Hadith No: 1
Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Musnad al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Remaining Musnad of the Ansar - Hadith of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (ra)
Volume: (5) - Page Number: (422)
23074 - Abd al-Malik ibn Amr narrated to us, saying: Kathiir ibn Zayd narrated to us from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, who said: One day, Marwan approached and found a man placing his face on the grave. He said: "Do you know what you are doing?" He turned to him, and it was Abu Ayyub. He replied: "Yes, I came to Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and did not come to the stone." I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say: "Do not weep for the religion when its people govern it, but weep for it when it is governed by others not its people."

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Reference: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Book 5

Hadith No: 2
Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Al-'Illal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal
Volume Five: From the Book of Al-'Illal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal
Volume: (2) - Page Number: (492)
3243 - .... I asked him about a man who touches the pulpit of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), seeks blessings by touching it, kisses it, and does the same or something similar at the grave, intending thereby to draw closer to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic be He. He said: There is no harm in this.

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Reference: Al Elal wa Ma'refah al Rejal Book 2

Hadith No: 3
Al-Hakim al-Nisapouri - al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn
Book of Trials and Omens - Mention of a Trial in which the Elderly Age Quickly and the Young Grow
Volume: (4) - Page Number: (515)
8618 - Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, saying: al-Abbas ibn Muhammad ibn Hatem al-Duri narrated to us, saying: Abu Amir Abdul Malik ibn Umar al-Aqdi narrated to us, saying: Kathir ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, who said: "One day Marwan approached and found a man placing his face on the grave. He grabbed him by the neck and said: 'Do you know what you are doing?' The man replied: 'Yes,' and turned to him. It was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (may he be pleased with him).' Marwan then said: 'I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and did not come to the stone.' I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say: 'Do not weep for the religion when its people take charge of it, but weep for it when others who are not its people take charge of it.'" This is a hadith with a sound chain of narration, and they did not include it in their collections.

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Reference: Al-Mustadarak ala al-Saheehain Book 4

Hadith No: 4
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani - Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari
Book of Hajj - Chapter on Those Who Only Touch the Two Yemeni Corners
Volume: (3) - Page Number: (380)
[The text is lengthy, so only the pertinent excerpt is provided here]
- (Another Benefit): Some have inferred from the permissibility of kissing the corners the allowance of kissing anyone deserving of reverence from humans and others. As for kissing the hand of a human, this will be addressed in the Book of Manners. As for others, it is reported that Imam Ahmad was asked about kissing the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) pulpit and kissing his grave, and he saw no harm in it. However, some of his followers considered the validity of this doubtful and it was reported from Ibn Abi al-Sayf al-Yamani, one of the scholars of Mecca from the Shafi'is, the permissibility of kissing the Quran, portions of hadith, and the graves of the righteous.

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Reference: Fath al-Baari fi Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhari Book 3

Hadith No: 5
Al-Shawkani - Nail al-Awtar Sharh Muntqa al-Akhbar
Book of Rituals - Chapter on Entering Mecca and Related Matters
Chapter on the Tawaf of Arrival, Raml, and Idtiba in It
Volume: (5) - Page Number: (51)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
1959 - .... And there is a narration among the Malikis: he places his hand over his mouth without kissing it, and some have inferred from the permissibility of kissing the Black Stone (Hajr al-Aswad) and also the mujn (staff) that it is permissible to kiss anyone deserving of reverence from humans and others. It is also reported that Imam Ahmad was asked about kissing the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) minbar (pulpit) and kissing his grave, and he did not see anything wrong with it. However, some of his companions found its validity unlikely. It was noted that Ibn Abi al-Sayf al-Yamani, one of the scholars of Mecca from the Shafi'is, permitted kissing the Qur'an, parts of hadith, and the graves of the righteous.

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Reference: Nayl al-Awtaar Sharh Muntaqa al-Akhbaar Book 5

Hadith No: 6
Al-Ayni - Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari
Volume: (9) - Page Number: (241)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... And he also said: Al-Hafiz Abu Sa'id ibn al-Allai narrated to me, saying: I saw in the writings of Ahmad ibn Hanbal in an old manuscript, annotated in the handwriting of Ibn Nasir and other hadith scholars: that Imam Ahmad was asked about kissing the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and kissing his pulpit, and he said, "There is no harm in that." He said, So we showed this to Sheikh Taqi al-Din ibn Taymiyyah, and he began to marvel at it, saying: "I am astonished that Ahmad, in my opinion, is a great scholar, says this; these are his words, and what is so surprising? We have narrated from Imam Ahmad that he washed a shirt of al-Shafi'i and drank the water he used to wash it. If this is his way of showing respect to the scholars, how then should he regard the ranks of the Companions, and what about the relics of the prophets, peace be upon them?"

