Bismillah.
There are only three special mosques on this Earth. Period.
Narrated Quza'a:
I heard Abu Saeed saying four words. He said, "I heard the Prophet (saying the following narrative)." He (Abu Saeed) had participated in twelve holy battles with the Prophet.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-Al-Haram, the Mosque of Allah's Apostle, and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa (Mosque of Jerusalem)."
Making special visits to other mosques is not allowed. This doesn't mean we can't visit any other mosques. But setting out on a journey only to visit a mosque (other than these 3) is wrong.
Travelling to another country/city just to pay a visit to a mosque = wrong.
Travelling to another city/country for work/leisure, and visiting mosques = right.
Travelling to another city/country for work/leisure, and visiting mosques = right.
Intention is different, you see. Intention matters.
Narrated Abu Huraira
Allah's Apostle said, "One prayer in my Mosque is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque excepting Al-Masjid-Al-Haram."
The best of all mosques is al-Masjid al-Haraam (The Sacred Mosque in Makkah), then al-Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque in Madeenah), then al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
- Masjid al-Haram
- Masjid an-Nabwi
- Masjid al-Aqsa
Prayer in Masjid al-Haram: reward multiplied by 100,000.
Prayer in Masjid an-Nabwi: reward multiplied by 1,000.
Prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa: reward multiplied by 250.
Prayer in Masjid an-Nabwi: reward multiplied by 1,000.
Prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa: reward multiplied by 250.
The multiplication of reward for prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is proven in the report narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Majaah (1406) from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
One prayer in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haraam, and one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere.
This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Mundhiri and al-Busayri. Al-Albaani said: Its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. End quote from Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (4/146).
One prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa is equivalent to two hundred and fifty prayers offered elsewhere.
It was narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We were discussing when we were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is better, the Mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
One prayer in my mosque is better than four prayers offered there (in Bayt al-Maqdis), and what a good place of prayer it is. Soon there will come a time when, if a man has a piece of land the size of a horse’s rope from which he can see Bayt al-Maqdis, that will be better for him than the whole world.
Narrated by al-Haakim, 4/509; he classed it as saheeh and al-Dhahabi and al-Albaani agreed with him, as it says in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, at the end of the discussion on hadeeth no. 2902.
One prayer offered in the Prophet’s Mosque is equivalent to one thousand prayers (offered elsewhere), so one prayer offered in al-Masjid al-Aqsa is equivalent to two hundred and fifty prayers.
Wassalam.
