Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
1.
From the practice of Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu), it is understood that performing prayers at places where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed, and seeking blessings (tabarruk) from them, is recommended.
Moreover, Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was famously extremely strict in following the Sunnah. On the other hand, his noble father, our master Umar (radi Allahu anhu), had a different approach: Once, during a journey, he saw people trying to get ahead of each other to pray at a particular spot. He inquired about the matter, and people informed him that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had prayed there.
Upon this, he said:
If the time for prayer coincides with such places, then pray there; otherwise, proceed and pray wherever the time comes.
The People of the Book were destroyed because they sought out the relics of their prophets (alayhim as-salam), built places of worship there, and constructed churches.
After this, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) tried to reconcile the actions of father and son. He states that Umar’s (radi Allahu anhu) statement pertains to the visits of common people, who consider visiting these places without praying there as virtuous.
Umar (radi Allahu anhu) disliked the actions of such people.
He feared that such people might come to regard praying at these places as obligatory.
There is no such risk from individuals like Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu).
Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed in the house of Itban (radi Allahu anhu) so that Itban could pray there regularly.
This is evidence that seeking blessings from the relics of the righteous is permissible.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/736)
However, despite the great stature of Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah), we do not agree with his position, because it opens the backdoor to shirk and innovation, which a farsighted person like Umar (radi Allahu anhu) sought to close.
Then, Umar (radi Allahu anhu) specifically disliked the practice of people seeking out the relics of the righteous and praying there with special attention. Thus, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) states:
“Those things which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did incidentally, if they are done incidentally, there is no harm—meaning, if one is traveling and the time for prayer coincides with a place where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed, then one may pray there. But to make a regular practice of it is not correct. In the hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
‘Do not undertake a journey (for the sake of nearness to Allah) except to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque (Bayt Allah), the Prophet’s Mosque, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.’”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, The Virtue of Prayer in the Mosques of Mecca and Medina, Hadith: 1189)

2.
Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi (rahimahullah) says:
In the era of ignorance, people used to visit blessed places for “ziyarah” (visitation). Since this opened the door to worship of other than Allah, the root of this corruption was closed off. In my view, the grave of any saint and his place of worship are also included in this hadith, meaning that traveling to them for the sake of nearness (to Allah) is not permissible.
(Hujjat Allah al-Balighah: 1/192)
Previously, Umar’s (radi Allahu anhu) warning was also cited from Fath al-Bari.
(al-Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 3/367)
Furthermore, when Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was informed that people were stopping under the tree for blessings, under which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had taken the pledge from the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in), he ordered that the tree be cut down.
(Fath al-Bari: 7/558)
Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu), due to his extreme adherence compared to other Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in), adopted this path, but even so, we see that he never traveled to visit the Cave of Thawr, the Cave of Hira, or the site of the Pledge of Aqabah, even though these places are associated with important events in Islamic history. In fact, there is a narration about Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) that Qaza’ah the Tabi’i (rahimahullah) asked him about going to Mount Tur, and he forbade him from going there, saying that it is only permissible to travel for reward to three mosques.
(Tahdheer al-Sajid by al-Albani)
Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said that the tree under which we pledged allegiance (Bay’at al-Ridwan), when we went there the following year, it had been concealed from us, so much so that even two of us could not agree on its exact location.
Its being hidden was a mercy from Allah for us.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jihad, Hadith: 2958)
Al-Musayyib ibn Hazn (radi Allahu anhu) also agreed with Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) regarding its being unknown.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Hadith: 4164)
Tariq ibn Abd al-Rahman says that one year I went for Hajj and passed by people who were praying at a certain place with special attention.
I asked, “Which mosque is this in which these people are praying with such attention?”
It was said, “This is the very tree under which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) took the pledge of allegiance from his Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in).”
I immediately went to Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib (rahimahullah) and informed him. He said that according to my father al-Musayyib (rahimahullah), when we came to the place of Hudaybiyyah the following year, we had forgotten the location of the tree.
Despite much effort, we were unable to determine its exact place.
Then Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib (rahimahullah) said that the Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in) of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) could not identify it.
If these people have discovered it, that is their business; what concern do we have with them?
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Hadith: 4163)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) writes that the wisdom in this was that, in the future, the blessings of this tree would not become a trial for people.
If the tree had remained, ignorant people would have venerated it to such an extent that they would have developed beliefs about its ability to benefit or harm.
Just as today we observe such beliefs and notions regarding many places.
(Fath al-Bari: 6/143)
Moreover, how can a non-prophet be analogized to a prophet? At most, it can be established that one may hold a belief in the blessings of the relics of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
But what proof is there regarding the relics of others?

3.
The correct view is that Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was a very sensitive person.
He forbade the pursuit of the relics of the prophets (alayhim as-salam) so that they would not, at any time in the future, become a means to shirk. He had more knowledge and experience in this matter than his son.
The story of Itban cannot be used as evidence for the opposite view, because he invited the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to his house specifically so that he would pray in a corner of his house and he could designate it as a permanent place of prayer.
But deliberately going to such relics and events encountered along the way is not established from this incident; rather, in our view, doing so is not legislated.
As Umar (radi Allahu anhu) warned regarding them, this is the way of the People of the Book and a means to shirk.
And Allah knows best.

4.
Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) used to pray at these places as a means of seeking blessings and following (the Sunnah).
Indeed, every statement, action, and footprint of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a source of goodness and blessing for us, but the excesses and deficiencies found in our society regarding the relics of the prophets (alayhim as-salam) are highly condemnable.
For example, some people, without any evidence, even declare his urine and excrement to be pure.

5.
Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) had two students:
One was his son, Salim, and the other his freed slave, Nafi’.
Just as Salim narrates the traditions of Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) regarding these places, so does Nafi’.
Their student, Musa ibn Uqbah, states that regarding these places, Nafi’ narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) used to pray there.
Then I contacted his son, Salim, about this matter, and he provided details regarding Nafi’s narration, but their statements differed regarding the mosque of Sharaf al-Rawha’.
Nafi’ mentioned it, but Salim did not.
It should be noted that Rawha’ is the name of a place, and Sharaf means elevation.
The meaning is that regarding the identification of the mosque on the elevated area adjacent to Rawha’, there is a difference between the statements of Nafi’ and Salim.

6.
Most of the places and mosques that will be identified in the following words and phrases have now disappeared.
Their correct identification can only be made by someone who has seen them.
It is very difficult to identify them through words.
Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) identified these places both through words and by practically showing them to his associates.
There are seven stages in this journey from Mecca to Medina.
Now, the explanation of each stage is presented below.