and other works, such as those of al-Bukhārī and others. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, invalidated this intercession, eradicated its roots, and blocked the means leading to it. He even cursed those who took the graves of prophets and righteous people as places of worship in which prayers are offered, even when those praying there do not seek their intercession. He forbade praying towards graves and sent ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib with instructions to leave no raised grave without leveling it, and no image without obliterating and erasing it. He also cursed image-makers.

Abū al-Hayyāj al-Asadī reported: “ʿAlī ibn Abī Tālib said to me: ‘I shall send you on the same mission on which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me: leave no image without obliterating it, and no raised grave without leveling it.’ In another wording: ‘And no picture without obliterating it.’”

Recorded by Muslim.