let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Allah must not disobey Him.”

The scholars have differed over whether a person who makes such a vow is liable for the expiation due for a broken oath.

For this very reason, none of the leading Imams of the early generations ever maintained that praying at graves or at burial shrines is recommended or meritorious, nor that the prayer or supplication performed there is superior to that offered elsewhere. On the contrary, they all agreed that prayer in the mosques and in one’s home is better than prayer beside graves—whether the graves of prophets or of the righteous—regardless of whether those places are called “shrines” or not.

Moreover, Allah and His Messenger have legislated certain rites specifically for the mosques, not for these shrines. The Exalted said:

“And who is more unjust than one who prevents the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strives toward their ruin?” (Al-Baqarah 2:114)

He did not say “in the shrines.”

And He, exalted is He, also said: