the Rock be His lower Throne?” The Companions did not venerate it. They said that it was only when ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān was at war with Ibn al-Zubayr that he built the dome over it. People would go on pilgrimage and meet Ibn al-Zubayr, so he exalted the Rock to occupy them with visiting it rather than travelling to Ibn al-Zubayr. Otherwise, nothing in our revealed law warrants venerating the Rock, building a dome over it, or draping it with leather coverings and woollen cloth.

Had this been part of our revealed law, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and Muʿāwiyah—may Allah be pleased with them—would have had greater claim to doing so than those who came after them. They were, after all, Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and knew his sunnah better and followed it more faithfully than later generations. Likewise, the Companions did not repeatedly visit the tomb of Abraham, the close friend of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Indeed, they did not even open it, nor did they build a mosque over the grave of any prophet. They knew that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had said:

“Those before you used to take graves as places of worship. Beware! Do not take graves as places of worship, for I forbid you to do so.”

When Daniel’s grave was discovered at Tustar, Abū Mūsā wrote about it to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him. ʿUmar wrote back: “During the day, dig thirteen graves. Then bury him at night in one of them and cover his grave with earth, lest people be led astray through it.”

I have examined the reports transmitted concerning deliberately visiting these sites and supplicating