In Sahīh Muslim, Abū al-Hayyāj al-Asadī relates:

“Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—said to me, ‘Shall I not send you on the same mission on which the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sent me? He commanded me not to leave any elevated grave without leveling it, nor any image without effacing it.’” (1)

“Thus, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sent Alī ibn Abī Tālib; and during his caliphate, Alī sent someone to carry out the same task that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had commanded him to perform: leveling elevated graves and effacing images.” Both elevated graves and images are among the causes that lead to polytheism and the worship of idols.

Allah Most High says:

“Do not ever abandon your gods; do not abandon Wadd, Suwāʿ, Yaghūth, Yaʿūq, or Nasr. They have indeed led many astray.”

[Surah Noah: 23–24]

More than one of the early Muslims said: These had been righteous men among the people of Noah. When they died, their people devoted themselves to their graves, then fashioned images of them, and eventually worshipped them besides Allah. (2)

Thus, all shrines erected over the graves of prophets and righteous people—whether ordinary Muslims or members of the Prophet’s Household—are newly introduced innovations forbidden in Islam. Allah has commanded that mosques, not shrines, be sought out for the worship of Him alone, without partner.

Allah Most High says:

“Say, ‘My Lord has commanded justice. Turn your faces toward Him at every—”