in various places. Believers would also see him in dreams in various places, yet the early generations did not turn any of these into a mosque or a place of visitation. Were this door opened, many—or most—Muslim homes would become mosques and places of visitation, for people continue to see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in dreams, coming to their homes. Some see him many times. Perfuming these places with saffron is a disapproved innovation.

As for the further claims that liars invent—for example, when a footprint is seen somewhere and people say, “This is his footprint,” and similar claims—all of this is false. The stone footprints that people transport, claiming that they mark where he placed his foot, are a fabricated lie. Were they genuine, it would have been prescribed for Muslims to make such a place a mosque and a place of visitation. Yet Allah has not commanded that the standing-place of any prophet be made a place of prayer except the standing-place of Abraham, saying:

“And take the standing-place of Abraham as a place of prayer.”

Likewise, He has not commanded the touching and kissing of any stone except the Black Stone, nor prayer towards any house except the Sacred House. By the agreement of the Muslims, it is impermissible to extend this by analogy to anything else. Rather, that would be like instituting a pilgrimage for people to somewhere other than the Ancient House, or imposing a month of fasting other than the month of Ramadan, and similar things.

Thus, by the agreement of the Muslims, it is not prescribed to touch or kiss the Rock in Jerusalem. Nor does prayer or supplication beside it have any special merit over other parts of the mosque. Prayer and supplication in the qiblah-facing part of the mosque that Umar ibn al-Khattāb built for the Muslims