Her brother al-Qāsim was a righteous, ascetic, and virtuous man. He settled in Nīshāpūr and left descendants there, among them the noble ʿAlid from whom al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī narrates.
Some have said that she herself was among the pious women devoted to worship and that supplication is answered at her grave—indeed, at the graves of the prophets and the righteous ⦗1⦘, in the mosques, at ʿArafah and Muzdalifah, during lawful travel, in the course of the prayer, in the pre-dawn hours, in the prayers of parents, in the prayer of one who is absent for his brother, in the plea of the distressed, at the graves of those undergoing punishment ⦗2⦘, and, by the same token, at every time and moment, for He—exalted is He—has said: “Your Lord has declared, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer you.’”
The supplicant is not forbidden to pray at any time except while relieving himself, during intercourse, and the like.
Nevertheless, supplication is especially emphasized in the depths of the night, at the end of the obligatory prayers, and after the adhān ⦗3⦘.
Exaggerating the status of graves and their occupants is prohibited. The Prophet ﷺ ordered that graves be leveled and effaced. Excessive veneration of human beings is unlawful, and whoever claims that such structures can be removed from the wood, or that they can benefit or harm independently of God’s will, is guilty of shirk. May God have mercy upon her and honor her.
(1) Nothing authentic has been transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ stating that supplication is answered at the tombs of prophets or righteous people. The early generations likewise are not known to have sought out such graves for the purpose of making duʿa. Ibn al-Jazari asserts in Al-Hisn al-Hasin that the effectiveness of prayer at these graves is confirmed by experience, and al-Shawkani concurs in Tuhfat al-Dhakirin, p. 46, but he adds the condition that no corruption result—namely, that one must not attribute to the deceased qualities that are impermissible. Many grave-venerators lapse into this, so that their excess reaches the level of shirk: they call upon the dead alongside God and request from them what may only be asked of God. This is well known among many who frequent graves, especially the common folk unaware of the subtleties of polytheism.
(2) Al-Bukhari (nos. 4420, 4702) and Muslim (no. 2980) narrate from Abdullah ibn ʿUmar that the Messenger of God ﷺ said to his Companions regarding the people of al-Hijr, during the Tabuk expedition: “Do not enter upon these punished people unless you are weeping, lest what befell them befall you.” Another wording states: when the Prophet ﷺ passed by al-Hijr he said, “Do not enter the dwellings of those who wronged themselves unless you are weeping, for fear that what struck them might strike you,” then he lowered his head and hastened until he had crossed the valley.
(3) For the proofs of this ruling, see Tuhfat al-Dhakirin, pp. 46–50.