And when Abd Allāh ibn Umar entered the mosque, he would say:

“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Abū Bakr. Peace be upon you, my father.”

Then he would leave. Mālik and other leading scholars explicitly stated this. Abū Yūsuf and other scholars explicitly stated that no one may ask Allah by virtue of any created being—whether the Prophet, the angels, or anyone else.

The Muslims experienced drought and hardship. They would supplicate to Allah, ask Him for rain, pray against their enemies, seek His help in attaining victory, and seek to draw near to Him through the supplications of the righteous. As the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Are you granted victory and provision except through the weak among you—through their supplications, prayers, and sincerity?”

They did not deliberately seek to supplicate at the grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, or at the grave of any righteous person, nor to offer prayers there, ask him to fulfil their needs, or adjure Allah by him—for example, by saying, “I ask You by the right of so-and-so.” Rather, all these are newly introduced innovations. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The best generation is the generation among whom I was sent, then those who follow them.”

The Muslims have agreed that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, are the best generation of this nation.