Do you wish there was an easier way to pray a thousand voluntary prayers in a day? Seek no further! The holy places in Islam holds tremendous rewards like this!
Our Prophet ﷺ taught us that there are three places in the world that are exceptional for their sanctity. These places are Masjid Al-Haram, Masjid An-Nabawi and Masjid An-Aqsa. They are the three holiest mosques of Islam and our salah can be multiplied by up to a hundred thousand times just by praying in them!
By learning more about the history of these places, we can see for ourselves just what makes them so incredible!
Masjid Al-Haram
Masjid Al-Haram is the holiest mosque of Islam. It is the mosque of the Ka’bah and every year, millions of pilgrims travel to Masjid Al-Haram in order to perform the Hajj. Prayer in the mosque is so virtuous that one Salah inside Masjid Al-Haram is worth that of one hundred thousand Salah elsewhere!
The origins of Masjid al-Haram trace back to the time of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael). After his return to Mecca, Allah instructed Ibrahim(as) to build a house of worship. This house would be – The Ka’bah. The Quran narrates how Ibrahim and Ismail built the Ka’bah together.
“And remember when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael, both praying, “Our Lord! Accept this from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing”
Quran 2:127
Just before the completion of the Ka’bah, Ibrahim (as) observed an empty gap in one of the walls. At that moment Allah ﷻ sent the angel Jibreel (as) to him with a brilliant stone from Jannah. This stone would later be known as ‘Hajr al-Aswad’, the black stone. Regarding the appearance of the stone, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“When the Black Stone came down from Paradise, it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black.”
Mishkat al-Masabih
The Ka’bah became a place of great spiritual energy and the area surrounding it was known as Al-Haram (the forbidden) as activities such as fighting and hunting were not allowed in the holy sanctuary. Over the centuries the Ka’bah became a popular pilgrimage site, attracting people from all the different regions of the Hijaz.
Masjid An-Nabawi
Masjid An-Nabawi is the second holiest mosque in Islam. It was the regular mosque of the Prophet ﷺ during his time in Medina and is directly adjacent to the tomb of the Prophet ﷺ. Salah performed in Masjid An-Nabawi is a thousand times greater than Salah outside of Masjid An-Nabawi.
After migrating from Mecca to Madina, the Prophet ﷺ was welcomed by the chiefs and nobles of the city. Every family in Madina wanted him ﷺ to stay with them in their house.
The Prophet ﷺ instead, got on his she-camel Qaswa and told the people “[This camel] is commanded by Allah. Wherever it stops, that will be my home”.
Qaswa then continued walking south until she stopped and knelt by a large courtyard. The courtyard was owned by two orphaned brothers, Suhail (ra) and Sahil (ra). Both Suhail and Sahil pleaded with the Prophet ﷺ to take the land as a gift, however the Prophet ﷺ kindly refused and the land was bought and paid for by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.
After the land was bought, the Prophet ﷺ and the Muhajireen and the Ansar began to work the land, building the house of the Prophet ﷺ as well as the mosque next door.
After seven months, the mosque was built. The mosque measured 30.5m x 35.6m and was an open air mosque. The walls were made of unbaked bricks. The roof, supported by palm trunks, was made of beaten clay and palm leaves. There were three gates leading into the mosque, Bab al-Rahman to the south, Bab al-Jibril to the west and Bab al-Nisa to the east.
Masjid al-Aqsa
Masjid al-Aqsa is the third holiest mosque of Islam. It is so named because at the time, it was the furthest mosque from the Ka’bah. Salah which is performed in Masjid Al-Aqsa is worth five hundred times more than Salah performed elsewhere.
The mosque was built by prophet Ibrahim (as) forty years after he had built the Ka’bah. After his death, the mosque would be inherited by multiple generations of prophets from his lineage. These prophets included Ishaq (as), Ya’qub (as), Yusuf (as), Dawud (as) and Suleiman (as).
In 70AD, the Romans razed the mosque and converted it to a place of idol worship. Over time the mosque became neglected and the Jews of Palestine no longer considered it a holy site. It wasn’t until 637A.D that Umar Ibn Al Khattab (ra) would enter Jerusalem and establish Masjid Al-Aqsa once again as a place of worship.
50 years later, Umayyad caliphate Abdul Malik directed the building of the famous Dome of the Rock. This is the famous building with the golden dome roof. It’s actually a shrine in the center of the mosque compound.
The shrine was built in honor of the stone which ascended with the Prophet (s) in his miraculous night journey. To stop the rock from rising, the Prophet (s) stepped on it with his foot and commanded it to stop. This left his blessed footprint on the rock.
Spiritual Powerhouses
In conclusion, the significance of Masjid Al-Haram, Masjid An-Nabawi, and Masjid Al-Aqsa in Islam is truly remarkable. These three sacred places, each with its unique history and blessings, offer believers the opportunity to multiply their prayers manifold. Masjid Al-Haram, home to the Ka’bah and the legacy of Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail, stands as the holiest mosque where a single Salah carries the weight of a hundred thousand elsewhere. Masjid An-Nabawi, established by the Prophet ﷺ himself, holds a special place in the hearts of Muslims, where prayers are magnified a thousandfold. Lastly, Masjid Al-Aqsa, with its rich lineage of prophets and historical resilience, grants the privilege of five hundred times the reward for prayers. As we delve deeper into the history of these sacred sites, we uncover the profound spiritual energy that emanates from them, reminding us of the divine blessings embedded in these holy places.