The Ruling on Praying at the Graves of the Righteous

Question:
What is the ruling on praying at the graves of the righteous, provided the intention is sound, meaning without seeking blessing from these graves?

Answer:
It is not permissible, absolutely not, whether with the intention or without it, due to the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from making graves into mosques.
He said: "May the curse of Allah be upon the Jews and the Christians who took the graves of their prophets as mosques. So do not take the graves as mosques, for I forbid you from doing so." The meaning of taking them as mosques is praying at them, whether a building is constructed over them or not. The place where one prays becomes a mosque, even if no building is constructed, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) Therefore, it is not permissible to pray at graves under any circumstances, even if the prayer’s intention is to draw near to Allah the Exalted and he does not intend to seek blessing from the grave. Even if the intention is the third, it is not permissible, because this leads to shirk (associating partners with Allah), except for the funeral prayer only, as we mentioned. As for the other prayers, they are not to be prayed at graves under any circumstances.