“They say: ‘It is like praying in the jabbanah (cemetery); the grave is enclosed in its own maqsurah, separate from the mosque, so what prevents us from praying there?’ Such a claim shows neither knowledge nor understanding. In the Umayyad Mosque the prohibiting factor is still present: the grave itself protrudes behind the enclosure, and this is proved by the crowds who come purposely to the grave, invoke Allah there—or even through it—seek its aid instead of Allah, and commit other acts that displease the Almighty. The Wise Lawgiver only forbade building mosques over graves to block such avenues to shirk and to prevent exactly the abuses that now take place at this tomb, as will be explained. Of what use, then, is the maqsurah when these and other reprehensible practices continue around the grave? Indeed, surrounding the grave with this ornate enclosure is itself another kind of wrongdoing; it induces people to disobey Allah and His Messenger by according the occupant of the grave an unlawful veneration—something plainly observable and already noted above. Is it not enough to establish the prohibition that worshippers, intentionally or not, end up facing the grave during their prayers? Some of those defenders reply: ‘There is still no harm, for a barrier exists between the worshippers and the grave—the windows and the brass lattice.’ We answer: If that barrier were sufficient, the Prophet’s own grave would not have been surrounded by a high circular wall; and beyond that, two further walls were built precisely to prevent anyone from directing his prayer toward the grave—even though it lies behind that circular wall! It is authentically reported from Ibn Jurayj that he said: ‘I asked Ata: “Do you dislike praying in the middle of graves, or …”’