Is the verse of seeking forgiveness through Prophet Muhammad is valid after his death?

The verse in the chapter of Nisaa that was revealed to the Messenger of God, “and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful” is a verse that is absolute and has no restrictions whether textual or rational.

There is nothing to restrict this verse to the earthly life of the Messenger of God; therefore this verse is in effect until the Day of Resurrection. This follows since in general we take meanings in the Qur’an from the generality of the wording and not from the specificity of the cause of the verse. Whosoever claims that this verse is restricted to the life of the Messenger of God must adduce proof for such a claim. Absolute meanings do not need proofs as this is their natural state; restrictions, rather, need proofs.

This is what has been understood from the scholars of Quranic exegeses, especially those who have relied on hadith for their commentaries such as the hadith master Ibn Kathir who commented on this verse by saying, “many notable scholars, among them Abu Nasr al-Sibagh in his book al-Shamil, narrate the following famous story on the authority of Utba who said:

I was sitting in the Rawda of the Prophet and a bedouin came and said, “Greetings of praise O Messenger of God, I heard God say ‘and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful’ and I have come to you seeking forgiveness for my transgressions and seeking your intercession to God” then he recited the following lines of poetry:

O the best and greatest of creation buried in the earth Sweetness to the one who has been sweetened by the earth and its piles My soul is a ransom for the grave in which you dwell In it is forgiveness and in it is generosity and virtue Then he departed and my eyes became heavy with sleep, and I then saw the Messenger of God in my sleep and he told me ‘O Utba catch that Bedouin and give him the glad tidings that God has forgiven him.’”

The point of this story is not to use as a textual proof visions, which cannot serve this purpose. Rather, our point is that Ibn Kathir and others have mentioned this story on commenting on this verse without finding any problems with its meaning. Also the great companion Utba was present throughout the story and he never condemned the bedouin for his actions.

The jurists of Islam have used this verse to encourage one to visit the grave of the Messenger of God. They have even deemed it an encouraged act to recite this same verse upon visitation of al-Rawda. We find in the al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya concerning the etiquette of visiting the grave of the Messenger of God, “then the visitor should stand facing the head of the Messenger of God and say, ‘God you have stated and your statement is truth ‘and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful.’”

Hanafi School Fatwa

Imam ‘Abdullah bin Mahmud bin Mawdud al-Mawsili (d. 683 AH)  in his book “al-Ikhtiyar li Ta’lil al-Mukhtar” said [also in the context of the Ziyarah]:    “Allah ta’ala says: { If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful } [4:64].
So we’ve come to you, having wronged ourselves and asking [Allah] for forgiveness regarding our sins, so intercede for us to your Lord and ask Him that He lets us die upon your Sunnah, and that He gathers us [on the day of reckoning] among your group, and allows us to get to your Hawdh and drink from your bowl without disgrace or regret.
Intercession intercession, o Messenger of Allah (al-Shafa’ah al-Shafa’ah, ya Rasulallah) – he (the visitor) should say this thrice -, { “Our Lord, forgive us and those of our brothers who preceded us in faith” } [59:10] [till the end of] the Ayah.
[Then] he should deliver the greeting of those who have told him to do so by saying: ‘Peace be upon you, o Messenger of Allah, from Fulan bin Fulan, he seeks intercession through you unto your Lord, so intercede for him and for all believers‘.”

Maliki School Fatwa

From the Maliki school we find Ibn Hajj al-Abdari saying, “interceding by the Messenger of God is the appropriate way to compile all of one’s mistakes and the heaviness of all of one’s sins since the grace of his intercession and its exalted rank with God cannot be surpassed by any sin or violation since it is greater than all of them. One should be given glad tidings if they go visit and for the one who cannot they should intercede by the Messenger of God to God. O God, by his sanctity with you, prohibit us not from his intercession. Amen. Who so ever believes opposite this then he is the one who really is at a loss. Has he not heard the statement of God ‘and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful.’ Whoever comes to him and stands at his door and intercedes by him to God, they will find God most forgiving and most merciful.

