Question:     What is the correct manner of visiting graves?
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Answer:     Included among the manners of visiting graves is that one should enter from the feet side of the grave and stand in such a way that one's face should be before the deceased and the Qiblah at the back.  Then one should greet the deceased with ""Salaam."  In the light of the Hadith it is permissible to recite the Holy Quran at the grave and the Fatwa is on this only.  Fatawa A'alamgiri, Vol. 5, Pg. No. 350.

Shaykh Ibn Ul Hummam has also said that if one recites Surah Ikhlaas (Qul Huwallahu Ahad) 11 times and gift the reward (Isaal-e-Sawab) to the deceased, then that person will get the reward equal to the number of the deceased.  (Dara Qutni, Miraqil Falah Ma'a Haashiya Al Tahtahawi, Pg. No. 622, Nur Ul Masabeeh, Vol. 4, Pg. No. 201)

Performing Sajdah to the grave, performing Tawaf of them, etc. are not correct and it is highly objectionable to do things which are not allowed by the Shariah.  (Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His mercy on him), Mawaaiz-e-Hasana)

And Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) knows best.

Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Qadri,

[Associate Professor of Islamic Law, Jamia Nizamia,
Founder/Director, Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center]