may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he began placing a patterned cloak of his over his face. Whenever he felt stifled, he uncovered his face. In that state he said, ‘May Allah’s curse be upon the Jews and Christians: they turned the graves of their prophets into mosques.’” He was warning against what they had done.

It is part of Allah’s wisdom that ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, whose chamber was where he was buried, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, should narrate these hadiths, having heard them from him herself. Other Companions also narrated them, including Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Hurayrah, Jundub ibn ‘Abd Allāh and Ibn Mas‘ūd—may Allah Most High be pleased with them.

In the two Sahīh collections, Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“May Allah destroy the Jews: they turned the graves of their prophets into mosques.”

Also in the two Sahīh collections, ‘Ā’ishah reports 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:

“When a righteous man among those people died, they would build a mosque over his grave and place those images inside it. Those are the worst of creation in Allah’s sight on the Day of Resurrection.”

In Sahīh Muslim, Jundub ibn ‘Abd Allāh, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying five days before his death, ‘I disavow before Allah having 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 community as an intimate friend, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend. Take heed: those who