Now, if the Prophet ﷺ himself cursed those who build mosques over graves and light lamps upon them, how could any Muslim possibly imagine that such conduct is an act of obedience or a means of drawing closer to Allah?!

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim it is narrated from the Commander of the Believers ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched me and instructed me not to leave any elevated grave without leveling it, nor any statue without obliterating it.” 1

It is also authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “O Allah, do not let my grave become an idol that is worshiped.” 2

He further said, “Do not turn my grave into a place of devotion; instead, invoke blessings upon me wherever you may be, for your blessings reach me.” 3

Thus the Prophet ﷺ forbade gathering at his grave and commanded that prayers of blessing be offered for him from every place, for those prayers reach him no matter where they are uttered.

These hadiths were transmitted by members of his own household—such as ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn, from his father, from his grandfather ʿAlī, and ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. They, together with their scholarly neighbors in Medina, actively forbade the innovations committed at his grave or at the graves of others, in obedience to his command and in faithful adherence to his law.