his honoured grave is permissible, for it is reported in the Sunan collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“No one greets me with peace but Allah restores my soul to me so that I may return his greeting.”

Wherever a person invokes blessings and peace upon him, in the east or the west, Allah conveys those blessings and greetings to him. For it is reported in the Sunan collections, from Aws ibn Aws, that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Invoke blessings upon me abundantly on Friday and the night preceding it, for your blessings are presented to me.”

They asked, “How will our blessings be presented to you when you have decayed?”—that is, become dust.

He replied, “Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets.”

For this reason, he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Do not make my grave an ʿīd (a place of recurring observance). Invoke blessings upon me wherever you are, for your blessings reach me.”

Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and others. Thus, blessings reach him from afar just as they reach him from nearby.

Al-Nasāʾī also reports that he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Allah has angels who travel throughout the earth, conveying to me the greetings of peace from my community.”

Allah has commanded us to invoke blessings upon him. He has prescribed for us in every prayer that we praise Allah with expressions of reverence, then say:

“Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.”

This greeting reaches him from the east and the west. The same applies when we invoke blessings upon him, saying:

“O Allah, bestow blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You bestowed blessings upon the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.”

During his lifetime and the times of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī, the Muslims used to pray