because it involves imitating those who take graves as places of worship, even though the person praying may not intend to pray there because of any special merit of that spot, but may simply happen to do so.

Nevertheless, this involves resembling those who do intend that, so he forbade it. Likewise, he forbade prayer without a particular occasion at sunrise and sunset, even when a person does not seek any special merit in that time, because it involves resembling those who do seek special merit in it—namely, the polytheists. His prohibition of prayer at those times is thus like his prohibition of prayer in that place.

The polytheism that has led most of the children of Adam astray originated in, and found its greatest expression in, the worship of human beings and statues fashioned in their likeness. The polytheists were accustomed to gods who begot and were born, who inherited and were inherited from, and who were made of one thing or another. They therefore asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about the God he worshipped: “What is He made of? Is He made of this or that? From whom did He inherit the world, and to whom will He bequeath it?”

So Allah Most High said:

“Say: He is Allah, the One;
Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither begets nor is born,
nor is there anyone equivalent to Him.”

In the hadith of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, it says: “For no one is born but will die, and no one inherits but will be inherited from.”

That is to say, all those worshipped besides Allah have been born, such as the Messiah, Uzayr and other righteous people, along with their images, and the likes of the Pharaohs who claimed divinity. Such a being is born and will die. Even if he inherited his possessions from someone else, when he dies someone else will inherit from him. But Allah, glorified is He, is Ever-Living: He does not die, nor is He inherited from. Glorified and exalted is He. Allah knows best, and may Allah bless Muhammad.