Visiting Graves from the Perspective of Wahhabism

Question

What is the view of Wahhabism on visiting graves?

The founders of Wahhabism have expressed contradictory views on visiting graves. On one hand, they permit visiting graves, but in practice, they prevent it. They also consider traveling for the purpose of visiting graves to be **haram** (forbidden) and an act of **shirk** (associating partners with Allah), citing a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as evidence.

Ruling on Visiting Graves

Ibn Taymiyyah states that visiting graves or performing a "legal visitation" for someone who seeks closeness to Allah through it is not prohibited. Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab says that those who travel to Medina must intend their journey for the purpose of visiting the Prophet's Mosque, and after arriving, men may visit the grave of the Prophet, but women are not allowed to do so. Wahhabis claim that the act of visiting graves is permissible for men but disliked (makruh) for women, based on certain narrations. At the same time, they believe that touching the grave, rubbing it, praying near it, or making vows to it are not part of the religion of Muslims but are instead **bid'ah** (innovation) and lead to shirk.

Practical Behavior of Wahhabis Toward Visiting Graves

Although Wahhabis permit visiting graves based on narrations, in practice, they prevent it. At the beginning of his activities, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, under the pretext that Muslims were visiting the graves of saints and prophets, massacred Muslims and launched what he called "campaigns" against them, accusing them of worshipping graves and declaring their blood, wealth, and honor permissible. Due to the hatred Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab faced from Muslims for his actions, he defended himself by claiming that these were false accusations. He said that the claims that he declared those who sought intercession from the righteous as disbelievers and that he would have destroyed the dome of the Prophet's grave if he had the power, or removed the **Mizab of the Kaaba**, and prohibited visiting the Prophet's grave and the graves of parents, were all false accusations against him.

Prohibition of Traveling for Visitation

The Wahhabi view that they do not accept the principle of visitation is evident from their stance on traveling for visitation. They consider traveling for the purpose of visiting graves to be haram and bid'ah, without any convincing evidence, and regard it as shirk. Wahhabis claim that Muslims unanimously agree on this prohibition. They argue that the statements of scholars also indicate that no one should travel to visit any grave. Wahhabis base their prohibition on the hadith: Template:Arabic text They claim that none of the Imams of the schools of thought disagree on this ruling. The companions also understood the prohibition of travel from the hadith "لا تشد الرحال" (Do not undertake journeys). Wahhabis assert that the majority of scholars do not permit travel to places other than the three mosques and consider those who permit it, such as al-Subki, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, and others, as innovators. They view their ruling as a violation of hadiths and a breach of consensus.

If visiting graves is permissible, there is no reason to prohibit traveling for visitation or to consider it bid'ah and haram. Therefore, if visitation itself is not bid'ah or haram, and according to Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, there is no religious prohibition, then traveling for visitation, which has no element of prohibition or bid'ah, cannot be considered haram or illegitimate. This indicates that, in their view, the act of visitation itself is problematic, which is why they consider traveling for it to be haram and bid'ah.

Moreover, if Wahhabis believe that visitation without travel is permissible, this only applies to those who reside in the city of visitation. However, no one from other cities, according to Wahhabi logic, has the right to visit unless they travel for another purpose, such as trade or tourism, and incidentally perform the visitation. How can it be acceptable that traveling for a permissible act like visitation is haram and bid'ah, while worldly purposes make the journey permissible? Furthermore, even residents of the city of visitation, according to this Wahhabi rule, should not leave their homes with the intention of visiting graves, as this intention and the short distance traveled should also be haram and illegitimate. Therefore, based on this Wahhabi principle, the people of Medina do not have the right to leave their homes to visit the grave of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) unless they coincidentally pass by the grave and visit it.

Ambiguity of Visitation in Wahhabism

The reality of visitation according to Wahhabi principles is highly ambiguous. In fact, the visitation they permit is not truly visitation, as they prohibit touching the grave, **making dua**, **seeking blessings**, and similar acts near the grave, considering them bid'ah and shirk. Thus, the visitation they permit is practically impossible. They even prohibit standing facing the grave, citing the example of Anas bin Malik, who leaned against the wall of the grave after greeting the Prophet (peace be upon him) and then made dua. They awkwardly use this example to argue against traveling for visitation, claiming that if traveling to graves were permissible, Anas bin Malik would not have made dua with his back to the grave. However, standing with one's back to the grave has no connection to traveling. Therefore, the only act that Wahhabis might permit is greeting the occupant of the grave, and nothing more. Even this has not been explicitly endorsed by Wahhabis.