaning ambiguous issues, because they resemble both the lawful and the unlawful. 00:12:14.309 --> 00:12:16.309 "So whoever guards against doubtful matters" 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:20.500 meaning steers clear of ambiguities and takes precautions against them, 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:22.500 "clears his religion and his honor," 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:26.500 meaning he safeguards his religion against deficiency 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:28.500 and his honor against defamation. 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:30.659 "The sanctuary (hima)" 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:33.659 refers to protected pastureland reserved by the ruler, 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:35.659 who warns against grazing within it. 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:37.889 "His prohibitions" 00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:40.889 meaning the acts of disobedience that Allah has forbidden, 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:43.139 such as murder and theft. 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:44.139 "A lump of flesh (mudghah)" 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:47.879 meaning a small piece of flesh. 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:51.230 Among the lessons of the hadith: 00:12:51.230 --> 00:12:54.230 Allah Almighty revealed the Book unto His servant, 00:12:54.230 --> 00:13:00.230 clarifying within it for the Ummah all that it needs regarding the lawful and the unlawful, 00:13:00.230 --> 00:13:03.230 and He entrusted the clarification of what is intricate in the revelation 00:13:03.230 --> 00:13:06.230 to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:13:06.230 --> 00:13:10.230 By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not pass away 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:14.230 until he had left the path clear and manifest. 00:13:14.230 --> 00:13:18.779 Allah and His Messenger left no lawful matter without making it clear, 00:13:18.779 --> 00:13:21.779 nor any unlawful matter without making it clear. 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:25.779 However, some matters are more evident in their clarity than others; 00:13:25.779 --> 00:13:29.779 thus, whatever is plainly manifest, widely known, and whose ruling is established, 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:32.779 leaves no one with an excuse of ignorance 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:35.779 in a land where Islam is prevalent. 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:39.289 There is an intermediate realm between the lawful and the unlawful 00:13:39.289 --> 00:13:42.289 where the two become conflated, 00:13:42.289 --> 00:13:45.769 and whoever guards against it has indeed attained salvation. 00:13:45.769 --> 00:13:49.769 Doubtful matters that are not clearly known to be lawful 00:13:49.769 --> 00:13:52.769 or unlawful to many people, 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:56.769 just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed us, 00:13:56.769 --> 00:14:00.769 may become clear to some individuals as being either lawful or unlawful 00:14:00.769 --> 00:14:05.409 due to the additional knowledge they possess. 00:14:05.409 --> 00:14:08.409 Whoever finds a matter doubtful must leave it, 00:14:08.409 --> 00:14:12.409 because one who indulges in doubtful matters despite their ambiguity 00:14:12.409 --> 00:14:15.409 was described by the Prophet, peace be upon him, 00:14:15.409 --> 00:14:18.409 as having fallen into the unlawful. 00:14:18.409 --> 00:14:21.860 The driving force behind safeguarding one's religion and honor, 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.860 or falling into doubtful matters, 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:27.860 is the rectitude or corruption of the heart's inner state. 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:30.860 For if the heart's state is sound, 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:33.860 the actions of the limbs will be sound, 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:36.860 and the servant will avoid prohibitions and guard against doubtful matters. 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:40.620 A servant ought to safeguard 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:43.620 the matters of his religion, uphold nobility of character, 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.620 and shun whatever undermines it; 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:49.620 for whoever enters places of ill repute 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:53.169 will be suspected. Falling into clear prohibitions 00:14:53.169 --> 00:14:56.169 does not happen all at once, but rather gradually; 00:14:56.169 --> 00:14:59.169 for whoever excessively indulges in disliked and doubtful matters 00:14:59.169 --> 00:15:02.169 develops the audacity to commit 00:15:02.169 --> 00:15:05.169 what is fundamentally prohibited, becoming addicted to it. 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:08.649 A servant should take precautions for his religion, 00:15:08.649 --> 00:15:11.649 thus leaving that which is harmless 00:15:11.649 --> 00:15:14.649 out of caution against falling into that which is harmful. 00:15:14.649 --> 00:15:18.190 Knowledge is a light through which the servant perceives 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:21.190 the true realities of things that remain hidden 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:24.700 from many people. 00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:27.700 Inward righteousness leads to outward righteousness, 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:31.629 and vice versa. 00:15:31.629 --> 00:15:34.629 [Riyad al-Salihin]