The Implication of Qur’an 4:64 for the Legitimacy of Undertaking Travel for Visiting the Prophet’s Grave

Wahhabis classify travel with the intention of visiting graves as an innovation (bid‘ah) and forbidden (haram). In contrast, many Islamic scholars—both Shia and Sunni—based on various evidences, consider travel for visiting the graves of prophets and God’s saints permissible. One Qur’anic proof for the legitimacy of such travel is verse 64 of Surah al-Nisa (Qur’an 4:64). This verse is free of any restriction confining it to the Prophet’s lifetime or to a specific form of visiting him. Thus, by appealing to the verse’s generality, one may deem traveling to visit the Prophet not only permissible but also commendable.
The well-known narration of the Bedouin Arab, the occurrence of the act in a conditional clause, and the shared understanding of Muslim scholars affirm this general interpretation. With an analytical approach and by referring to authentic Islamic sources, this research explains how the verse indicates the legitimacy of undertaking travel (shadd al-rihāl) to visit the Prophet’s grave and responds to Wahhabi objections on the matter. It should also be noted that although some scholars have cited this verse in their works as evidence for the legitimacy of pilgrimage travel, no independent study had previously been devoted to this topic.