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.
Guidance for the Best Deeds
The greatest and most excellent favor that Allah Almighty bestowed upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, which He grants to His servants, was that the Prophet, peace be upon him, guided towards the best acts of worship and pointed out the most excellent ranks. For example, it is narrated in Sahihain from Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that he asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him:
أى العمل أفضل؟
"What is the best deed?"
The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied:
الصلاة على مواقيتها
"To perform the prayer at its appointed time."
I asked: What deed comes next in excellence?
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
ثم بر الوالدين
"To be good and dutiful to one's parents."
I asked: What deed comes next in excellence?
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
ثم الجهاد فى سبيل الله
"To strive in the way of Allah."
Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
سألته عنهن ولو استزدته لزادني
"I only asked these questions. If I had asked more, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would surely have answered."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prayer Times: Chapter on the Virtue of Praying at its Time, Hadith: 527; Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith: Chapter on the Superiority of Faith in Allah Almighty, Hadith: 85)
The Virtue of Remaining in a State of Ablution
It is narrated from Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, in Musnad and Sunan Ibn Majah that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
استقيموا ولن تحصوا واعلموا أن خير أعمالكم الصلاة ولا يحافظ على الوضوء إلا مؤمن
"Adopt steadfastness, and you do not have the strength for it as it should be. And remember that the best deed is prayer, and only a believer maintains ablution."
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad 277/5, Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Purification: Chapter on Maintaining Ablution, Hadith: 277)
Prayer is an act of worship for which the Ummah is commanded to build mosques, and a mosque is a place that is more beloved to Allah than all other places. As narrated in Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
أحب البقاع إلى الله المساجد وأبغض البقاع إلى الله الأسواق
"Among all pieces of land, mosques are the most beloved to Allah, and the worst pieces of land to Allah are markets."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on the Virtue of Sitting in One's Prayer Place after Fajr, Hadith: 671, wording: The most beloved lands to Allah, and Allah knows best)
Despite the great honor and reverence of the mosque, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in his final illness, advised the Ummah and, considering their guidance, declared cursed those who make the graves of the Prophets and the righteous into mosques. In view of this compassionate attribute of the Prophet, Allah praises him by saying:
لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢٨﴾
"A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves; grievous to him is your suffering; he is concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful."
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:128)
In the two Sahihs, it is narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Lady Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in his final illness:
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد
"May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they made the graves of their Prophets into places of worship."
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Funerals: Chapter on What is Disliked Regarding Making Mosques on Graves, Hadith: 1330; Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques: Chapter on Prohibition of Building Mosques on Graves, Hadith: 529)
The Mother of the Believers, Lady Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
ولو لا ذلك لأبرز قبره ولكن خشي أن يتخذ مسجدا
"If it were not for this fear, the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would have been left visible, but he feared that people might make his grave a place of worship."
Reference: In the original manuscript, the word "Karah" was used instead of "Khashya." We have written "Khashya" considering the narration of Lady Aisha in the two Sahihs. It is possible that this word was mistakenly written by Suleiman Asni' from the pen. Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (reference above)
