Anas b. Malik reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A man’s prayer in his house is equivalent to a single observance of prayer, his prayer in a tribal mosque is equivalent to twenty-five, his prayer in a mosque in which the Friday prayer is observed is equivalent to five hundred, his prayer in the Aqsa mosque is equivalent to fifty thousand, his prayer in my mosque is equivalent to fifty thousand, and his prayer in the sacred mosque (the Ka’ba) is equivalent to a hundred thousand.”
Mu'adh b. Jabal said that the Prophet used to like to pray in al-hitan*. One of its transmitters says that it means gardens.
* I have given the Arabic word because it is explained in the text. Why it should need to be explained is not clear.
Tirmidhi transmitted it and said, “This is a gharib tradition which we know only among the traditions of al-Hasan b. Abu Ja'far whom Yahya b. Sa'id and others have declared to be weak.”
Abu Dharr said that he asked God’s Messenger which mosque was set up first in the earth and was told that it was the sacred mosque. He asked which came next and was told that it was the Aqsa mosque. He asked how long a space of time separated their building and the Prophet told him it was forty years, adding, “Then the earth is a mosque for you, so pray wherever you are at the time of prayer.”
‘Ata’ b. Yasar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “O God, do not let my grave become an idol which is worshipped. God’s anger is severe against people who take the graves of their prophets as mosques.”
