visits me after my death is as though he visited me during my lifetime”—are weak hadiths; indeed, they are fabricated. The compilers of the authentic hadith collections, the well-known Sunan collections, and the Musnad collections transmitted none of them. At most, such reports are attributed to al-Dāraqutnī’s collection, which he intended to contain singular reports concerning the Sunnah. For this reason, he included weak and fabricated reports that others did not transmit. Hadith scholars agree that merely citing his collection does not justify relying on a report. Those hadith scholars who have written about the reports narrated on this subject explain that none of them is authentic.

Indeed, Mālik and others disapproved of saying, “I visited the grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” Mālik was the most knowledgeable authority on this subject, for the people of Medina knew more about it than the inhabitants of other cities, and Mālik was their imam. Had there been a sunnah transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, containing the expression “visiting his grave,” it would not have escaped the scholars of his city and those living near his grave—may my father and mother be his ransom.

Accordingly, the established practice among the Companions and the imams of the Muslims was that, when a person offered salutations to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his two Companions, he would then supplicate to Allah facing the direction of prayer, not the chamber. The account related about Mālik and al-Mansūr to the contrary is false and has no basis. I know of no disagreement among the imams that the Sunnah is to face the direction of prayer when supplicating, rather than the Prophet’s grave. Their disagreement concerned only the direction to face when offering salutations to him. The majority said that one should offer salutations to him while facing