Re: “No! No one sees the Prophet’s grave”

Reactions to last week’s piece on this page were overwhelming. Some of the reactions which were received as messages through the GSM phone number and the email address provided on the column have been selected and reproduced here (in their un-edited forms) for readers even though some of the authors of the messages were not articulate in their expressions. The selected messages include the following:

“Salam. I wish to thank you for your piece as titled above, which I found very educating. Like many people, many of the pictures and images you mentioned as circulating in the media social were also forwarded to me and I believed them until your write up in today’s Weekly Trust newspaper. Please keep educating fellow Muslims on the dangers inherent in believing and/or circulating anything Islam on social media. There       is need to always refer or ask questions from those scholars that know or have the knowledge of Islam. Jazakallahkhair.

Nurkakira<[email protected]>

“Assalam Alaykum my brother, kindly forward such an article that featured on Saturday October 6, on my WhatsaApp number. I intend with your permission to share it to groups and individuals for proper understanding of the message it contains.

Muhammad Abubakar <[email protected]>

“Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah. Sir, I read your piece published on Saturday October 6, 2018 in the Saturday edition of Daily Trust. I was completely amazed and honestly happy about your submission. The fact is that many travelled to Saudi and came back with only funny stories means yours was superb! Yes, sincerely this is the first time I am hearing facts about replicas of prophet’s grave, hair, etc. My thoughts earlier were… Thank you for passing this all important message. Barakallah. Thank you most sincerely for the piece and looking forward to reading more interesting and educative submissions. I remain grateful. Best!

Mustapha Shehu <[email protected]>”.

“Salaam Ya Sheik. Jazaka Allahu Khairan. About the information you provided on the Prophet’s grave, may Allah bless you.

(08036513372)

“Salam Alaikum. Akramakallah. I’m …; an ardent reader of your column. I participated in the last hajj and found your articles on your experience highly interesting…. Ma assalam.

(07034665201)

“Re: No! No one sees the Prophet’s grave. I have seen a lot of info in this article that I did not know before, and as usual, I’ll check other sources. But I’m confused about the statement that in the third paragraph ‘…the exhibition center was established in 19993; 21 years after King Fahad ascended to the royal throne’. I though he became king in the early 80s after King Khaled.

M. S. Madugu, Kano. (08105925692)

“Salam sir. I always read your column but today’s own is exceptional; and thanks for education us on such fake posts. I have come across many, and to be honest, I believed them with tears in my eyes; saying Allahu Akbar. May Allah SWT always guide us to the right path.

(08036130590)

Aslm Alkm sir. I read your article about the Prophet’s grave. I have been to Hajj twice. There is a section of the Madinah mosque where names of the Prophet, SayyidinahAbubakar, Sayidinah Umar were written. We are told that those are their graves. Pilgrims often cry at the location. Does that mean it’s not true? Thank you sir.

Musa A. Z. (080634400008)

“Assalam. Thank you very much for your write up on the topic: ‘No! No one sees the Prophet’s grave’. Now I know better that all these stories are fake”.

(08035144948)

Although I already responded to most of the messages via the email address or GSM number though which they were received, I find it relevant to, yet, reflect some of the responses here. One of the readers drew my attention to a sentence in the piece where I referred to Abubakar As-Sadiq as the second Khalifah (Caliph) in Islam. I wish to apologise for that mix up. Abubakar As-Sadiq(RA) who was the first man to accept Islam also became the closest to the prophet (SAW) among his companions. After the death of the Prophet (SAW) in 632AD, Abubakar succeeded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the religious and political leadership of the Muslim Ummah; and thus became the first Khalifah (inthe history of Islam). After Abubakar’s death, Umar Bn Al-Khattab (RA) became the second Khalifah in Islam. Errors of this nature often occur when there isn’t enough time to proofread a piece before the deadline for submission expires. This notwithstanding, the error is regretted.

As for the reader who said he was confused, I advise him against getting confused. King Fahad was the King of the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from 1982 to 2005.I still assert that the establishment of the Exhibition Center was in 1993; eleven years (not 21 years) after King Fahad came to the throne. I urge the reader not to get confused.

In the case of the reader who asked to know whether the information which says the graves of Khalifah Abubakar (RA) and Khalifah Umar (RA) are in the prophet’s mosque is true or not, I affirm that their graves are truly located beside the prophet’s grave within the holy mosque of the Prophet (SAW). On the question or observation about people crying at the location of these graves, I have no explanations. I believe those who cry at those locations are best suited to offer explanations for their actions.

As requested by one of the readers, those who wish to share the piece can do so on condition that the sentence which referred to Abubakar As-Sadiq (RA) as the second Caliph is corrected to “…first Caliph in Islam”. May Allah (SWT) protect and preserve our Iman (faith) from the intrigues of the sneaking whisperer, amin.