prayer and supplication at these places have no special merit according to any of the early generations of the Muslim community or its imams, nor did they engage in such practices. Rather, they forbade them, just as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade the means and motives leading to them—even when people did not intend to invoke the grave or supplicate through it. How much more so, then, if they did intend that!

Section

As for his question:

“Is supplication especially likely to be accepted or answered swiftly at a particular time or place—at the grave of a prophet or a friend of Allah?”

There is no doubt that supplication is more readily answered at some times and in some circumstances than others. The depths of the night are the time when supplication is most readily answered, as established in the two Sahīh collections from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains—in another narration, half the night—and says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’—until dawn breaks.”

Another hadith states:

“The Lord is closest to His servant in the latter part of the night.”

Supplication is answered when rain falls, when battle is joined, at the adhān and iqāmah, at the close of prayers, and while prostrating. Likewise, the supplications of a fasting person, a traveller, and someone who has been wronged are answered, as are other supplications of this kind. All of this is attested by