Ziyarah Etiquette in Madinah: Dos and Don'ts

Ziyarah etiquette in Madinah Munawwarah comes down to love and reverence for the Prophet ﷺ: travel with the intention of visiting his blessed grave, greet him with awe in a moderate voice from a respectful distance, pray in his mosque, visit al-Baqi, Uhud and Quba, which is sunnah, and treat the whole city as the sanctuary it is. The main don'ts are raising your voice, kissing or touching the blessed grille, which is against adab, turning your back on the blessed grave, and pushing in crowds. Madinah is also a haram (sanctuary): its trees are not to be cut and its game is not to be hunted. Women do not go to graves or cemeteries, with one exception: the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ, from which they are not to be kept.

Key facts

The Prophet ﷺ declared Madinah a sanctuary (Sahih al-Bukhari 1867; Sahih Muslim 1362).
The sanctuary is described in authentic hadith as extending from Mount Ayr to Mount Thawr.
The Prophet ﷺ is greeted standing with hands folded as in prayer, back to the qibla, at least four hands (about two yards) from the blessed grille and without touching it.
Visiting al-Baqi, Uhud and Quba is sunnah. Men can enter al-Baqi at limited times (typically after Fajr and after Asr), though salam from outside the wall is the safer way; women do not enter.
Quba Mosque has a specific virtue, and the other places linked to the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt رضی اللہ عنہم are visited as a source of blessing.
Photography is restricted around the grave, in the Rawdah and at al-Baqi.

The adab of arriving in Madinah

Madinah is the city the Prophet ﷺ migrated to, lived in for the last decade of his life, and rests in. Visitors traditionally arrive with gratitude and a sense of responsibility rather than as tourists.

Intention. Travel with the intention of visiting the Prophet ﷺ at his blessed grave. He ﷺ said: "Whoever visits my grave, my intercession becomes due for him" (Sunan al-Daraqutni), and Bahar-e-Shariat says the visit is "close to wajib." Fatawa Razawiyya quotes Imam Ibn al-Humam as preferring a journey made for this visit alone, because it shows the Prophet ﷺ greater honour; you reach his mosque as part of it. The hadith on journeys to three mosques (Sahih al-Bukhari 1189) concerns travel to mosques: Imam Ahmad's narration of it reads "to a mosque in which prayer is sought," and Fath al-Bari, as quoted in an Ahl-e-Sunnat fatwa, concludes that this voids "the view of whoever forbids travelling to visit the noble grave."
Salawat. Increase your blessings on the Prophet ﷺ as you approach the city and throughout your stay.
Gentleness. Be patient with hotel staff, drivers and shopkeepers.
Priorities. Plan sightseeing around the five prayers using the prayer times.

Respecting the sanctuary (haram) of Madinah

Like Makkah, Madinah has a sacred precinct. The Prophet ﷺ declared it a sanctuary whose trees are not to be cut (Sahih al-Bukhari 1867), and in Sahih Muslim he says that Ibrahim made Makkah sacred and he makes Madinah sacred, so its thorny trees are not to be cut and its game not hunted (Sahih Muslim 1362).

Boundaries. In a narration of Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib رضی اللہ عنہ recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the sanctuary is described as lying between Mount Ayr and Mount Thawr. Mount Ayr lies to the south of the city, about 8.5 km from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi; Thawr is commonly identified with a small hill to the north, behind Mount Uhud (not the cave of Thawr near Makkah). Other narrations describe the sanctuary as the area between Madinah's two lava fields (the labatayn).

What this means in practice:

Do not cut or damage trees and wild plants inside the sanctuary, and don't break branches for shade or souvenirs.
Do not hunt or chase animals and birds, including the pigeons around the mosque.
Behave with extra care: scholars note that wrongdoing in a sacred place is more serious.

Etiquette inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawi

Enter with the right foot and the du'a for entering a mosque, then pray two rak'ahs of greeting the mosque when you sit down (outside the disliked times).
Lower your voice. The Quran instructs believers not to raise their voices above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ (Quran 49:2), and many scholars apply this to conduct in his mosque and near his grave.
Don't push, step over people or reserve rows with mats and bags.
Avoid strong-smelling food such as raw garlic and onion before coming; the Prophet ﷺ told those who had eaten them to keep away from the mosque (reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). Light perfume for men is sunnah.
Rawdah visits are by permit through the Nusuk app; arrive at your slot on time and leave when staff ask so others can have their turn.

Our page on the Prophet's Mosque piazza and umbrellas and the virtual tour help you learn the layout before you arrive.

At the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ: dos and don’ts

The Prophet ﷺ rests in his blessed chamber at the south-eastern corner of the mosque, with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar رضی اللہ عنہما beside him. Bahar-e-Shariat and Fatawa Razawiyya both teach: "Be certain that the Prophet ﷺ is alive with a true, real, worldly, bodily life, just as he was before his passing."

