20. Virtues of Prayer at Masjid Makkah and Madinah

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 1188In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ ؓ أَرْبَعًا قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَكَانَ غَزَا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ثِنْتَىْ عَشْرَةَ غَزْوَةً ح

   I heard Abu Said saying four words. He said, "I heard the Prophet ﷺ (saying the following narrative)." He had participated in twelve holy battles with the Prophet.

2. Sahih al-Bukhari 1189In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   لاَ تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلاَّ إِلَى ثَلاَثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ ﷺ وَمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى

   The Prophet ﷺ said, "Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the Mosque of Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, (Mosque of Jerusalem)."

3. Sahih al-Bukhari 1190In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   صَلاَةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلاَةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ إِلاَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ

   Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "One prayer in my Mosque is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque except in al-Masjid aI-Ḥarām."

4. Sahih al-Bukhari 1191In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   كَانَ لاَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ الضُّحَى إِلاَّ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ يَوْمَ يَقْدَمُ بِمَكَّةَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْدَمُهَا ضُحًى فَيَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَلْفَ الْمَقَامِ وَيَوْمَ يَأْتِي مَسْجِدَ قُبَاءٍ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ كُلَّ سَبْتٍ فَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ فِيهِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَزُورُهُ رَاكِبًا وَمَاشِيًا قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا أَصْنَعُ كَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَصْحَابِي يَصْنَعُونَ وَلاَ أَمْنَعُ أَحَدًا أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ فِي أَىِّ سَاعَةٍ شَاءَ مِنْ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تَتَحَرَّوْا طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ وَلاَ غُرُوبَهَا

   Ibn ʿUmar never offered the Duha prayer except on two occasions: (1) Whenever he reached Mecca; and he always used to reach Mecca in the forenoon. He would perform Tawaf round the Kaʿba and then offer two rakʿat at the rear of Maqam Ibrahim. (2) Whenever he visited Quba, for he used to visit it every Saturday. When he entered the Mosque, he disliked to leave it without offering a prayer. Ibn ʿUmar narrated that Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to visit the Mosque of Quba (sometime) walking and (sometime) riding. And he (i.e. Ibn ʿUmar) used to say, "I do only what my companions used to do and I don't forbid anybody to pray at any time during the day or night except that one should not intend to pray at sunrise or sunset."

5. Sahih al-Bukhari 1193In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَأْتِي مَسْجِدَ قُبَاءٍ كُلَّ سَبْتٍ مَاشِيًا وَرَاكِبًا وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ؓ يَفْعَلُهُ

   Ibn ʿUmar said, "The Prophet ﷺ used to go to the Mosque of Quba every Saturday (sometimes) walking and (sometimes) riding." ʿAbdullah (Ibn ʿUmar) used to do the same.

6. Sahih al-Bukhari 1194In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَأْتِي قُبَاءً رَاكِبًا وَمَاشِيًا

   The Prophet ﷺ used to go to the Mosque of Quba (sometimes) walking and sometimes riding. Added Nafiʿ (in another narration), "He then would offer two rakʿat (in the Mosque of Quba)."

7. Sahih al-Bukhari 1195In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ

   Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Between my house and the pulpit there is a garden of the gardens of Paradise."

8. Sahih al-Bukhari 1196In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ وَمِنْبَرِي عَلَى حَوْضِي

   The Prophet ﷺ said, "Between my house and my pulpit there is a garden of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is on my fountain tank (i.e. Al-Kauthar)."

9. Sahih al-Bukhari 1197In al-Bukhari or Muslim

   لاَ تُسَافِرِ الْمَرْأَةُ يَوْمَيْنِ إِلاَّ مَعَهَا زَوْجُهَا أَوْ ذُو مَحْرَمٍ، (٢) وَلاَ صَوْمَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ الْفِطْرِ وَالأَضْحَى، (٣) وَلاَ صَلاَةَ بَعْدَ صَلاَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الصُّبْحِ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ وَبَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ حَتَّى تَغْرُبَ، (٤) وَلاَ تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلاَّ إِلَى ثَلاَثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ: مَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى، وَمَسْجِدِي۔»

   (freed slave of) Ziyad: I heard Abu Saʿid Al-khudri narrating four things from the Prophet ﷺ and I appreciated them very much. He said, conveying the words of the Prophet. (1) "A woman should not go on a two day journey except with her husband or a Dhi-Mahram. (2) No fasting is permissible on two days: ʿId-ul-Fitr and ʿId-ul-Adha. (3) No prayer after two prayers, i.e. after the Fajr prayer till the sunrises and after the ʿAsr prayer till the sun sets. (4) Do not prepare yourself for a journey except to three Mosques, i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, the Mosque of Aqsa (Jerusalem) and my Mosque."

10. Sahih al-Bukhari 1192In al-Bukhari or Muslim

    ـ كَانَ لاَ يُصَلِّي مِنَ الضُّحَى إِلاَّ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ يَوْمَ يَقْدَمُ بِمَكَّةَ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْدَمُهَا ضُحًى، فَيَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَلْفَ الْمَقَامِ، وَيَوْمَ يَأْتِي مَسْجِدَ قُبَاءٍ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ كُلَّ سَبْتٍ، فَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ فِيهِ. قَالَ وَكَانَ يُحَدِّثُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَزُورُهُ رَاكِبًا وَمَاشِيًا. قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا أَصْنَعُ كَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَصْحَابِي يَصْنَعُونَ، وَلاَ أَمْنَعُ أَحَدًا أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ فِي أَىِّ سَاعَةٍ شَاءَ مِنْ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ، غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تَتَحَرَّوْا طُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ وَلاَ غُرُوبَهَا.

    Narrated Nafi`:Ibn `Umar never offered the Duha prayer except on two occasions: (1) Whenever he reached Mecca; and he always used to reach Mecca in the forenoon. He would perform Tawaf round the Ka`ba and then offer two rak`at at the rear of Maqam Ibrahim. (2) Whenever he visited Quba, for he used to visit it every Saturday. When he entered the Mosque, he disliked to leave it without offering a prayer. Ibn `Umar narrated that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to visit the Mosque of Quba (sometime) walking and (sometime) riding. And he (i.e. Ibn `Umar) used to say, "I do only what my companions used to do and I don't forbid anybody to pray at any time during the day or night except that one should not intend to pray at sunrise or sunset