is not because the Prophet’s grave—peace and blessings be upon him—lies beside it. Its excellence was confirmed long before he was buried there, for it was the first mosque founded upon God-fearing devotion, and it is the very mosque of the Messenger, as he said: “A single prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere,” and he did not add “after my death.” All three mosques enjoy pre-eminence over others because they are the mosques of prophets, not on account of graves or their proximity to graves, but because they were established upon pure monotheism and obedience, not upon idolatry and superstition.

(e) He also claims: “The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was buried in the apartment of ʿĀʾishah, the dwelling of his wives that lay closest to the mosque and was in fact attached to it. Had the aim been to bar people from visiting his grave, he would have been buried in some distant place such as al-Baqīʿ …”

Our reply is as follows:

First: Such words come from someone unfamiliar with the authentic Sunnah reports that clarify the circumstances of his burial in the house of ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—and the reason for it. When he fell ill, he sought his wives’ permission to be nursed in the house of ʿĀʾishah because of his love for her and his desire for her nearness and care. They granted him permission, and when he passed away he was buried in the very spot where he died, for prophets are buried where they die, as the hadith states. The underlying wisdom was to prevent people from being tempted by his grave had it been placed in an open, prominent location, lest it be turned into a mosque or a recurring festival site. He himself warned against this, saying, “Do not turn my grave into a festival,” and, “O Allah, do not make my grave an idol to be worshiped.” Al-Bukhārī and Muslim relate from ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—that she said: “When death approached the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—he would cast a cloak over his face; when it became burdensome he would uncover it, and while he was in that state he said, ‘May Allah curse the Jews…’”