As for taking graves as idols, this is the religion of the polytheists, which the master of the messengers forbade. May Allah Most High set right the affairs of all Muslims. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless Muhammad.
Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah sanctify his soul—was asked about the shrine attributed to al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him, in the city of Cairo:
Is this attribution authentic or not? Was al-Husayn’s head taken to Damascus and then to Egypt, or was it taken from Iraq to Medina? Is there any truth to what some people relate concerning the shrine that was in Ascalon? Who has mentioned the matter of al-Husayn’s head and its transfer to Medina, the Prophet’s city, rather than to Syria or Egypt? Which earlier and later scholars have stated categorically that the shrines of Ascalon and Cairo are falsely attributed and not authentic? They are requested to discuss this matter in detail, given the pressing necessity and need for it