▫️ Visiting Shrines and Etiquettes!
Wherever a person is present, respect is the first and foremost condition.
Especially mosques and the shrines of Allah's righteous servants, these are sacred places where presence should be not only physical but also from the heart. While stepping here, a person's manners, movements, and attitude should all be subject to respect, because these places are for peace, humility, and inner reformation, not for unnecessary expression or immoderation.
It is unfortunate that this scene is becoming common today that some people, upon arriving at the shrine, without considering the requirements of respect, adopt such actions that are against the etiquette and dignity,
Such as:
Kissing the graves repeatedly, wetting the entire shrine with kisses, even touching it with the nose and eyes, and bowing down at the shrine in such a way that it resembles prostration.
Similarly, repeatedly kissing the hands and feet of elders or spiritual guides and bothering them is also not appropriate.
Yes! It is true that most people kiss the hands of spiritual guides with good intentions, but the validity of intention is in its place.
Andـــــ
`The purpose of this writing is not to criticize without reason, but to reform and draw attention.`
So, when an action causes discomfort to others, makes the place dirty, or starts to violate its sanctity, then stopping there is the real respect.
And expressing devotion and respect from a distance is a more respectful and better way.
The real beauty of devotion is that a person attends with respect, reverence, and peace, not through actions that cause the sanctity to be violated.
That is why the great scholars have stated clear etiquettes for visiting shrines.
❗Imam of Ahl-e-Sunnat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Qadri Barelvi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
When visiting the blessed shrines, go from the foot side and stand at least four hands away in front, and say with a moderate voice with respect,
''Assalamu alayka ya Sayyidi wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh''
Then recite Durood-e-Ghausia three times, Alhamd Sharif once, Ayat al-Kursi once, Surah Ikhlas seven times, then Durood-e-Ghausia seven times.
And if there is time, then recite Surah Yaseen and Surah Mulk as well, then pray to Allah Almighty that:
O Allah! Give me such reward for this recitation as is worthy of Your grace, not as is worthy of my deeds, and convey it from me as a gift to this accepted servant.
Then ask for your legitimate Sharia needs and make the soul of the owner of the shrine a means in the court of Allah.
Then return in the same way after saying Salam, do not touch the shrine, do not kiss it, circumambulation is unanimously impermissible, and prostration is forbidden.
(Fatawa Razawiya, Volume 9, Page 522)
He also says:
The majority of scholars consider (kissing the grave) `Makrooh` (undesirable), so `avoidance` is necessary.
(Fatawa Razawiya, Volume 9, Page 526)
And regarding the prohibition of prostration of reverence and kissing the ground, in his treatise
`"Al-Zubdat al-Zakiyya fi Tahrim Sujud al-Tahiyya"` he says:
"Prostrating to shrines or kissing the ground in front of them is `haram` (forbidden), and bowing to the extent of Ruku' is `prohibited`."
(Fatawa Razawiya: Vol. 22, p. 474)
Today the issue is not that devotion has ended, but the issue is that `the recognition of respect has weakened`.
Therefore, it is necessary that we learn, understand, and adopt the etiquettes of visiting the shrine, so that our presence truly becomes a source of reward and is not counted among unintentional disrespect or acts against etiquette.
There is a way of ignoring, so congratulations to them!
There is a request of desire, so we will keep making it!
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala protect us from all kinds of disrespect, exaggeration, and ignorance, and create humility, modesty, and true respect in our hearts.
Ameen Ya Rabb al-Alameen.ــــــــــــ
✍🏻From: Sughra Anjum Hanafi
4th January, Sunday /2026
Time: 09:07 PM
___________________________________________