Question
I have visited Madinah several times and noticed beautiful calligraphic script on the pillars adjacent to the sacred chamber and window that mark the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . What do they say?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. O Allah, I ask you to send prayers and salutations upon our Messenger Muhammad, his noble household, and companions.
The Pillars Near the Blessed Grave
How many times have you visited Madinah, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, and our Beloved Messenger ﷺ and seen these pillars?
Because of the rush, you may not have had the chance to read these amazing lines of poetry that decorate the external wall that encloses the best part of the earth – the grave of Rasulallah ﷺ.
Well, here it is:
فطاب من طيبهن القاع والأكم
نفسي الفداء لقبر أنت ساكنه
فيه العفاف وفيه الجود والكرم
(I call out:) O Best of those whose bones were buried in the earth
The delightful fragrance of those bones has diffused to the surrounding landscapes and hills
I give my soul in sacrifice and ransom to the grave you occupy
Within it is chastity, generosity, and honour.
This is what EVERY, SINGLE visitor to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will see and pass by as they go by the sacred chamber and window.
These very lines are mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir of Surah Al-Nisa’ Ayat 64-65 when al-‘Utbi observes a Bedouin man came to the grave of Rasulallah ﷺ and recited these words after giving his Salam, reciting the ayah:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، سَمِعْتُ اللَّهَ يقول
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا
وَقَدْ جِئْتُكَ مُسْتَغْفِرًا لِذَنْبِي مُسْتَشْفِعًا بِكَ إِلَى رَبِّي
The Bedouin also says: ‘I have come to you (O Messenger), seeking forgiveness for my sins, asking for your intercession before my Lord.’
