and what the misguided have innovated: associating the deceased with Allah in worship, making pilgrimage to his grave, and invoking him besides Allah. Such a person’s purpose in visiting the deceased and journeying to him is to invoke him besides Allah, not to supplicate for him. The Messenger never practiced this kind of visitation, nor did he ever permit it. How much worse, then, is journeying for this purpose, which is akin to making pilgrimage to false objects of worship!

Another point is that he equated visiting the deceased with visiting him during his lifetime, citing the hadith about “the man who visited a brother of his while the latter was alive” as evidence that visiting the deceased is recommended. No such equation or analogy is known to have been made by any Muslim scholar.

It is well known that no one, through virtuous deeds such as jihad and Hajj, can equal the Companions who journeyed to the Messenger, supported him, heard his words, spoke with him, and asked him questions which he answered; whom he taught and instructed in proper conduct; and whom he entrusted with messages for their people and commanded to convey his teachings. How, then, could someone equal them merely by seeing the exterior of his chamber? Or how could this visitation be compared with theirs?

The Sunnah and the consensus of the Muslim community establish that all the righteous deeds performed in the mosque beside his chamber—sending blessings and peace upon him, praising and honoring him, and recounting his admirable qualities and virtues—can be performed anywhere else, with those performing them receiving the reward they deserve. As he said:

“Do not make my house a place of recurring gatherings, and send blessings upon me, for your blessings reach me wherever you may be.”

Had deeds performed at the grave possessed any special merit, he would have opened the door of the chamber to the Muslims. Since, then, they were prevented from reaching the grave