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Reference: Umdat alqari Sharh Saheeh albukhari Book 9

Hadith No: 7
Al-Haythami - Majma' al-Zawa'id wa Manba' al-Fawa'id
Book of Hajj - Chapter on Placing the Face on the Grave of Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)
Volume: (4) - Page Number: (2)
5845 - Ibn Abi Dawud Ibn Abi Salih said: Marwan came one day and found a man placing his face on the grave. He said: "Do you know what he is doing?" He went up to him, and it was Abu Ayyub. Marwan continued, "Yes, I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and did not see the Stone," and it is recorded in full in the Book of Khilafah. Ahmad and Dawud Ibn Abi Salih narrated it. Al-Dhahabi said: "No one narrated from him except al-Walid Ibn Kathir," and Many Ibn Zayd narrated from him as mentioned in the Musnad, and no one weakened him.

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Reference: Majma al-Zawaaed wa Mamba' al-Fawaaed Book 4

Hadith No: 8
Al-Haythami - Majma' al-Zawa'id wa Manba' al-Fawa'id
Book of Caliphate - Chapter on Appointing Unqualified People to Positions
Volume: (5) - Page Number: (245)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
9252 - Narrated from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, who said: One day Marwan approached and found a man with his face on the grave, and he said: "Do you know what he is doing?" He went closer, and it was Abu Ayyub. Marwan then said: "Yes, I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and did not come to the stone." I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say: "Do not weep for the religion if its people govern it, but weep for the religion if it is governed by those other than its people." Ahmad and al-Tabarani narrated it in the large and medium collections, and in it was Kathir ibn Zayd, whom Ahmad and others deemed trustworthy, while al-Nasa'i and others weakened him....

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Reference: Majma al-Zawaaed wa Mamba' al-Fawaaed Book 5

Hadith No: 9
Al-Dhahabi - Siyar A'lam al-Nubalai - Volume 2 - Al-Hasan
Volume: (4) - Page Number: (484)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... But whoever visited him (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and behaved disrespectfully during the visit, or prostrated to the grave, or did something not prescribed in the religion, this is an act both good and bad, which will be understood with gentleness. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. I swear, the only time a Muslim experiences agitation, shouting, kissing the walls, and excessive weeping is when they are filled with love for Allah and His Messenger. Therefore, their love is the measure and the distinguishing factor between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell. Visiting his grave is one of the best acts of devotion.

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Reference: Seyar A'laam al-Nobalaa Book 4

Hadith No: 10
Al-Salahi al-Shami - Sabil al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khayr al-Ibad
The Compilation of Chapters on His (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) Visitations after His Death and Their Virtue
Chapter Four: On the Etiquettes of Visiting Him (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) - Section
Volume: (12) - Page Number: (398)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... It is narrated that Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him peace) saw a man placing his hand on the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and he forbade him, saying: "We did not used to know this, what kind of closeness to him this is." Several others mentioned similar things, and in the book al-Ilal wa al-Su'alat by Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal from his father, there is a narration from Abu Ali al-Suwani, in which Abdullah said: "I asked my father about a man who touches the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) pulpit, seeks blessings by doing so, kisses it, and does the same with the grave, hoping for the reward of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic be He." He said: "There is no harm in it."
- .... Imam Ahmad narrated with a good chain, and Abu al-Hasan Yahya ibn al-Hasan ibn Ja'far ibn Abdullah al-Khashani in (Akhbar al-Madinah) from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, who said: "One day, Marwan approached and found a man with his face on the grave. Marwan took him by the neck and said: 'Do you know what you are doing?'" He turned to him, and it was Abu Ayyub. He replied: "Yes, I did not come to the chambers; I came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)."
- .... Al-Muqaddasi said: "And that was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari," and it was mentioned earlier in the chapter on the evidence for visitations that Ibn Asakir narrated with a good chain that Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) wept when he came to visit the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) from Sham and smeared his face on the grave.
- .... Al-Khatib mentioned ibn Jumlah: that Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him peace) would place his right hand on the noble grave.
- .... And that Bilal also placed his cheek on it (may Allah be pleased with him).

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Reference: Sobol al-Huda wa al-Rashaad fi Seerah Khair al-'Ibaad Book 12

Hadith No: 11
Ibn Asakir - Tarikh Damishq (History of Damascus) - Letter Meem
7312 - Marwan ibn al-Hakam ibn Abi al-As ibn Umayyah ibn Abd Shams ...
Volume: (57) - Page Number: (249)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- .... My father narrated to me, saying: Abd al-Malik ibn Amr narrated to us, saying: Kathir ibn Zayd narrated to us from Dawud ibn Abi Salih, who said: "One day Marwan approached and found a man with his face positioned on the grave. He said: 'Do you know what you are doing?'" He turned to him, and it was Abu Ayyub. Marwan continued, and Abu Ayyub replied: "Yes, I came to the Messenger of Allah ((peace be upon him and his holy progeny)) and did not come to the stone. I heard the Messenger of Allah ((peace be upon him and his holy progeny)) say: 'Do not weep for the religion when its people govern it, but weep for it when it is governed by others not of its people.'"

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Reference: Tarikh e Damishq Book 57