Question :
Is it permissible to do dhikr in the graveyard ?
Answer :
The sunnah of visiting the grave is that the one reads (the supplication) :
As-salamu alaykum daaru qaumin mumineen antumus sabiqoon wa nahnu lahiqoon nasalallahu lana wa lakum alaafiya (**)
as it comes in the saheeh of Muslim. This is the supplication which is to be read while visiting the graves. Also, it is for him that he makes dua for the dead believers and seeks forgiveness for them. There is no proof which shows the permissibility of reading a part of the qur’an like suratu yaaseen or al-fatiha or any other surah while visiting graves. Also, there is no evidence in specifying any particular type of dhikr, for example, saying ‘Subhaanallah’ hundred times, or any other while visiting graves.
As for the case of an individual, who is passing and reciting a specific dhikr and happens to pass by a grave, then there is nothing wrong with this because he has not specified that particular dhikr for that particular place.
Answered by : Shaykh Abdullah Aryani hafidhahullah
(**) similar dhikr is present in other ahadith with slightly different wording