Prayer Pilgrimage to the grave is one of the practices that is almost always done by Muslims, especially when welcoming the holy month of Ramadan and before heading to the victory day of Eid al-Fitr. The moment of visiting the grave itself is in accordance with the advice of Rasulullah SAW as a way for Muslims to always remember death and the hereafter.
Therefore, as human beings who are still given the opportunity to always worship Allah SWT, of course we should not be too lulled by the pleasures of living in this world for a moment. Rasulullah SAW also said:
“I used to forbid you from visiting the graves. Now, do a grave pilgrimage, because it will remind you of the afterlife.” (HR. Muslim).
When carrying out pilgrimage to the graves, of course we are allowed with the condition that we do not cause shirk or associate partners with Allah SWT. The purpose of one’s own grave pilgrimage is usually to pray for those who have died, not to ask for anything or even help.
As one of the things that can be said to be sacred, Islamic scholars have regulated several procedures for what prayers may be recited when visiting the graves. So, here are a number of prayers that can be read as well as some manners that you need to know when visiting graves.
A. Prayer Pilgrimage Grave
1. Greetings
As a Muslim or Muslimah, we know for ourselves that when entering or leaving the house it is recommended to always say greetings. This also applies to Muslims when they want to make a grave pilgrimage. It’s good, we say hello first before entering the tomb area as a courtesy to the residents of the tomb.
Greetings that you can use when visiting graves, namely:
“Assalamu’alaìkum dara qaumìn mu’mìnîn wa atakum ma tu’adun ghadan mu’ajjalun, wa ìnna ìnsya-Allahu bìkum lahìqun”
It means:
Assalamualaikum, O place where the believers live. The promise of Allah has come to you which was postponed tomorrow, and we, God willing, will follow you.
2. Read Istighfar
After reading or saying greetings, the second thing that is known to be one of the good practices when visiting graves is reading istighfar 7 times. Someone who makes a grave pilgrimage is known as a way to remember death. Therefore, by asking forgiveness from Allah SWT, we become survivors in this world and also in the hereafter.
“Astaghfirullah Hal Adzim Alladzi La ilaha Illa Huwal Hayyul Qoyyumu Wa atubu Ilaihi”
It means:
“I beg forgiveness from Allah the Most Great, in whom there is no god but He, the Most Living, the Most Self-Sufficient, and I repent to Him.”
3. Read Surah Al-Fatihah
After reading istighfar, we can read Surah Al-Fatihah to someone who is being visited, be it family or relatives who have died or died.
“Bismillahir rahmanir Rahim. All praise is due to Allâh, the Lord of the Worlds. Ar Rahmaanirrahim. Maaliki yaumiddiin. Iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’iin. Ihdinash-shirraatal musthaqiim. Shiraathal ladziina an’amta ‘alaihim ghairil maghduubi ‘alaihim waladh-dhaalliin.”
It means:
“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. I seek refuge in Allah from the ejected devil. In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. The most loving and the most merciful. Who controls the Day of Judgment. Only You we worship. Only to You do we ask for help. Show us the straight path, that is, the path of those whom You have bestowed favors upon them, not the path of those who are angry and not the path of those who have gone astray. I hope you will grant our request.”
4. Read Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas
After reading the Al-Fatihah surah to the person being prayed for, the next prayer we need to read is Al Ikhlas, Al Falaq, and An Nas.
a. Al Ikhlas
“Qul huwallahu ahad, allahu somad, lam yalid wa lam yụlad, wa lam yakul lahụ kufuwan ahad.”
It means:
“Say, ‘He is the One and Only. Allah is the god on whom all things depend. He was childless and not begotten. And no one is equal to Him.”
b. Al-Falaq
“Qul auudzu birobbil falaq. Min syarri maa kholaq. Wa min syarri ghoosiqin idzaa waqob. Wa min syarrin naffaatsaati fil ‘uqod. Wa min syarri haasidin idzaa hasad.”
It means:
“I seek refuge in God who rules the dawn from the evil of His creatures. From the evils of the night when it’s pitch dark. And from the wickedness of the witches who breathe their breath on knots. And from the evil of those who are jealous when he is jealous.”
c. An-Nas
“Qul auudzu birobbinnaas. Malikin unlucky. God damn it. Min syarril waswaasil khonnaas. Alladzii yuwaswisu fii shuduurin unlucky, minal jinnati wan unlucky.”
Meaning: “I take refuge in the God of mankind, the king of humans. The worship of humans, from the devil’s whispering evil that used to hide. Who whispers evil into the human bosom. From demons and humans.’”
5. Reading the Seat Verse
After reciting a few letters, we are then encouraged to read verses of chairs. The chair verse itself is a verse full of privileges. This is because the verse of the chair is one of the verses which contains the oneness of Allah SWT as well as absolute power.