This is so since God is greater than contradicting His promise and He has promised forgiveness to he who stands and the Prophet’s door and asks God and seeks forgiveness. There is no doubt concerning this matter except for only those who seek to disclaim the religion and those who fight God and His Messenger deny these facts. We seek refuge in God from being prohibited from these blessings.”

Shafi School Fatwa

In the Shafi‘i school, Imam al-Nawawi has stated concerning the etiquette of visiting the grave of the Messenger of God that “[after completing the visitation] one should return to stand in front of the head of the Messenger of God and make a supplication by interceding to God through the Messenger of God. The best of what can be said is what has been mentioned by al-Mawardi and Qadi abu Tayyib and the rest of our associates the story narrated on the authority of Utba…”

Imam Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī Ibn Muḥammad al-Māwardī (d.450 AH)

In his book “Al-Ahkam al-Sultania “  The Laws Of Islamic Governance, Chapter 10 ” The Administration Of The Hajj ” Page 162 states:

Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d.911 AH)

In his book “Shedding Light on the Possibility of Seeing Prophets and Angels: Tanwīr al-Ḥalak fī Imkān Ru’yah al-Nabī wa al-Malak” 

In the Dala’il Ibn al-Samani said (page 13)

Abu al-Qasim Abd al-Rahman Ibn Umar Ibn Tamim Al-Muadhdhan informed us that “Ali ibn Ibrahim Ibn Allan narrated to him that “Ali ibn Muhammad Ibn Ali informed him that Ahmad Ibn Haytham al-Tai narrated to him that his father narrated to him on the authority of his father, on the authority of Salama Ibn Kuhal, on the authority of Abu Sadiq, that “Ali ibn Talib (R.A) said ” A Bedouin came to us after we had buried the Messenger Of Allah (saws). He threw himself upon the grave of the Prophet (saws) and sprinkled some of its dust on his head. Then he said, “O, Messenger of Allah! You have spoken and we have listened. You received from Allah! (what you received). And we received from you (what we received). Among that which was revealed upon you by Allah is “If, after they had wronged themselves, they would have come to you, and sought forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger would have sought forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah oft-accepting of repentance, Very Merciful” (al-Nisa 4:64). I have certainly wronged myself and I have come to you that you may seek forgiveness for me”. A call came from the grave that he had been forgiven.

Hanbali School Fatwa

As for the Hanbali school we find that Imam Ibn Qudama instructs one to recite the verse mentioned above and to address the Messenger of God by it and to ask him to seek forgiveness from him. He continues to say:

Then you come upon the grave and give your back to the qibla and face the grave of the Messenger of God and say, “peace be upon you O Messenger of God and blessings from God and His grace be with you. Peace be upon you O Messenger of God, O chosen one from amongst His creation and His servants. I bear witness that there is no deity except God alone, no partners has He and I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and messenger I bear witness that you delivered the message of God, were sincere towards the umma called to the way of God with wisdom and good council, you worshiped and served God until you passed. May God send abundant prayers on you as is pleasing to Him.

O God give reward on our behalf to our Prophet more than you have rewarded any one from the Prophets and Messengers and cause him O God to be in the station of gratitude which you promised him which will exult him above the first and last [of creation]. O God send prayers on Muhammad and the kins of Muhammad as You send prayers on Abraham and on the kins of Abraham and bless Muhammad and the kins of Muhammad as You have blessed Abraham and the kins of Abraham indeed You are the praiseworthy, the exalted.

O God you have stated and your statement is true ‘and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful’ and I have come seeking forgiveness for my sins interceding by the Messenger of God so I ask you O God to give me forgiveness as you have made it mandatory for those who have come to him during his lifetime.

O God make him the first interceder, and the most successful of those who ask, and the most noble of the first and the last [of creation] by your mercy O the most merciful of the merciful.” He then makes supplication for his parents, his companions, and all Muslims.

The notable scholar al-Rahibani from the Hanbali school emphasized the importance of reciting this verse during visitation to the grave of the Messenger of God. He also stated in advising one to the best of things to say during the visit “O God reward Prophet Muhammad on our behalf more than you have rewarded anyone from the Prophets and Messengers and grant him the station of gratitude which you promised him by which he will be exalted above the first and the last [of creation].

