the most this can show—if substantiated—is that the person buried there was righteous, and that it is the grave of a righteous man or a prophet. That fragrance may, however, have been produced by some common people, for some of them engage in such practices. One of our companions told me that two men appeared on the banks of the Euphrates. One had established a grave to which money was brought by misguided people who visited it and made vows to it. The other then turned to a grave and claimed to have seen in a dream that it was the grave of ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAwf. He placed various perfumes inside it, producing a powerful fragrance.
People living near the grave in Mount Lebanon, in the Biqāʿ, which is said to be Noah’s grave, told me about it. It had only recently become known, during the seventh century AH. Its origin was that they had noticed a pleasant fragrance coming from a grave and found large bones. They said, “These indicate someone of a large physical build.” Then, on mere conjecture, they said, “This is Noah’s grave.” Yet many people of the same kind were buried at that site.
Likewise, a number of people have stated that this shrine in Ascalon is the grave of one of the disciples or another follower of Jesus, son of Mary. Things of the same kind as those found at the graves of believers may also be found at the graves of idolaters. Indeed, the claim that it is al-Husayn’s grave is mere supposition and guesswork. Among the shaykhs renowned for knowledge and piety was