Do:

Stand with reverence facing the blessed grave, your back to the qibla and your hands folded as in prayer, at least four hands (about two yards) from the grille, and greet him in a moderate voice, neither loud nor very soft: "As-salamu 'alayka ya Rasulallah." Then move about an arm's length to the right to greet Sayyiduna Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ, and the same again to greet Sayyiduna Umar رضی اللہ عنہ.
Send abundant salawat as far as the line allows, testify that he delivered the message and advised the ummah, and ask him for his intercession, for yourself, your parents, your teachers and all Muslims: "As'aluka ash-shafa'ata ya Rasulallah" (I ask you for intercession, O Messenger of Allah).
Keep moving with the line, which staff manage carefully.
Make du'a facing the blessed grave, not with your back to it. Bahar-e-Shariat calls these stations places where du'a is answered and says to strive in du'a, adding that being content with salawat is better. Then make du'a near the minbar and, after two rak'ahs of nafl, in the Rawdah.

Don't:

Kiss or touch the blessed grille. Bahar-e-Shariat and Fatawa Razawiyya teach: "Beware: avoid kissing or touching the blessed grille, for it is against adab; rather, do not go closer than four hands' distance. Is it a small mercy of his that he called you into his presence and gave you a place before his blessed face?" This is adab at this spot, born of reverence; seeking blessing from relics and blessed places is itself permitted. Staff also ask visitors not to touch it.
Raise your voice, wail or crowd others.
Prostrate, bow as far as ruku, or walk round the blessed grave in tawaf. Prostration is for Allah alone, and Bahar-e-Shariat says honouring the Prophet ﷺ lies in obeying him.
Turn your back on the blessed grave. As far as you can, do not stand even for prayer where you would have to.
Linger to the point of blocking the route. You can return at another time; the salam reaches the Prophet ﷺ from anywhere.

A hadith reported by Abu Dawud states that whenever anyone greets the Prophet ﷺ, Allah returns his soul to him so that he returns the greeting. Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi explains in Mir'at al-Manajih: "Here soul means attention, not the life by which one lives; the Prophet is alive with everlasting life."

Visiting al-Baqi cemetery

Jannat al-Baqi, about 300 m from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, is Madinah's main cemetery and the resting place of many members of the Prophet's ﷺ family and companions.

Opening: visiting al-Baqi is sunnah, best after visiting the blessed grave and especially on a Friday. Men may enter at limited times, typically after Fajr and after Asr. Times can change, so check on arrival. The graves are no longer marked and stepping on a Muslim's grave is haram, so an Ahl-e-Sunnat guide to the pilgrimage urges giving salam from outside the wall, standing with your back to the qibla so that you face those buried there.
Greeting the dead: the sunnah du'a for visiting graves, taught by the Prophet ﷺ and reported in Sahih Muslim, begins "As-salamu 'alaykum ahla ad-diyar min al-mu'minin wal-muslimin…" (peace be upon you, believing inhabitants of these dwellings…).
Purpose: the Prophet ﷺ permitted visiting graves because it reminds people of the hereafter (reported in Sahih Muslim). Pray for those buried here, recite salawat, Surah al-Fatihah and what you can, and gift them the reward, as Bahar-e-Shariat teaches. An Ahl-e-Sunnat fatwa calls visiting the resting places of the righteous "commendable, a source of blessing and the practice of the predecessors."
Conduct: walk on the paths, don't sit or step on graves, keep your voice low and avoid touching or taking anything from the graves.
Photography is restricted.

Women and graves: Bahar-e-Shariat notes that some scholars allowed women to visit graves, then says: "The safest is that women be prohibited absolutely." This article follows that view, and Imam Ahmad Raza Khan writes in Fatawa Razawiyya: "The soundest view is that women are not permitted to go to graves." The one exception is the blessed grave of the Prophet ﷺ. Of that visit he writes that it is "the greatest of recommended acts, indeed close to wajib. They will not be kept from it, and will be taught its proper adab." At al-Baqi the current arrangement is that women do not enter the cemetery.

Uhud and the martyrs

Mount Uhud and the Martyrs' cemetery, about 5.3 km from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, mark the battle of Uhud, where Sayyiduna Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib رضی اللہ عنہ and other companions were martyred.

Give salam to the martyrs from behind the fence and pray for them. Visiting Uhud is sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ came to these graves at the start of each year, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman رضی اللہ عنہم did the same (Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq).
The Archers' Hill (Jabal ar-Rumah) can be climbed; it is where the archers were stationed during the battle. Reflect on the lesson of obedience it carries.
Don't litter, and don't take stones or soil as keepsakes.
Plan for heat: midday is very hot for much of the year, so bring water and go early.

