This excerpt is taken from the book of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
Satan Shows Many Illusions to Grave Worshippers and Christians
Sometimes even the Christians suspect that this is the same Prophet or disciple whom they revere and honor.
● Occasionally, among the people of the Qiblah, misguided and innovative individuals suddenly see a Prophet or a saint standing before them, speaking, asking questions, or discussing hadiths, and responding to them.
● Some people also have the illusion that the blessed chamber suddenly split open and from it came the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his two companions, and they embraced them.
● Some imagine that they greeted loudly from afar and their voice reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
The majority of the public is caught up in these and many other similar superstitions. In this regard, some people have narrated eyewitness accounts to me. Sometimes such superstitions also occur to children and people of sound belief, whose mention is not possible here.
The above-mentioned delusions are commonly found among many people. Most of them are liars; some speak the truth but they have the illusion that due to their piety and religiosity, this miracle appears, whereas it was a satanic whisper that arose because of their ignorance and lack of wisdom. Anyone with a little knowledge is told by Satan about such acts that openly contradict the Shariah. And those who have knowledge of the Shariah are told about acts that apparently do not oppose the Shariah but have no religious benefit either. Especially, such a person is misled according to his knowledge. A person thinks that he has certainly gained some benefit, but from that benefit, his religion suffers more harm.
Therefore, Satan has never told any companion that Khidr, Musa, or Isa, peace be upon them, came to him, nor has he said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, responded to him.
It was the habit of Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that whenever he returned to Madinah from a journey, he would come to the honored grave and greet the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Reference: (Musannif Abdul Razzaq 576/3, Musannif Ibn Abi Shaybah 151/1)
But he never said that the Prophet, peace be upon him, responded to his greeting. The same was the case with the Tabi‘in and the Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in, but among some later people, innovations and superstitions became widespread.
Iblis Remained Helpless Compared to the Companions of the Prophet
The Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, and especially the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, had differences of opinion on some issues, but it is not established from any one Companion that he went to the honored grave and sought a solution from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Even the beloved daughter of the Prophet, Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, was not influenced by Satan to go to the honored grave and ask about her inheritance rights.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, did not even entertain the thought of asking the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for rain prayers, help, or forgiveness during times of drought, as they used to do during his lifetime. From the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, until the end of the third century, such whispers and superstitions did not exist at all. This misguidance appeared when the knowledge of the Book, Sunnah, and pure monotheism weakened in the hearts of people. Satan succeeded in misleading Muslims just as he misled the Christians when they forgot the teachings of Jesus, peace be upon him, and the prophets before him.
Satan could not even whisper to any of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, that he had taken any of them by air or that he had made them travel a long distance in a few moments, as has happened many times with later people.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, understood that when they traveled long distances for Hajj, Umrah, or Jihad, every step earned reward; the greater the distance, the greater the reward. Just as a person walking from his home to the mosque for prayer is elevated one degree with each step and forgiven for one sin with the next. Therefore, it was not possible for Satan to deprive the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, of this reward by taking them through the air or making them travel hundreds of miles in a few moments.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, knew that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was taken on the Mi'raj (ascension) so that Allah would show great signs. The event of Mi'raj was unique to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. No one before or after him was granted such an ascension. Sometimes Satan performs illusions that make ignorant people feel as if they have reached great heights. As for crossing a large river without a boat as if walking on land, such necessities sometimes occur to believers. This is because if they did not cross the river, they would not gain the virtue of confronting the enemy and engaging in Jihad. Therefore, on such important occasions, the Generous Lord honored the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the Followers by granting them the honor of overcoming such difficulties, like Al-Alaa ibn al-Hadrami, Abu Muslim al-Khawlani, may Allah be pleased with them, and their companions.
The point is that the era of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, was the best of times, and they were the best people in the Ummah after the Prophets, peace be upon them. Some individuals who came after them also witnessed such miracles, but to assume that this virtue is exclusive to later generations and that the earlier ones were devoid of it is a complete satanic deception, which contradicts miracles and is not virtue. Whether it relates to daily life matters or acts of worship, extraordinary occurrences or political affairs, the best people were those who followed the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, famously said:
من كان منكم مستنا فليستن بمن قد مات فإن الحى لا تؤمن عليه الفتنة أولئك أصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم أبر هذه الأمة قلوبا وأعمقها علما وأقلها تكلفا قوم اختارهم الله لصحبة نبيه وإقامة دينه فاعرفوا لهم حقهم وتمسكوا بهديهم فإنهم كانوا على الهدى المستقيم
"You should adopt the way of your predecessors because a living person cannot be free from trials." These were the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, their hearts pure from the entire Ummah, their knowledge very deep, and they were not pretentious. They were the ones whom Allah chose for the company of His Prophet and the establishment of the religion. Recognize their rights, follow in their footsteps because they were on guidance and the straight path."
Reference: (Ibn Abd al-Barr in Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm 97/2, al-Harawi in Dhamm al-Kalam 1/86, narrated by Abu Nu'aym in al-Hilyah 305/1 from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him)
In summary, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, abandoned all innovations related to graves that were practiced at gravesites because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade them so that his Ummah would not resemble the People of the Book, who had turned the graves of their Prophets, peace be upon them, into idols and objects of worship.
