Do not make my grave a place of festivity

Narrated Abu Hurayrah may Allah be pleased with him:

The Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) was keen on contradicting the Jews, the Christians and other people of infidelity and misguidance in their worship and customs, especially those to which they give a religious dye. He used to warn strongly his companions and those who come after them, from entertaining themselves with the games, kinds of amusement and the rituals in which they show their love and glorification to their prophets, and the righteous people during the festivals in partiqular.

the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O Allah! Do not make my grave an idol that is worshipped. The anger of Allah has intensified against those who took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration.". the wrath of Allah will be on those who take the graves of the righteous people as places of prayer and other acts of worship, they travel to visit these places, spend their money to celebrate beside these places and slaughter the animals in order to draw closer to the righteous buried in the graves. These practices would distract them from the total devotion to Allah - the Exalted - by taking them as intermediaries to Him.

Since Prophet Muhammad ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) is the best of the creation and the most honorable of the apostles, he feared that his grave would be glorified, accordingly this will lead to the corruption of the correct doctrine.

This prohibition may have another meaning added to this meaning, that they celebrate the day of his birth or the day of his death at his grave, as people do today with the dead righteous slaves; on their graves some people have set up shrines.

It is noteworthy to mention that the Muslim shall visit the grave of the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) sometimes and abstain from visiting it sometimes, because there is no text that indicates that this deed should be maintained. The continous visiting to the grave of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him may preoccupy people from more important matters.

We should know that visiting the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in his mosque has a great virtue. It is one of the greatest gatherings.

One of the ettiquets that shall be followed with the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is sending the prayers upon him, it is the unbreakable link between us and him. He who lives according to his Sunnah and wishes to meet him in wakefulness, will savor the sweetness of conferring the prayers upon the Messenger of Allah because his ultimate goal is to attain his intermediation, to be resurrected with him and to be his companion in the Paradise.

As much as love increases the reward of conferring the prayer upon the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon. Since the reward of the one who supplicates Allah with a heedless heart will not be like the reward of he who supplicates Allah attentively while his heart is immersed with love and seeking the closeness and contentment of his Lord through this love.