He replied, ‘Death.’ Moses said, ‘Then let it be now, my Lord, but bring me within a stone’s throw of the Holy Land.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Were I there, I would show you his grave beside the road, by the red sandhill.’”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed by Moses on the night of the Night Journey and saw him standing in prayer in his grave. Despite this, none of the Companions or their successors would travel to it, nor did they go there when they entered Syria during the time of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. Likewise, they did not travel to the grave of Abraham, the Friend of Allah, or to other graves. This was how they dealt with the graves of prophets and righteous people.

As for the grave of “Daniel,” it is said that they could smell musk emanating from it, so they effaced its traces lest people be led astray through it. “Abraham’s grave,” peace be upon him, was enclosed by a structure. It is said that Solomon, peace be upon him, built it, so no one could reach the grave. An opening was only made in the structure much later, after the first three generations had passed away. It has also been said that it was the Christians who made the opening when they gained control of the land. Even so, no one was able to reach Abraham’s grave, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

Thus, travelling to visit the graves of prophets and righteous people was not possible during the time of the Companions and their successors; it arose only after them. The prophets were very numerous, whereas the graves attributed to them are very few, and none of these attributions is established by common knowledge.

Some graves attributed to them are known to be falsely attributed, such as “Noah’s grave” at the foot of Mount Lebanon. Among them are also