Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What should one do upon reaching the graveyard?
When visiting the graveyard, one should make supplication (duʿā) for the deceased.
❀ Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
Whenever it was her turn with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he would go out towards Baqīʿ al-Gharqad at the end of the night and say:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَآتَاكُمْ مَا تُوعَدُونَ غَدًا مُؤَجَّلُونَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأَهْلِ بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدِ
Peace be upon you, O abode of believing people! What you were promised will soon come to you. We, if Allah wills, shall join you. O Allah, forgive the people of Baqīʿ al-Gharqad.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 974)
❀ Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught her this supplication when visiting graves:
السَّلَامُ عَلَىٰ أَهْلِ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَيَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنَّا وَالْمُسْتَأْخِرِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ
Peace be upon the inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy upon those who have gone before us and those who will come after. We, if Allah wills, shall join you.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 974)
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the graveyard and recited:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ
Peace be upon you, O abode of believing people! We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you.
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
“I wished that we could see our brothers.”
The companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?”
He ﷺ replied: “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have not yet come into the world.”
They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize those of your ummah who have not yet been born?”
He ﷺ said: “Tell me, if a man has horses with white blazes and marks among a herd of black horses, will he not recognize his horses?”
They said: “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!”
He ﷺ replied: “They will come on the Day of Judgment with radiant limbs due to the traces of wuḍūʾ, and I will be waiting for them at the Ḥawḍ (the Fountain). But beware! Some people will be driven away from my Ḥawḍ just like a stray camel is driven away. I will call out: ‘Come here!’ But it will be said: ‘They changed the religion after you.’ Then I will say: ‘Be gone! Be gone!’”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 249)
❀ Sayyidunā Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach them that when they went to the graveyard, they should say:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَاحِقُونَ، أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ لَنَا وَلَكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ
Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 975)
❀ Sayyidunā Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite this supplication when visiting the graveyard:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ، أَنْتُمْ لَنَا فَرَطٌ وَنَحْنُ لَكُمْ تَبَعٌ، أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَافِيَةَ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ
Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. You have preceded us, and we shall follow after you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.
(Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 2040; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1547, authentic chain)
Any of the above supplications may be recited when visiting the graveyard.
✦ Question:
What should one do upon reaching the graveyard?
✦ Answer:
When visiting the graveyard, one should make supplication (duʿā) for the deceased.
❀ Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
Whenever it was her turn with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he would go out towards Baqīʿ al-Gharqad at the end of the night and say:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَآتَاكُمْ مَا تُوعَدُونَ غَدًا مُؤَجَّلُونَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأَهْلِ بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدِ
Peace be upon you, O abode of believing people! What you were promised will soon come to you. We, if Allah wills, shall join you. O Allah, forgive the people of Baqīʿ al-Gharqad.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 974)
❀ Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught her this supplication when visiting graves:
السَّلَامُ عَلَىٰ أَهْلِ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَيَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنَّا وَالْمُسْتَأْخِرِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ
Peace be upon the inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy upon those who have gone before us and those who will come after. We, if Allah wills, shall join you.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 974)
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the graveyard and recited:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ
Peace be upon you, O abode of believing people! We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you.
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
“I wished that we could see our brothers.”
The companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?”
He ﷺ replied: “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have not yet come into the world.”
They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how will you recognize those of your ummah who have not yet been born?”
He ﷺ said: “Tell me, if a man has horses with white blazes and marks among a herd of black horses, will he not recognize his horses?”
They said: “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!”
He ﷺ replied: “They will come on the Day of Judgment with radiant limbs due to the traces of wuḍūʾ, and I will be waiting for them at the Ḥawḍ (the Fountain). But beware! Some people will be driven away from my Ḥawḍ just like a stray camel is driven away. I will call out: ‘Come here!’ But it will be said: ‘They changed the religion after you.’ Then I will say: ‘Be gone! Be gone!’”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 249)
❀ Sayyidunā Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach them that when they went to the graveyard, they should say:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَاحِقُونَ، أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ لَنَا وَلَكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ
Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 975)
❀ Sayyidunā Buraydah رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite this supplication when visiting the graveyard:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ، أَنْتُمْ لَنَا فَرَطٌ وَنَحْنُ لَكُمْ تَبَعٌ، أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَافِيَةَ لَنَا وَلَكُمْ
Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of these abodes from among the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah wills, shall soon join you. You have preceded us, and we shall follow after you. I ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.
(Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 2040; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1547, authentic chain)
Any of the above supplications may be recited when visiting the graveyard.