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.
The virtue of sending salutations, prayers, or worship near the blessed grave or any grave
Saying salutations and peace near the honored grave does not hold any virtue compared to other places; rather, a person can send salutations from wherever they are, both generally and on special occasions, such as during prayer, supplication, and the call to prayer.
Whether it concerns the rights of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, or any act of worship to Allah Almighty, performing it near the honored grave is not superior. In fact, the Mosque of Madinah is also preferred because it is the Prophet’s Mosque. Now, whoever holds the belief that the Prophet’s Mosque had no special virtue or importance before the honored grave was included inside it during the expansion of the mosque in the caliphate of Walid bin Abdul Malik, can only say this out of extreme ignorance or disbelief. Such a person denies the Islamic Shariah and is deserving of death.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to supplicate in the Prophet’s Mosque just as they did during the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him. After the passing of the Prophet, no new Shariah came to them; rather, it was the same Shariah taught by the Messenger of Allah during his lifetime.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never commanded anyone to pray or supplicate at the grave of any prophet or righteous person during times of need, nor to ask Allah for any need there, nor to ask the owner of the grave to pray for the supplicant. The Companions knew that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not give such a command, nor did he say to designate his blessed chamber or honored grave specifically for prayer and supplication. Rather, he forbade anyone from turning his house into a place of festivity. Nor did he say what some ignorant and foolish Sufis tell their disciples: "Whenever you have a need, necessity, or difficulty, come to our grave." Rather, he forbade even more explicitly that anyone should make the grave of the Messenger of Allah or any other person a place of worship for prayer. This prohibition was made to close all means of polytheism.
فصلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم تسليما وجزاه أفضل ما جازى نبيا عن أمته، قد بلغ الرسالة، وأدى الأمانة، ونصح الأمة، وجاهد فى الله حق جهاده، وعبد الله حتى أتاه اليقين من ربه
"May Allah send peace and mercy upon you and upon the family of the Messenger of Allah, and reward you with the best reward from the entire Ummah, greater than that of all the Prophets. Because you, peace be upon him, fulfilled the duty of conveying the message, fulfilling the trust, and advising the Ummah. And you remained engaged in striving in the cause of Allah and worship until your last breath."
