Visiting Masjid al Nabawi

Question: Some people believe that if a pilgrim is not able to visit Al-Masjid Al-Nabawy (the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah), their Hajj is incomplete. Is this true? 

Answer: Visiting Al-Masjid Al-Nabawy is a Sunnah (supererogatory act of worship following the example of the Prophet), not Wajib (obligatory). It is not connected with Hajj; it is a Sunnah to visit Al-Masjid Al-Nabawy at any time of the year, not only at the time of Hajj, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

No journey should be undertaken except to three Masjids: Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah), this Masjid of mine (the Prophet’s Mosque), and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem). (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:

A Salah (Prayer) in my Masjid is a thousand times more superior than a Salah in any other Masjid, except Al-Masjid Al-Haram  (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

If a person visits Al-Masjid Al-Nabawy, it is prescribed for them to offer two Rak‘ahs (units of Prayer) in Al-Rawdah (area between the Prophet’s pulpit and grave) and then greet with Salam the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his two Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet), Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). It is also prescribed to visit Al-Baqi‘ and Al-Shuhada‘ (martyrs) to greet the Sahabah and others who are buried there, supplicate to Allah for them and invoke Him to be merciful to them, just like the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit them. He taught the Sahabah to say whenever they visited the graves: Peace be upon you, inhabitants of the abodes among the Mu’mins (believers) and Muslims. In sha’a-Allah (if Allah wills), we will join you. We ask Allah for well-being for ourselves and for you.

In another narration reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him): 

He used to say when he visited Al-Baqi‘: May Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us and those who will come later on. O, Allah forgive the people of Baqi‘ Al-Gharqad.  

It is also prescribed for those who visit Al-Masjid Al-Nabawy to visit the ‘Masjid of Quba’ (a town near Madinah where the Prophet established the first mosque) and offer two Rak‘ahs there, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to visit it and offer two Rak‘ahs there on Saturdays.

He (peace be upon him) said: If a person purifies themselves at home then goes to Masjid Quba’ to offer Salah, they will receive a reward equal to that of performing ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). 

These are the places that should be visited in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah. However, regarding the Seven Masjids, Al-Qiblatayn Masjid (The Mosque of the Two Qiblahs) and other places mentioned by some people as necessary to visit, this is groundless and there is no evidence on it. A Mu’min should always follow and imitate, not innovate something new in religion. May Allah grant us success! Aameen.

Taken from Alifta.com

About MuQeet

This is MuQeet. Teacher by profession and writer by passion
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4 Responses to Visiting Masjid al Nabawi

  1. A S Chilwan says:

    No, it is not true because visiting masjid nabawi is not part of hajj.

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