1. Going to Madinah at any time with the intention of visiting the Prophet’ Mosque is a Sunnah, as is performing salah in it. According to the Hadith of the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him), a salah performed in the Prophet’s Mosque is better than a thousand salats in any other place except the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Makkah.

2. There is no Ihram nor talbiyyah for the visit to the Prophet’s Mosque, and it should be emphasized that there is no connection whatsoever between this visit and the Hajj.

3. When you enter the Prophet’s Mosque, enter with your right foot first, saying the name of Allah the Most High, and evoking blessings on His Prophet (may his peace and blessings be on him), and ask Allah to open the gates of his mercy for you. The recommended words for entering any mosque, including the Prophet’s Mosque, are:

“A’udu billahil-adheem wa wajhi hil-kareem wa sultanihil-qadeem mina-shaytani-rajeem. Allah-humma, iftah li abwaba rahmattek.”

(I seek refuge in Allah the Al-mighty, and in His noble countenance and in His eternal power, from Satan the Rejected. O Allah, open to me the doors of Your mercy.)

4. Perform two rak’as of tahiyyat al-masjid (the salat of “greeting of the mosque”) after entering the Mosque, preferably in the Rawdah or otherwise anywhere else in the Mosque.

5. Then go to the grave of the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him), and standing in front of it and facing it, say in a respectful and hushed voice:

“Assalmu ‘alaika, ayyuhan-nabiyya wa rahmatul-lahi wa barakatuhu”

(Peace be on him, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah).

There is no harm if you add:

“Allahumma, atihil-waseelata wal-fadeelata wab-’athul-maqamal-mahmoudal-ladhee wa-adtahu. Allahumma, ajzih ‘an ummatihi afdala-jaza’.”

(O Lord, give him the right (of intercession) and the favour, and raise him to the praiseworthy station which you promised to him. Allah, reward him on behalf of his ummah (people) with the best of rewards.)

Then move a little to the right to stand before the grave of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Greet him and supplicate Allah to bestow His mercy and forgiveness on him. Again move a little to the right to stand before the grave of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and greet him and make supplication for him.

6. It is Sunnah to have tahara, and visit the Mosque of Quba and offer salat in it, as the Prophet (peace be in him) prayed there and encouraged others to do the same.

7. It is Sunnah to visit the graves of al-Baqe’e cemetery, and the grave of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and the martyrs of Uhod, and the grave of Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with them); to greet them and to pray for the mercy of Allah upon them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit all these graves and pray for the souls of those who were buried there. He taught his companions when visiting graves to say:

“Assalamu ‘alaikum, ahlal-diyar minal-mu’mineen wal-muslimeen, wa inna insha-Allah bikum lahi-qoon. Nasalal-laha lana wa lakumul-’afiyah.”

(Reported by Muslim)

(Peace be on him, O dwellers of this place from among the Believers and the Muslims, and we will Insha-Allah join you. We ask Allah for security (from the Fire of Hell) for ourselves and for you)

According to the Shari’ah besides the mosques and other places mentioned above, there are no other mosques or places in Madinah which are to be visited. Therefore, do not burden yourself by visiting places for which there is no reward or for which, in fact, there might be some blame for doing so. And Allah is the source of guidance.