Investigation of 13 Narrations on Sending Ṣalawāt at the Prophet’s Grave

Original article by Ghulām Muṣṭafā Zaḥīr Amnpurī (ḥifẓahullāh), reorganized here with clear headings for ease of reading.

Introduction​

Some believe that the Prophet ﷺ hears the ṣalawāt and salutations sent at his blessed grave. Others suggest variations—some say he hears those recited close by, while angels convey distant salutations. What is the reality? Below is an examination of thirteen purported narrations according to the principles of hadith criticism.

① Narration 1: From Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه)
Text:
“Whoever sends ṣalāh upon me at my grave, I will hear him; and whoever sends it from afar, it will be conveyed to me.”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān al-Bayhaqī 1481; Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ 19; Al-Ḍu‘afāʾ al-Kabīr 136/4–137; Tārīkh Baghdād 292/3; Targhīb wa’l-Tarhīb 1666)

Critique:

• Weakness of Chains:
  
  • Muḥammad ibn Marwān al-Suddī (ṣaghīr) is declared a liar (kadhdhāb) by Ibn Ḥajar, al-Ṭabarānī, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī, Yaḥyá ibn Ma‘īn, al-Bukhārī, al-Nasā’ī, and others.
  • Sulaymān ibn Mihrān al-‘Amash is a mudallis (unclarified transmission).
• Scholarly Consensus: All major mufassirīn and muḥaddithīn deem it extremely weak.

② Narration 2: Detailed Promises
Text:
“Whoever sends ṣalāh upon me at my grave, I will hear him; whoever sends it from afar, an angel will convey it. Through this ṣalāh his worldly and final affairs will prosper, and I will intercede for him.”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān 1481; Tārīkh Baghdād 291/3–292; Targhīb wa’l-Tarhīb 1698)

Critique:

• Fabricated (mawḍū‘): Chains include Muḥammad ibn Marwān al-Suddī (fabricator) and Muḥammad ibn Yūnus al-Qurashī (liar).
• Unreliable Transmission: Also features ‘Amash’s tadlīs and weak transmitters like ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Arraj.

③ Narration 3: Sending on Friday
Text:
“Increase your ṣalawāt upon me on Fridays, for the angels attend. Wherever one is, his voice reaches me. Yes, after my death! Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets.”
(al-Ṭabarānī via Jalā’ al-Afhām; see Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 63)

Critique:

• Discontinuous (munqati‘): No link from Sa‘īd ibn Abū Hilāl to Abū Dardāʾ.
• Sixth-Class Narrator: Ibn Ḥajar places Sa‘īd in Tabaqāt Sādisah—no meeting with the Companion.

④ Narration 4: Recognition of Lovers’ Ṣalawāt
Text:
“I hear and recognize the ṣalawāt of those who love me.”
(Dalā’il al-Khayrāt, p. 32)

Critique:

• No Chain: Entirely unsourced and fabricated.
  

⑤ Narration 5: Dream-Visions
Text:
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream; I said, ‘O Messenger, these people send greetings at your grave. Do you hear them?’ He replied, ‘Yes, and I respond.’”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān 3868; Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ 19)

Critique:

• Weak Transmission: Sulaimān ibn Suhaym’s link is unverified; Suwayd ibn Sa‘īd al-Ḥudānī became unreliable after blindness.
  

⑥ Narration 6: Angel at the Grave
Text:
“Allah will appoint an angel at my grave who hears all creatures. Whoever sends ṣalāh upon me, that angel will report his name and ṣalāh to me.”
(Musnad al-Bazzār 254/4; Tārīkh al-Kabīr 416/6; Musnad al-Ḥārith 962/2; Targhīb 319/2)

Critique:

• Unknown Narrator: Imrān ibn Ḥumayrī al-Ju‘fī—no biographical data.
• Additional Weakness: Na‘īm ibn Ḍamḍam is declared weak by al-Ḥaythamī and al-Ḥusaynī.

⑦ Narration 7: From Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه)
Text:
“Send ṣalāh upon me abundantly. Allah appoints an angel who informs me: ‘So-and-so sent greetings.’”
(al-Lālī al-Maṣnū‘ah 259/1; al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah 1530)

Critique:

• Unknown Links: Bakr ibn Khudāsh and Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Marwazī lack reliable chains.
• Weak Overall: Classified as weak by al-Sakhāwī.
  

⑧ Narration 8: Angels Conveying Deeds and Greetings
Text:
“Angels roam the earth, bringing my ummah’s greetings to me. My life is better for conversation; my death, so that your deeds are presented.”
(Musnad al-Bazzār 308/5; see also Dalā’il an-Nubuwwah 1/382)

Critique:

• Mudallis Transmission: Sufyān al-Thawrī’s “an” without clarifying hearing.
• Establishing Weak Role: ‘Abd al-Majīd ibn Abū Ruwād is also a mudallis.

⑨ Narration 9: 100 Ṣalawāt on Friday
Text:
“Whoever sends 100 ṣalawāt on Friday, Allah fulfills 100 needs—70 for the Hereafter, 30 for this world—and assigns an angel to present them at my grave.”
(Al-Fawā’id Ibn Mandah 56; Targhīb 320/2–321)

Critique:

• Fabricated Source: Ḥukāmah bint ‘Uthmān’s reports are baseless; her narrations are rejected by al-Aqīlī.
  

⑩ Narration 10: Closest on Resurrection Day
Text:
“On the Day of Resurrection, the closest to me will be the one who sent the most ṣalawāt upon me.”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān 2773; Ḥayāt al-Anbiyāʾ 13)

Critique:

• Same Weaknesses: Mirrors defects of Narration 8.

⑪ Narration 11: ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz’s Envoy

Text:
“‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz sent an envoy to visit the Prophet’s grave with greetings.”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān 3869)

Critique:

• Unknown Transmitters: Ibrāhīm ibn Farrās and Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Rāzī lack authentication.
  

⑫ Narration 12: Request by ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz

Text:
“‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz said: ‘When you visit the Prophet’s grave in Madīnah, convey my greetings.’”
(Shu‘ab al-Īmān 3870)

Critique:

• Anonymous Narrator: Rabāḥ ibn Bashīr is unknown; deemed junghāl (of no standing).

⑬ Narration 13: Ka‘b al-Aḥbār’s Claim

Text:
“Ka‘b al-Aḥbār said: ‘Every dawn 70,000 angels surround the Prophet’s grave, covering it with their wings and sending ṣalawāt.’”
(Al-Zuhd Ibn al-Mubārak 1600; Musnad al-Dārimī 47/1; Faḍā’il al-Ṣalāh 102)

Critique:

• Disconnected Chain: Nabīhah ibn Wahb’s meeting with Ka‘b is unestablished; thus munqati‘.

Conclusion​

• All thirteen narrations are either weak, fabricated, or so poorly transmitted that they cannot support the belief that the Prophet ﷺ hears ṣalawāt at his grave.
• Islamic creed demands reliance on sound, well-authenticated ḥadīth. Absent such proof, this belief should be abandoned.

May Allah grant us adherence to authentic traditions.
Ameen.