lifetime, he and his Companions were better than those who came after them, and their worship was better than the worship of those who came after them. When they died, their graves were not better than the homes in which they had lived, nor did their bodies worship and obey Allah more after death than they had during life. Allah Most High has told us that He made the earth a receptacle for the living and the dead: it holds people alive upon its surface and dead within it. Its holding them in death is no better than its holding them in life. Thus, it is recommended to visit those buried at al-Baqīʿ and Uhud, and other believers, to supplicate for them and ask forgiveness for them. It is not recommended, however, to seek out their graves for the purposes for which mosques are sought out, such as prayer, devotional retreat, and the like. It is authentically reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“The places most beloved to Allah are the mosques.”

No places, then, are better than mosques. The dwellings of the prophets, whether during their lives or after their deaths, are not better than mosques. This is established by the explicit statement of the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and by the agreement of the scholars of his community.

Some have claimed that the graves of the prophets and the righteous are better than mosques, and that supplication at those graves is better than supplication in mosques, even the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. The falsehood of this claim is self-evident from the religion brought by the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The scholars of the Muslim community are known with certainty to agree unanimously that it is false, just as they agree that devotional retreat in mosques is better than at graves. What is intended