The Appeal of Graveyards

1) It is a quiet place which lends itself to introspection and reflection on what life is about and what is important. It puts us in touch with our own mortality. If we understand the fragility of life, we are better able to appreciate it. We get away from TV, computers, stress, responsibility, superficiality and the unimportant things that invade our lives. A graveyard promotes a level of introspection and reflection that not many other places can.

2) Graveyards are beautiful.

3) The mystery and supernatural atmosphere that surrounds graveyards is alluring. People often feel a spiritual or supernatural presence there. We generally tend to focus on the supernatural.

4)
a) It reminds one of death and afterlife, and makes him draw a lesson from it for his afterlife. (Muslim, Janaiz, 108; Tirmidhi, Janaiz, 59; Ibn Majah, Janaiz 47-48; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, I, 145).
b) It directs one to asceticism and taqwa (God-Consciousness). It prevents over-ambitiousness for worldly life and committing harams. It directs one to commit good deeds. (Ibn Majah, Janaiz, 47).
c) Visiting graves of saintly people - especially that of our Prophet’s - refreshes one’s soul and helps to evoke supreme feelings in them. It is mandoob to travel to the graves of our Prophet and Allah’s saintly slaves in order to visit them. The Prophet states in a hadith: “Whoever visits me after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was alive.” (Mansur Ali Nasif, at-Taj, al-Jamiu’l Usul, II, 190).
d) Visiting graves helps the strengthening of one’s relations with his past, religious culture and history.