Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal-Mahdhur fi Ziyarat al-Qubur

Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal-Mahdhur fi Ziyarat al-Qubur (Knowledge of What Is Commanded and What Is Prohibited in Visiting Graves) is a theological treatise on the legal rulings and doctrinal boundaries concerning the visitation of graves by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Karim bin Salih al-Humayd (d. 1445 AH / 2023–2024 CE) Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….

Composition and Publication

The author completed the treatise in Buraydah in Jumada al-Akhirah 1427 AH (July 2006 CE), and its first edition was printed there the same year in a single small volume of 63 pages Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. The book was deposited with the King Fahd National Library under subject classifications covering grave visitation, polytheism (shirk), and religious innovation (bid'ah), with rights reserved except for non-commercial reprinting and free distribution Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….

Structure and Core Arguments

The treatise classifies grave visitation into three distinct categories:

1. Sunnah-compliant visitation (al-ziyarah al-sunniyyah): A practice intended to benefit both the visitor and the deceased, restricted strictly to offering greetings of peace (salam) and supplicating for God's forgiveness and mercy upon the dead, without developing emotional attachments or soliciting requests from them Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….
2. Innovative visitation (al-ziyarah al-bid'iyyah): Visiting a specific grave under the belief that prayers and supplications offered beside it are inherently more answered Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….
3. Polytheistic visitation (al-ziyarah al-shirkiyyah): Visiting graves under the conviction that the deceased act as intermediaries or intercessors who convey human needs to God Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….

Al-Humayd argues that directing acts of devotion—such as supplication, sacrificial slaughter (dhabh), and vows (nadhr)—to prophets, angels, or righteous figures at tombs mirrors the pre-Islamic practices of Quraysh and the people of Noah Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. He critiques contemporary practices at shrines across Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq, citing venerated tombs such as those attributed to Ahmad al-Badawi, Ibrahim al-Disuqi, and Sayyidah Zaynab Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1.

The book warns against spiritual illusions occurring at graves—such as apparitions or perceived fulfillment of needs—explaining them as demonic deceptions (fitnah) designed by devils to entrap visitors in polytheism Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. It likewise denounces mediumship and seances (tahdir al-arwah), attributing such occurrences to charlatans cooperating with jinn Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1.

Sources and Theological Critiques

Al-Humayd draws heavily upon classical Salafi authorities, particularly Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. Citing Ibn Taymiyyah, he highlights the historical illegitimacy of various shrines attributed to figures like Ali ibn Abi Talib or al-Husayn ibn Ali in Egypt, and warns against circumambulating tombs or sanctifying sacred trees like Dhat Anwat Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. From Ibn al-Qayyim's Ighathat al-lahfan, he traces the origins of tomb veneration and seeking spiritual effluence from the deceased to idolatry and philosophical doctrines associated with Ibn Sina and al-Farabi Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….

The work includes a critique of poetic verses invoking the Prophet Muhammad for relief and salvation, quoting and rebutting lines by Yusuf al-Nabhani, Abu al-Mawahib al-Bakri, al-Tuwaji al-Misri, Muhammad al-Jamali al-Halabi, al-Zamzami al-Makki, and Abd al-Rahim al-Burai Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal…+1. It concludes with a warning against swearing oaths by other than God, categorizing it as minor polytheism (shirk asghar) that remains graver than major moral sins Marifat al-Mamur bihi wal….