The Correct Sunnah Method of Offering Salām at the Prophet ﷺ’s Grave
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – ʿAqāʾid ka Bayān, Vol. 1, p. 64
What is the correct method of saying salām at the grave of the Prophet ﷺ? Is there any textual evidence? Some people quote the statement of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):
"As-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūlallāh, addayta al-amānah, wa naṣaḥta al-ummah, wa ballaghta al-risālah, fa jazākallāhu afḍala mā jazā bihi ʿan ummatih"
(“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! You fulfilled the trust, advised the Ummah sincerely, and conveyed the message. May Allah reward you with the best reward that He has ever given to any Prophet on behalf of his nation.”)
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The correct and Sunnah way of saying salām at the Prophet ﷺ’s grave is the same as the way he ﷺ taught his Ummah to greet all other Muslim graves.
Conclusion:
At the Prophet ﷺ’s grave, greet him with the general Sunnah greeting for graves — e.g.:
"As-salāmu ʿalaykum ahl al-diyār min al-muʾminīn wa-l-muslimīn, wa innā inshāʾAllāh bikum lāḥiqūn."
This is what he ﷺ legislated for all Muslims, including himself after death.
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – ʿAqāʾid ka Bayān, Vol. 1, p. 64
Question
What is the correct method of saying salām at the grave of the Prophet ﷺ? Is there any textual evidence? Some people quote the statement of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):
"As-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūlallāh, addayta al-amānah, wa naṣaḥta al-ummah, wa ballaghta al-risālah, fa jazākallāhu afḍala mā jazā bihi ʿan ummatih"
(“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! You fulfilled the trust, advised the Ummah sincerely, and conveyed the message. May Allah reward you with the best reward that He has ever given to any Prophet on behalf of his nation.”)
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The correct and Sunnah way of saying salām at the Prophet ﷺ’s grave is the same as the way he ﷺ taught his Ummah to greet all other Muslim graves.
Evidence
- The Prophet ﷺ gave a general instruction for greeting the dwellers of the graves, and this general Sunnah applies to his own blessed grave as well.
- There is no special legislated wording exclusive to his grave that is established from him ﷺ himself.
About Ibn ʿUmar’s Statement
- The wording narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) — “As-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūlallāh…” — is his own personal supplication and etiquette.
- This is not a Prophetic instruction; therefore, it should be considered permissible as an individual duʿāʾ but not taken as a prescribed formula in Sharīʿah.
Conclusion:At the Prophet ﷺ’s grave, greet him with the general Sunnah greeting for graves — e.g.:
"As-salāmu ʿalaykum ahl al-diyār min al-muʾminīn wa-l-muslimīn, wa innā inshāʾAllāh bikum lāḥiqūn."
This is what he ﷺ legislated for all Muslims, including himself after death.
