According to the consensus of scholars visiting the sacred tomb of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa sallam is Sunnah and cause of a great virtue. Allah Almighty has incited Muslim Ummah to visit the Blessed tomb of the Most Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa Sallam in these words. He, the Exalted, says,

" And We have not sent any Messenger, but that he should be obeyed by Allah's will. And if when they do injustice unto their souls, then O beloved! They should come to you and then beg forgiveness of Allah and the messenger should intercede for them, then surely, they would find Allah Most Relenting, Merciful."

Sura An nisa verse 64

In this verse Muslim Ummah have been incited to come in the court of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam and to ask for forgiveness. This quranic order does not specific with apparent life of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa Sallam but it is common to all times. The Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam even today ask forgiveness for his ummah as the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa Sallam himself told. Imam Bazzar narrates with the fine chain of narrators from Abdullah Ibne Masood radi Allahu ta'ala anhu that the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa Sallam of Allah azzowajal and salla Allahu alahi wa Sallam says," My life is better for you. You ask me(about halaal and haraam) and I tell you(by revelation) commands. And my death is better for you. Your actions will be presented before me. And I will thank Allah seeing your virtuous deeds and I will ask forgiveness seeing your vicious deeds.

Therefore the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam gave good news to the sinners of his ummah that I will ask for them forgiveness after my death. By the Holy Quran it come to know that who ask his Lord for forgiveness and comes in the court of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam, the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam supplicate for him for forgiveness. Hence the scholars of the ummah wrote clearly that this status of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam did not come to an end due to his apparent death. The companions of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam not only used to visit the sacred grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam but think it the cause of great mercy. Here I write down to incidents to prove above statement.

1.When Hazrat Umar Farooq radi Allahu anhu made an agreement of peace with the people of Baitul Muqaddas, Kaab Ahbar came to meet him and entered in the enclosure of Islam. Umar Farooq radi Allahu anhu pleased by his action very much and said," Do you want to go to Madina Shareef with me so that you may get the blessings of visiting the holy grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam." Hazrat Kaab Ahbar accept it.(Zurqani alal muwahib)

2. Hafiz Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Musa bin Numan narrated by Hadrat Ali radi Allahu ta'ala anhu that a villager came to us after three days of the burying of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam. He fallen himself on the grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and put some earth from the grave on his head. Then he said,’ O Apostle of Allah! Whatever you said we listened to it. Allah Almighty revealed Qur'an al-Kareem upon you, in which He Almighty said,

’ And if when they do injustice unto their souls, then O beloved! They should come to you and then beg forgiveness of Allah and the messenger should intercede for them, then surely, they would find Allah Most Relenting, Merciful.’

I have committed injustice with my soul and I came to you so that you ask for forgiveness for me.

Hadrat Ali radi Allahu ta'ala anho says that we listened a voice from the sacred grave of the Most Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam that you have been forgiven.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this essay told that according to the consensus of the scholars of fourteen century visiting the sacred and revered shrine of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is not only allowed but it is the greatest cause of getting the mercy of Allah, the Exalted. However there a few misguided people who denies the blessings of visiting the holy grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. Ibne Tayymiya is also one of them. He denied too the blessings of visiting the revered grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and called it an innovation (Bidah). Allama Noor Bukhsh Tawakkli rahmatullahi alaihi writes,

" There are some people who give fatwa that to travel towards the graves of Prophets alaihimus salaam, Awliya and Martyrs rahmatullahi alaihim is unlawful. The father of Wahabia wrote fatwa in obvious word that to travel intending the grave of the Most Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is a sin. The Prayer will not be made Qasr in this travel. This is why the angels who descend, daily in the morning and evening, on the shrine of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam and recite Darood Shareef, are sinners.

This is the worst contempt in the court of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. A mischief rose in Syria and Egypt. The Syrian asked about Ibne Taimiya. Allama Burhan bin Al Farqah wrote an essay of forty lines and called him kafir. Allama Shahab bin Jahbal agreed with him. In Egypt when the same question was asked by the four judges, Badr Bin Jama Shafai wrote that Ibne Taimiyah must be stopped, forcely, to give such fatwa. If he do not stop to write such fatwa he must be put in prison.

Muhammad Bin Al Jarairi Ansari Hanafi wrote that he, immediately, be put into prison. Muhammad Bin Abi Bakr Malki wrote that he should be punished in such a way that he has to leave such things. Ahmad Bin Umar Muqaddasi Hanbli also gave the same decision. Consequently Ibne Tayymiyah was prisoned in the fort of Damascus, in Shaban 726 of Hijra and he died in the same prison on 20th Diqada of 728 Hijra.

Now I write some of the narrations which show the importance of the visiting the sacred grave of the Most Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa Sallam.

The Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam said," 1.He who visit my grave, my intercession is proved for him." (Dare Qutni and Baihaqi)

2. He who visit my grave, my intercession is lawful for him. (Bazzar)

3. The one who come to visit me in such a way that no other cause incite him to come, so it his right upon me that I will be his intercessor on the day judgement. (Tabrani in Kabeer and Ausat, Dare Qutani)

4. He who perform Hajj than visit my grave after my demise he is like that who visited me in life. (Dare Qutni and Baihaqi)

5. He who performed Hajj and did not visit me he pained me. (Kamil for Ibnu Adi)

6. He who visits me in Madinah I will be his witness and intercessor. (Sunan of Daruqutni)

7. He who visited my grave or visited me I will be his intercessor or witness. And the one who dies in one of the Haramain he will be raised in peaceful people.

(Abu Dauwd Tayalisi)

8. He who visited me intentionally he will be in my neighbourhood in the day of judgement. (Abu Jafar Uqaili)

9. He who visited me after my demise as if he visited me in my life. And he who died in one of Haramain he will be raised in peaceful people. (Dare Qutni)

10. He who performs Hajj in Makkah then he visits me in my mosque he will be given the reward of two Hajj (pilgrimage). (Musnadul Firdous)

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala give us taufeeq to visit the Blessed grave of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa Sallam and save us from all misguided people. Ameen.