Yet there is no room for doubt here, for the mosque itself was not erected on top of the grave. Rather, the mosque was expanded, while the grave remained inside the house, separate from the mosque proper. Hence it offers no evidence to anyone—except to a person bent on falsehood—who parrots Iblīs’s words: “I am better than him; You created me from fire while You created him from clay” (Q 7:12). Reflect instead on the wisdom behind it: that these three will emerge on the Day of Resurrection from a single spot, from the very heart of the Prophet’s Mosque. Glory be to Allah, the Magnificent—such wisdom escapes many people.

In sum, the Prophet ﷺ set out only when the day had grown hot—meaning, after the sun had risen high—until he reached the dwellings of Banū Mālik. He asked permission to enter; when it was granted he went in and did not sit down. Instead he said, “Where would you like me to pray?” He had come for a specific purpose and wanted to begin with that before anything else. This is sound judgment: when you intend to accomplish something, do not allow yourself to be sidetracked until it is finished, so that your time is kept in order and Allah places blessing in it.

Many people waste their hours because they pick up one thing after another. Let me illustrate: suppose you wish to consult a scholarly issue in a certain book. You open the index to locate the topic, but as you turn the pages another question catches your eye, and you say, “I would like to read this one too,” then another appears, and in the end you lose sight of the very purpose for which you opened the book. Begin first with what you originally intended; anything you add afterward is a pure bonus.

Accordingly, the Prophet ﷺ prayed in that spot, and they formed a congregation behind him—a temporary gathering, not a permanent one.