O God send prayers on Muhammad and on the kin of Muhammad as you send prayers on Abraham and on the kin of Abraham and bless Muhammad and the kin of Muhammad as you bless Abraham and the kin of Abraham indeed you are the praiseworthy, the exalted.

O God you stated and your statement is true ‘and if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come to you and asked forgiveness of God, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found God Forgiving, Merciful’…”

From what has preceded we know that all the schools of Islamic law encourage the reciting of this verse upon visiting the Rawda and one should believe that its meaning is still in existence. This is what the pious ancestors were on as well as the scholars who followed in their footsteps. We give no credence to those who deviate from this understanding.

The Messenger of God asking for our forgiveness after he has passed from this life is not opposed to either rational or textual proofs. The Messenger of God said, “My life is good for you, you speak to me and I respond, and my death is better for you, you actions are presented to me and that which I find from good I praise God for and that which I find that is bad I seek forgiveness for you.”
God is most high and all knowledgeable.

The Refutation of Al-‘Uthaymin”

Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ Al-`Uthaymīn has objected to taking proof from the aforementioned verse of the Qur’ān  [and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful] as he said in his formal legal opinions (Fatāwā [1]) what follows:

I say: this is a bold enterprise on the part of Al-‘Uthaymīn, we ask Allāh for safety. Its rebuttal is as follows:

His restriction of idh to the past tense, let us examine it. Idh is used in the past as well as in the future and it has several other meanings that were mentioned by Ibn Hishām in Mughnī Al-Labīb3. Al-Azharī has [also] stated that idh (when) is used in the future; he said in Tahzīb Al-Lugha4 that Arabs use idh for the future and idha for the past. God, the Great and Almighty said: “And could you see when (idh) they shall become terrified” 5.

I say, [we could also mention] as an example of using idh in the future what Allāh, Exalted is He, said: “And could you see when (idh) they are made to stand before the fire” 6; “And could you see when (idh) they are made to stand before their Lord.” 7;“And if you had seen when (idh) the unjust shall be in the agonies of death” 8; “And could you but see when (idh) the guilty shall hang down their heads before their Lord” 9.

As for his saying that asking the Messenger  for forgiveness is impossible due to the fact that if a person dies his actions will be discontinued except for three things, this is wrong. [On the contrary,] asking our liege-lord the Messenger of Allāh  for forgiveness is not impossible for several reasons. The

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5 Qur’ān: Saba’, 51
6 Qur’ān: Al-An’ām, 27 7 Qur’ān: Al-An’ām, 30 8 Qur’ān: Al-An’ām, 93 9 Qur’ān: Al-Sajda, 12

first one is that it was authentically reported that the Prophet  said: “the Prophets are alive in their graves praying” as mentioned by Al-Bayhaqī in Ḥayāt Al-Anbiyā’ 10, by Abu Ya’lā in his Musnad 11, Abu Nu’aym in Akhbār Aṣbahān 12, and Ibn ‘Adī in Al-Kāmil 13. Al-Haythamī said in Al-Majma’ that “the narrators (rijāl) of Abu Ya’lā are trustworthy” and there are other chains for the ḥadīth.

[Furthermore], the Messenger of Allah  said “I came across Moses when he was standing praying in his grave” as mentioned by Muslim14, Aḥmad15, and Al-Baghawī in Sharḥ Al-Sunna16 as well as by others. In addition to that, Ibn al-Qayyim said in his (poem) Nūniyya about the life of the Messengers after their demise17,

The Messengers are at a more excellent state than him (the Martyr) and this is clearly demonstrated

Because they were even in their lives more accomplished than our martyrs in wisdom and in giving proofs

And because the Messenger’s marriage is not annulled after his death, and his wives remained chaste and protected

In this is not there evidence that He is alive, for he who has ears to hear?