Here are the verses of the chair that we can read:
Allāhu lā ilāha illā huw, al-ḥayyul-qayyụm, lā ta`khużuhụ sinatuw wa lā na`ụm, lahụ mā fis-samāwāti wa mā fil-arḍ, man żallażī yasyfa’u ‘ indahū illā bi`iżnih, ya’lamu mā baina aidīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥīṭụna bisyai`im min ‘ilmihī illā bimā syā`, wasi’a chairyyuhus-samāwāti wal-arḍ, wa lā ya`ụduhụ ḥifẓuhumā, wa huwal-‘aliyyul-‘aẓīm.
Meaning: “Allah, there is no God (who has the right to be worshiped) but He Who is eternally alive and continuously takes care of (His creatures); not sleepy and not sleeping. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and on earth. Nothing can intercede with Allah without His permission? Allah knows what is before them and behind them, and they know nothing from Allah’s knowledge except what He wills. Allah’s chair covers the heavens and the earth. And Allah does not find it hard to care for both of them, and Allah is Most High, Most Great.”
6. Read Tahlil
After reading the verse of the chair, when visiting the graves, you need to read a sentence of tahlil or a sentence of monotheism. You can read this sentence up to 33 times, or if done together, you can join the imam who leads the tahlil.
“Laa Ilaha Illallah.”
It means:
“There is no God but Allah.”
7. Reading the prayer for the body
Finally, visiting the graves can be closed by reciting the funeral prayer when you are about to make a pilgrimage. The following is a funeral prayer that you need to read when visiting the graves, namely:
“Allahummaghfìrlahu war hamhu wa ‘aafìhìì wa’fu anhu, wa akrìm nuzuulahu wawassì’ madholahu, waghsìlhu bìl maa’ì watssaljì walbaradì, wa naqqìhì, mìnaddzzunubì wal khathaya kamaa yunaqqas saubul abyadhu mìnad.”
Wabdìlhu daaran khaìran mìn daarìhì wa zaujan khaìran mìn zaujìhì. Wa adkhìlhul jannata wa aìdzhu mìn adzabìl qabrì wa mìn adzabìnnaarì wafsah lahu fì qabrìhì wa nawwìr lahu fihì.
It means:
“O Allah, forgive and have mercy on him. Give him safety and forgive him. Give honor to him, broaden his entry. Bathe him in water, ice and dew. Cleanse him from mistakes as You clean a white garment from dirt.”
“Replace for him a house that is better than his house, a wife that is better than his wife. Enter him into heaven, give him protection from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of hell. Expand for him in his grave and enlighten him in it.” (HR. Muslim).
B. Grave Pilgrimage Adab
In addition to reciting prayers for grave pilgrimages to family and relatives, we as Muslims must also understand the adab or manners that need to be carried out when visiting graves. Therefore, some of the adab in visiting the graves that we need to know, include:
1. Wear good and polite clothes
The first etiquette for visiting graves is to wear good and polite clothes. Prayer is basically a way to meet Allah SWT. Therefore, it is better when you want to pray to visit the graves to wear good and polite clothes, and most importantly cover your genitals.
2. Not sitting on the grave
The second adab of visiting graves is not sitting on the grave. This adab is actually in accordance with a sunnah Rasulullah SAW which does not allow someone to sit or step on the top of the grave.
“Do not pray (pray) to the grave, and do not sit on it.” (HR. Muslim).
3. Don’t talk dirty while in the cemetery
The third adab of visiting graves is not to speak dirty while in the cemetery area. Of course talking dirty anywhere is not a good thing to do. Even more so at the time of being in a cemetery as a place where people died. The main purpose of someone who is living praying at the grave is of course to pray for the person in the grave so that they will receive forgiveness for their sins while living in the world.
4. It is not allowed to cry excessively
The fourth adab of visiting graves is not being allowed to cry excessively while at the grave. Feelings of sadness remembering that someone we love has left us, of course, can cause a feeling of sadness that cannot be stopped. However, we need to realize that all of these things are decrees from Allah SWT.
Rasulullah SAW also cried when he made a pilgrimage to his mother’s grave. However, Rasulullah SAW did not overdo it in crying, even wailing, wailing, or crying to tear his own clothes. It should not be done in the cemetery.
5. Not wearing sandals in the cemetery
The adab of visiting the fifth grave is optional, may or may not be carried out according to the agreement of the local community. Not using footwear in the cemetery has the goal of respecting the grave’s inhabitants. However, this can also be bad because burial ground is known to be unclean. Therefore, wearing sandals in the cemetery is optional.
Thus the discussion about grave pilgrimage prayers, it’s good for us to always pray for family, relatives, and friends who have left us. In addition, by visiting the graves, we may always be aware of the bad qualities in the world.