ibn Rāhawayh and Abū 'Ubaydah, nor by their shaykhs who served as exemplars, such as al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyād, Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī, and others like them.

None of the Companions, the Successors, or the early imams and shaykhs said that supplications are answered at the graves of prophets and righteous people, whether as a general claim or concerning particular graves. Nor did any of them say that supplicating at the graves of prophets and righteous people is better than supplicating elsewhere, or that prayer in such a place is better than prayer elsewhere. None of them deliberately sought out these graves for supplication or prayer.

Indeed, the best of all creation and their master is the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. There is no grave on earth unanimously acknowledged to be that of a prophet except his; people have differed concerning the grave of Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend, and those of other prophets. The imams agree that, when visiting him, one should greet him and his two Companions with peace, in accordance with the report in the Sunan collections from Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“No man greets me with peace without Allah restoring my soul to me so that I may return his greeting.”

This is a good hadith. Ibn Abī Shaybah and al-Dāraqutnī also narrated from him:

“Whoever greets me with peace at my grave, I hear him; and whoever invokes blessings upon me from afar, it is conveyed to me.”

Its chain of transmission contains some weakness, but it has established corroborating reports. The compilers of the Sunan collections have narrated through several routes that blessings and greetings of peace invoked upon him from afar are conveyed to him. Thus, the Sunan collections report that he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Invoke blessings upon me frequently on Friday and on the night preceding Friday,