The second reason is that it has been proven that the Prophet  has led the prayer as the Imām before the Prophets (may the peace and blessings of God be upon them) during Isra’ [the night journey

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17 Al-Nūniyya with Sharḥ ibn ‘Īsa 2/160

through the spiritual world] – this is a mass narrated ḥadīth (mutawātir) – and all of them were deceased and Musa  had requested him to reconsider regarding the prayers and he  saw other [Prophets] in the heavens. How can it be impossible for a person in this state to ask forgiveness [for the others] (knowing that prayer is supplication, asking for forgiveness and imploring)?

The third reason is that it has been authentically reported that the Prophet  said: “My life is a great good for you, you will relate about me and it will be related to you, and my death is a great good for you, your actions will be exhibited to me, and if I see goodness I will praise Allah, and if I see evil I will ask forgiveness of Him for you”. It is an authentic narration, and Hāfiẓ al-Iraqī said about it in Ṭarh al- Tathrīb18: good chain. Al-Haythamī said in Al-Majma’19: it was narrated by Al-Bazzār and his narrators are authentic. Al- Suyūṭī also authenticated it in al-Khaṣā’iṣ20. And the sayings of al-‘Irāqī and al- Haythamī are only with regard to the Isnād of al-Bazzār. Otherwise, the narration is authentic as Al- Ḥāfiẓ Al-Suyūṭī as well as others, have said. The ḥadīth will be expanded upon later if God wills.

The fourth reason is that the Prophet asking God’s forgiveness could happen for all the believers whether they were present during his lifetime or not as Allāh – Exalted is he – said: “and ask forgiveness for thy fault, and for the men and women who believe” 21 and this is a favor from Allāh – Exalted is He – and one of the distinguishing qualities of our liege-lord the Messenger of Allāh .

We have realized from the aforementioned [arguments] that the three matters related in this Qur’ānic verse and are : 1) to visit him  ; 2) asking for forgiveness; 3) the Prophet  asking forgiveness for the believers. Those three [matters] can happen during his lifetime  and after his demise. And people shouldn’t say that this verse was meant for particular groups of people. They shouldn’t say this because the well known principle is “The conclusion is derived from the generality of terms used and not from the specific conditions (at the time of revelation)”. Therefore, the exegetes and others have understood from this verse the generality [of wording] and they recommended for those who come to the honored grave to read this Qur’ānic verse: “and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and

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21 Qur’ān: Muḥammad, 19

asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful” 22and to ask Allāh – Exalted is He – for forgiveness.

And both the tafasīr which we have and the (books on) rituals (of hajj) which have been classified by the scholars of the Madhāhib (schools of jurisprudence) likewise all have sincerely adduced this (action) from this verse. Why do we go so far, here is the exegete Abu Muḥammad Ibn Qudāmah al-Ḥanbalī, the author of al-Mughnī, about whom Ibn Taymiyyah said: “no one possessing more understanding [of religion] than Ibn Qudāmah has entered Syria after Al-‘Awza’ī”. He [i.e. Ibn Qudāmah] mentions this verse of the Qur’ān in al-Mughnī 23 regarding the visit to Al-Muṣṭafa [the Elected one]  and he has related something similar on page 65. He said regarding the manner of visiting (the grave):

Then you visit the grave, you turn your back, face its center and say: May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allāh be upon you, O Prophet! May the peace of Allāh be upon you O Prophet of Allāh and the best of His creation. Till he says after praising and sending blessings upon the Prophet: O Allāh! you said, and your saying is truthful: “and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful” 24, and I have come to you seeking forgiveness for my sins, seeking intercession through you to my Lord, hence I ask you O Lord to obligate forgiveness for me as you have made it an obligation for those who came to him during his lifetime . O Allah make him  be the first among intercessors, the most successful among seekers and the most generous of the last and first [prophets], with your mercy, O Most Merciful. Then he invokes Allāh in favor of his parents and all his Muslim brothers. End of the concise quote.

[What] remains is commenting on the saying of Ibn ‘Uthaymīn whereby he said “because if a person dies, his actions will be discontinued except for three …”. I say that our liege-lord the Prophet of Allāh  had perfections and distinguishing qualities which others did not share. And this has been affirmed by

22 Qur’ān: Al-Nisā, 64 23 3/590
24 Qur’ān: 4, 64