Sheikh Arafāt bn Hasan Al-Muhammadī
This questioner says:
Is it authentic that Āisha visited the grave of her brother, and does this indicate the permissibility of the visitation of women to graves?
The response is yes.
And the narration of Āisha was reported by AbdurRazaq in his Musannaf and citations of some of the wordings are also reported by Bayhaqī and other than him that Āisha was asked about this affair itself. They said to her: Did the Prophet, alayhis-salāt was-salām, not prohibit visiting it (the grave)? She said: yes, he prohibited it, thereafter, he permitted visiting it.
So this is an evidence that Āisha comprehended abrogation. And that the texts of prohibition have been abrogated by his speech, alayhis-salāt was-salām: “Behold, pay visit to it (i.e. the graves)”.
Regarding both men and women. Because a woman also needs to remember the Hereafter.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, when she went out behind the Messenger of Allah, alayhis-salāt was-salām, and he was supplicating. Thereafter, he returned knowing that she was behind him. Her feet were sore or her chest was throbbing. He was aware that she followed him.
She said to him – and this is the point of reference: “what do I say to them, O messenger of Allah?” What do I say to them, that means, when I visit [the grave].
Then, he said to her: “Say, peace be upon the people of this residence from the believers and the muslims…” [Hadith]. Then, he taught her the supplication.
If the visitation of a woman to the graveyard is not permissible, then, he won’t teach her the supplication. Why does he teach her the supplication while the visitation is not permissible?
He would have told her: it is not permissible for you to visit the graves. And this was what Aisha understood. And she visited the grave of her brother – and this is authentic from her, may Allah be pleased with her.
And in Sahīh al-Bukhārī also, when he saw a woman by a grave, he said to her: fear Allah and be patient. He reprimanded her for crying but he did not reprimand her for the visitation (to the grave).
