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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Wahhabism Performance of Prayer And Supplication Near Graves Of The Holy Personalities Among the matters which has been discussed and debated in the books of Wahhabis is the issue of performing prayer and recitation of du'a near the graves of the holy personalities and the matter of lighting candles over their graves.

The founder of this school of thought says in the treatise of Ziyarat al-qubur as such: لم يذكر أحد من أئمة السلف أن الصلاة عند القبور وي مشاهدها مستحبة ولا أن الصلاة والدعاء هُناك افضل بل إتفقوا كلهم على أن الصلاة في المساجد والبُيوت افضل منها عند قبور الأولياء والصالحين “No one from the past leaders has said that salat near the graves is mustahab (recommended) or that salat and du'a at these places are more superior to other places.

Instead all of them are of the same view that salat in mosques and houses are more useful than reciting them near the graves of the awliya and virtous people.”[^1] Moreover, in a reply attributed to the scholars of Medina we read as such: أما التوجه إلى حجرة النبي (صلى الله عليه وأله) عند الدعاء فالاولى منعه كما هو معروف من معتبرات كُتب المذاهب ولأن افضل الجهات ، جهة القبلة.

“At the time of supplication, it is better to stop from concentrating over the grave of the Holy Prophet (s) and what is well-known in the reliable books is its prohibition. Moreover the best direction is the direction of qibla.” This matter, over the passage of time has reached the level of shirk (polytheism) from the level of prohibition and at present they consider such an action to be shirk and its performer a mushrik (polytheist).

We remind you that anyone who performs salat for and worships the one in the grave or takes his grave as a qibla will undoubtedly be called a mushrik . But no Muslim from anywhere in the world performs such an action near the grave of the Holy Prophet (s) and the awliya. They neither worship them nor take their graves as qibla . Therefore the idea of shirk is no more than an imagination.

The motive of Muslims in performing salat and du'a near the graves of the awliya is the very intention of tabarruk to the place where the beloved one of Allah has been buried. They imagine that since such a place beholds a special dignity due to the burial of the beloved one of Allah, their actions will consequently be having a great reward. Now it is necessary to discuss whether a place enjoys sanctification due to the burial of some virtuous and pious person or not?