the well-known hadiths in the Sahīh and Sunan collections. The same applies to supplication at the sacred pilgrimage sites, such as ʿArafah, Muzdalifah, Minā, al-Multazam and other sacred sites in Mecca, and to supplication in mosques generally. The greater a mosque’s merit—as with the three mosques—the greater the merit of prayer and supplication within it.

As for supplicating at a place because it contains the grave of a prophet or a friend of Allah, none of the early generations of the Muslim community or its imams ever said that supplication there is better than elsewhere. Rather, this is something introduced by some of those who pray towards the qiblah, in imitation of Christians and other polytheists. Its origin lies in the religion of the polytheists, not in the religion of Allah’s sincere servants. The same applies to taking graves as places of worship: none of the early generations of the Muslim community or its imams considered this recommended. Rather, some of those who pray towards the qiblah introduced it in imitation of those Jews and Christians whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursed.

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As for the questioner’s words:

“Is it permissible to seek Allah’s help in supplication through a prophet sent by Him, an angel brought near to Him, His speech—exalted is He—the Kaaba, the supplication known as Ihtiyāt Qāf, or the supplication of Umm Dāwūd or al-Khidr? Or is it permissible, when petitioning Allah, to adjure Him by the right of so-and-so, the sanctity of so-and-so, or the standing of those brought near to Him