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Lesson Visiting the Prophet's City
The honor of the blessed city of Madinah was magnified by the migration of the Prophet ﷺ to it, until it was preferred over all of the other places on earth after Makkah Al-Mukarramah. Visiting it has been legislated at all times and is not specifically linked to the obligation of Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said: «A [religious] journey should not be undertaken [to visit any mosque] except three: The Sacred Mosque (Makkah), the Mosque of the Prophet ﷺ (Madinah), and the Al Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem)» (Al-Bukhari 1189, Muslim 1397). The city has many virtues, including:
The first thing that the Prophet ﷺ did when he came to Madinah was to build the Noble Prophet’s Mosque. It became a center for knowledge, invitation to the religion, and spreading virtue among people. And this blessed mosque has a great virtue. The Prophet ﷺ said: «A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers anywhere else, except for the Sacred Mosque (of Makkah)» (Bukhari 1190, Muslim 1394).
2. It is a Safe Sanctuary
The Prophet ﷺ sanctified it by a revelation from Allah. Therefore, no blood is to be spilled in it, no weapon is carried within it, no one is to be terrorized within it, trees are not cut down in it, among other things that are maintain its sanctity. The Prophet ﷺ said: «Fresh grass is not to be cut, its game is not to be driven away, and things dropped in it are to be picked up by one who publicly announces it. Its trees are not to be cut down except what a man cuts to feed his camel. And there is no weapon carried within it for fighting» (Abu Dawud 2035, Ahmad 959).
3. Blessings in Sustenance, Fruits, and a Good Life
The Prophet ﷺ said: «O Allah, grant us blessing in our fruits, grant us blessing in our city, and grant us blessing in our measure of grain and our bushel! O Allah, Abraham is Your servant. Your Close Friend [Khalil] and Your Prophet, and I am Your servant and Your Prophet. He supplicated to You on behalf of Makkah, and I supplicate You on behalf of Madinah, with what he supplicated You for on behalf of Makkah, and the like thereof as well» (Muslim 1373).
4. Allah protected it from plague and the Antichrist
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «There are angels at the mountain passes of Madinah (so that) neither plague nor the Antichrist can enter it» (Al-Bukhari 1880, Muslim 1379).
5. Virtue of Dwelling, Living, and Dying In It
The Prophet ﷺ promised those who are patient with any hardships and difficult living in Madinah with intercession on the Day of Resurrection. Saad bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «Madinah is better for them if they knew. No one abandons their desire for it except that they are replaced by someone who is better than them. No one will endure its hardships and struggles except that I will be his intercessor or witness on the Day of Resurrection» (Muslim 1363).
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «Whoever is able to die in Madinah, let him die there, for I will intercede for those who die there» (At-Tirmidhi 3917, Ibn Majah 3112).
6. It is a bastion of faith; it banishes evil and malice from it:
Faith seeks refuge within it no matter how much other lands are diminished of it. Evil and wicked people have no place or future within it. The صلى الله عليه وسلم said: «Verily, faith retreats to Madinah as a snake retreats to its hole» (Al-Bukhari 1876, Muslim 147). And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Messenger of Allah said: «By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, none amongst them would go out (of the city) with a dislike for it, except that Allah would make their successor in it someone better than them. Madinah is like a furnace which eliminates impurities. The Last Hour will not come until Madinah banishes its evils just as a furnace eliminates the impurities of iron» (Muslim 1381).
7. It banishes sin and immorality
Zaid bin Thabit narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «It [i.e. Madinah] is good and it expels impurity just as fire expels impurities from silver» (Al-Bukhari 4589, Muslim 1384).
A visitor to Madinah should observe the following etiquette:
Whoever wishes to come to Madinah should intend -by his travel- to visit the Prophet's ﷺ Mosque, and not the his grave ﷺ, as the Prophet ﷺ said: «A journey is not undertaken except to three mosques: The Sacred Mosque (Makkah), the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ, and the Al Aqsa Mosque» (Al-Bukhari 1189, Muslim 1397).
2. When a visitor arrives at the mosque, it is recommended for them to enter with their right foot, saying «O Allah, open for me the doors to Your Mercy» (Muslim 713).
3. They should pray the two units of the Welcome Prayer (Tahiyyat al-Masjid), and if he can pray them in the area of Ar-Rawdah, then that is better.
4. It is recommended to visit the grave of the Prophet and his two companions. The person should stand in front of the grave of the Prophet politely and, in a soft voice, solemnly say: “Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings. I bear witness that you are truly the Messenger of Allah, have conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, advised the nation, and truly strived for Allah in the best way. So may Allah reward you on behalf of your nation the best reward a prophet attains on behalf of his nation."
Then they should take a step or two to their right to stand in front of the grave of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), greet him with the Islamic greeting and say the prayer (may Allah be pleased with you). Then he takes a step or two to his right to stand in front of Umar's grave (may Allah be pleased with him) and do the same thing.
5. It is recommended to for the visitor to the Prophet's Mosque to perform a lot of prayer in it, to attain the great reward promised as per the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ: «A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than 1000 prayers in any other mosque, with the exception of Masjid Al-Haram [in Makkah]» (Al-Bukhari 1190, Muslim 1394).
6. It is recommended to visit the Quba Mosque to pray in it due to its virtue and reward. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «Whoever goes until they come to this mosque (i.e., Quba Mosque) and prays within it will have the reward of an Umrah (Minor Pilgrimage)» (An-Nisa'i 699).
7. It is recommended to visit the Baqi' cemetery and the cemetery of the Martyrs of Uhud because the Prophet ﷺ would visit them and pray for them. From his supplication to the people of the grave was: «Peace be upon you, O people of this abode, from among the believers and the Muslims, and we, by the Will of Allah, shall be joining you. I ask Allah to grant us and you well-being.»
8. A Muslim should be keen to remain in accordance with what Allah commanded, committing to obeying Him and His Messenger ﷺ, and being very careful not to fall into religious innovations and sins.
9. To avoid tree cutting or hunting in Madinah. This is because of the hadiths reported in this regard from the Messenger ﷺ such as his saying: «Verily, Abraham declared Makkah a sanctuary and I have declared Madinah, between its two mountains, inviolable. No tree is to be cut nor any game hunted [within it]» (Muslim 1362).
10. For a Muslim to feel, while he is in this city, that he is in a land from which light has radiated and from which beneficial knowledge has spread to all corners of the globe. Therefore, the person should strive to acquire the sacred knowledge that guides him to Allah with insight, especially if the knowledge is sought in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This instruction is per the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: «Whoever enters this mosque of ours learning good or teaching it is like a fighter in the cause of Allah. Whoever enters it for other than that is like someone looking at that does not belong to him» (Ahmad 10814, Ibn Hibban 87).
