#الأربعون_في_ذكر_الأربعين

16. Masjid Al-Haram and Masjid Al-Aqsa: Built Forty Years Apart Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أَيُّ مَسْجِدٍ وُضِعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوَّلَ؟ قَالَ: ((الْمَسْجِدُ الْحَرَامُ)). قَالَ: قُلْتُ: ثُمَّ أَيٌّ؟ قَالَ:((الْمَسْجِدُ الْأَقْصَى)). قُلْتُ: كَمْ كَانَ بَيْنَهُمَا؟ قَالَ: ((أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ أَيْنَمَا أَدْرَكَتْكَ الصَّلَاةُ بَعْدُ فَصَلِّهْ؛ فَإِنَّ الْفَضْلَ فِيهِ)). I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which masjid was built first on earth?” He said, “Al-Masjid Al-Haram.” I asked, “Then which?” He said, “Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.” I asked, “How long was between them?” He said, “Forty years. Then wherever the time for prayer comes upon you, pray there, for the virtue is in it.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari (3425) and Muslim (520)] Brief Commentary: 1. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were keen on taking knowledge from the Prophet, peace be upon him. As such, they would ask him about what they did not know or what was unclear to them. 2. The first masjid ever built on earth was Masjid Al-Haram (the sacred masjid) located in Makkah, and the second masjid was Masjid Al-Aqsa located in Jerusalem, Palestine. It is called "Al-Aqsa" (the farthest) because of the distance between it and the Masjid Al-Haram. Note: As of today (10 Shawwal 1447), Masjid Al-Aqsa remains closed and access is restricted. 3. Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "وليس أول من بنى الكعبة إبراهيم، ولا أول من بنى بيت المقدس سليمان، وفي الأنبياء والصالحين والبانين كثرة، فالله أعلم بمن ابتدأ. وقد روينا أن أول من بنى الكعبة: آدم، ثم انتشر ولده في الأرض، فجائز أن يكون بعضهم قد وضع بيت المقدس." “Ibrahim was not the first to build the Ka‘bah, nor was Sulayman the first to build Bayt Al-Maqdis. There were many prophets, righteous people, and builders, so Allah knows best who first began it. It has been narrated to us that the first to build the Ka‘bah was Adam. Then his descendants spread across the earth, and it is possible that some of them built Bayt Al-Maqdis.” [Kashf al-Mushkil (1/360)] So we don't know who first built these two masjids—only that forty years lay between them. 4. Masjid An-Nabawi in Madinah is the other sacred masjid. Despite being built much later, it is the second most virtuous of the three. Sheikh Ibn Baz rahimahullah said: "Masjid Al-Haram is the best of them. A prayer there is equal to one hundred thousand prayers. Prayer in the Prophet’s Masjid is better than one thousand prayers in any other masjid, except Masjid Al-Haram. It is also mentioned that prayer in Masjid Al-Aqsa is equal to five hundred prayers—meaning half of what is mentioned for the Prophet’s Masjid. No place is worthy of travelling to for worship except these masjids. One should not travel to graves, or to places where it is said that a righteous person once sat, worshipped, or to any place where goodness is merely thought to be found." [His Explanation on Sahih Al-Bukhāri, The Book of the Virtue of Praying in Masjid Al-Haram and Madinah] 5. The Prophet clarified that when the time for prayer enters, one should pray wherever they are, because the earth is pure and suitable. This means prayer should be offered on time and does not depend on a particular location. The whole earth is permissible for prayer, except certain places, like graveyards and impure places. https://t.me/madrasatuna/6039