five days before his death, saying:

‘Before Allah, I disavow taking any of you as an intimate friend, for Allah has taken me as an intimate friend just as He took Abraham as an intimate friend. Were I to take anyone from my nation as an intimate friend, I would take Abū Bakr. Beware! Those before you used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous people as places of worship. Do not take graves as places of worship, for I forbid you to do so.’”

As for his cursing those who did this, the two Sahīhs relate from ʿĀ’ishah and Ibn ʿAbbās:

“When death approached the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he began placing a cloak over his face. Whenever it stifled him, he uncovered his face. While in that state, he said, ‘May Allah’s curse be upon the Jews and Christians: they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship,’ warning against what they had done.”

The two Sahīhs also relate that ʿĀ’ishah said:

“During the illness from which he never recovered, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘May Allah curse the Jews and Christians: they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship.’”

ʿĀ’ishah said: “Were it not for that, his grave would have been left exposed, but he feared that it would be taken as a place of worship.” Another wording reads: “But he feared—or it was feared.”

Also related in the Sahīh, from Abū Hurayrah, is that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“May Allah curse the Jews and Christians: they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship.”

This is Muslim’s wording. Both Muslim and al-Bukhārī also relate:

“May Allah destroy the Jews and Christians: they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship.”

The two Sahīhs relate from ʿĀ’ishah that Umm Habībah and Umm Salamah mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a church they had seen in Abyssinia that contained images. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Those people, whenever there died among them