Question:
Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah,
Sheikh Gibril,
Is saying that it is prohibited and a [blameworthy] innovation to face the graves when making du’a a blameworthy innovation in itself?
Has the Hanbali school ever prohibited facing the grave when making du’a as I have seen Hanafi, Shafi’i, and Maliki scholars make supplication while facing the graves?
JazakumALLAH khairan khaira al-jazaa
Wassalaam
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
My own teacher Dr. Sa`id al-Buti (rah) said that it was a blameworthy innovation to face the grave when making du`a, and while of course we do not agree at all, still he must have had his proofs and it is a matter of ijtihad upon which there is no consensus.
Imam Ahmad and the early Hanbalis were the most relaxed on this issue as far as I can see.
I brought up many proofs on this issue in two books:
one in English, The Four Imams and Their Schools:
– chapter on Abu Hanifa, section entitled “On Facing the Prophet’s Grave during du`a”
– chapter on Malik, section entitled “On Tawassul (Using an Intermediary),
– chapter on Ahmad b. Hanbal, sections entitled “Ibn Abi Shayba,” “Ibrahim al-Harbi,” “Abd Allah b. Ahmad” and “Ahmad practiced tabarruk.”
and one in Arabic, Tuhfat al-Labib bi-Nusrat al-Habib:
https://www.abc.se/~m9783/k/bp_e.html
http://www.neelwafurat.com/itempage.aspx?id=lbb178575-141660&search=books
Hajj Gibril Haddad