Quba and the historical mosques

Quba Mosque has a specific, authentic virtue: the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever purifies himself at home, then comes to Masjid Quba and prays in it, has a reward like that of an Umrah (Sunan Ibn Majah 1412). Quba Mosque is about 3.3 km from Al-Masjid an-Nabawi; many visitors do wudu at their hotel and go in the morning.

Other historic sites, such as the Seven Mosques near the site of the Trench, or Masjid al-Qiblatayn, are visited as blessed places because of their link to the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions رضی اللہ عنہم, not only for history. Sayyiduna Itban ibn Malik رضی اللہ عنہ asked the Prophet ﷺ to pray in his home so that he could take that spot as his place of prayer, and Imam Nawawi says this hadith shows "seeking blessing from the righteous and their relics, and prayer in the places where they prayed." Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar رضی اللہ عنہ would water a tree under which the Prophet ﷺ had once stopped, so that it would not dry out.

If you enter a working mosque, pray two rak'ahs of greeting the mosque as you would anywhere.
Send salawat and make du'a there with adab.
Visit between prayers and keep voices low; these are local community mosques.

Dress, photography and helping others

Dress. Men wear clean, loose clothing (many wear a thobe); women wear loose, non-transparent clothing with hijab, and an abaya is common. Slip-on shoes make mosque visits easier.

Photography courtesy:

Don't photograph or film other worshippers, especially women, without permission.
Follow signs and staff instructions; photography is restricted at the grave, in the Rawdah and at al-Baqi.

Helping others and cleanliness:

Give way to the elderly, the sick and wheelchair users, and help people find their gate or group.
Put rubbish in bins, keep shoes out of walkways, and leave ablution areas clean.
Patience in crowds is part of the adab of ziyarah.

To learn the stories behind these places before you visit, see the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Frequently asked questions

❓What is the correct way to greet the Prophet ﷺ at his blessed grave in Madinah?

At the Prophet's ﷺ blessed grave in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, stand with your back to the qibla and hands folded as in prayer, at least four hands from the grille, and say As-salamu alayka ya Rasulallah in a moderate voice. Send abundant blessings, ask for his intercession, then move slightly to greet Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and then Sayyiduna Umar رضی اللہ عنہما. Do not touch the grille, and make du'a facing the blessed grave.

❓Is it allowed to touch the grille of the Prophet's ﷺ blessed grave?

Bahar-e-Shariat and Fatawa Razawiyya teach that kissing or touching the blessed grille at the Prophet's ﷺ grave in Madinah is against adab, and that one should not go closer than four hands, about two yards. Staff at Al-Masjid an-Nabawi also ask visitors not to do it. Stand with reverence facing the blessed grave, greet the Prophet ﷺ in a moderate voice, and leave room for other visitors to greet him.

❓Can women visit al-Baqi cemetery in Madinah?

Under the current arrangement at Jannat al-Baqi in Madinah, men may enter at limited times, typically after Fajr and Asr, while women do not enter the cemetery. Bahar-e-Shariat says the safest view is that women be prohibited from visiting graves absolutely, and this article follows it. The one exception is the Prophet's ﷺ blessed grave, a visit from which women are not to be kept.

❓What are the boundaries of the sanctuary of Madinah?

Authentic hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim describe the sanctuary of Madinah as extending from Mount Ayr to Mount Thawr. Mount Ayr lies south of the city, and Thawr is commonly identified with a small hill north of Mount Uhud. Inside the sanctuary of Madinah, trees are not to be cut and game is not to be hunted.

❓Is there a special ritual for visiting the historical mosques of Madinah?

Quba Mosque carries a reward like an Umrah for those who pray there, according to Sunan Ibn Majah 1412. The other historical mosques of Madinah, such as the Seven Mosques, are visited as blessed places linked to the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. No set form is given in the books we checked: pray two rak'ahs of greeting the mosque if you enter, send salawat and make du'a with adab.

❓Can I take photos inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawi?

Photography in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi is restricted in sensitive areas such as the Rawdah and in front of the Prophet's ﷺ blessed grave, and also at al-Baqi cemetery. Elsewhere in the Prophet's Mosque, visitors should be discreet, follow signs and staff instructions, avoid blocking walkways, and never photograph other worshippers, especially women, without permission.

How we checked. This page is a guide, not a fatwa; for a ruling on your own situation, ask a qualified Ahl-e-Sunnat mufti. Bahar-e-Shariat, Fatawa Razawiyya vol. 10 and Mir'at al-Manajih were read directly. Fatawa Razawiyya vol. 9, the women's passage from Bahar-e-Shariat, Fath al-Bari and Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq are quoted through Ahl-e-Sunnat fatwas, Imam Nawawi through Fatawa Razawiyya vol. 21, and the report of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar رضی اللہ عنہ through an Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine. The English of these quotes is our own translation.

Sources