❀ Prohibition of Undertaking a Journey Specifically to Visit Graves ❀
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"لَا تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلَّا إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ: الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَمَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ، وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى"
“Do not undertake a journey except to three mosques: Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah), Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Madinah), and Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).”
➤ Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1189
Kitāb Faḍl al-Ṣalāh fī Makkah wa al-Madīnah: Bāb Faḍl al-Ṣalāh fī Masjid Makkah wa al-Madīnah
This hadith lays a foundational restriction:
One should not undertake a religious journey (شَدُّ الرِّحال) for any shrine, grave, or location except the three blessed mosques.
Hence:
◉ Traveling specifically to visit graves, including those of saints, scholars, or even prophets (other than the Prophet ﷺ via Masjid an-Nabawi), is not allowed.
◉ Such actions are not established in the Sunnah and may lead to innovations or acts resembling shirk (polytheism).
◉ Visiting the Prophet’s ﷺ grave while visiting Masjid an-Nabawi is permissible and recommended, because the travel is made to the mosque, not specifically to the grave.
✔ Imām al-Nawawī, Ibn Taymiyyah, and others have used this hadith to emphasize that religiously motivated travel should be reserved only for the three designated mosques.
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī and scholars of Ahl al-Ḥadīth have also affirmed that this hadith prohibits making graves or tombs the object of a journey, no matter how pious the deceased may be.
It is prohibited to undertake a religious journey for the sole purpose of visiting graves, even of righteous individuals.
Such practices are not supported by any authentic Sunnah and were warned against by the Prophet ﷺ to protect the purity of Tawḥīd.
Journeys of religious merit are confined to three mosques only.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✦ The Clear Prophetic Instruction
Narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"لَا تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلَّا إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ: الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَمَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ، وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى"
“Do not undertake a journey except to three mosques: Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah), Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Madinah), and Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).”
➤ Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1189
Kitāb Faḍl al-Ṣalāh fī Makkah wa al-Madīnah: Bāb Faḍl al-Ṣalāh fī Masjid Makkah wa al-Madīnah
✦ Explanation of the Ruling
This hadith lays a foundational restriction:
One should not undertake a religious journey (شَدُّ الرِّحال) for any shrine, grave, or location except the three blessed mosques.Hence:
◉ Traveling specifically to visit graves, including those of saints, scholars, or even prophets (other than the Prophet ﷺ via Masjid an-Nabawi), is not allowed.
◉ Such actions are not established in the Sunnah and may lead to innovations or acts resembling shirk (polytheism).
✦ Clarification on Visiting the Prophet's ﷺ Grave
◉ Visiting the Prophet’s ﷺ grave while visiting Masjid an-Nabawi is permissible and recommended, because the travel is made to the mosque, not specifically to the grave.
✦ Scholarly Commentary
✔ Imām al-Nawawī, Ibn Taymiyyah, and others have used this hadith to emphasize that religiously motivated travel should be reserved only for the three designated mosques.
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī and scholars of Ahl al-Ḥadīth have also affirmed that this hadith prohibits making graves or tombs the object of a journey, no matter how pious the deceased may be.
❖ Summary
It is prohibited to undertake a religious journey for the sole purpose of visiting graves, even of righteous individuals. Such practices are not supported by any authentic Sunnah and were warned against by the Prophet ﷺ to protect the purity of Tawḥīd. Journeys of religious merit are confined to three mosques only.وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
