Why is Mecca considered more sacred than Medina?

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Hi guys, not sure if my type is welcome around these parts, but I thought I should ask:

Why is Mecca considered more sacred than Medina? I mean, from my limited knowledge of Islam, I understand that the Kaaba is located in Mecca, but I also understand that the Prophet spent a lot of his life in Medina, and even lived in Medina. So, is there any Quran verse that says it is more holier than Medina or Hadith?

Thanks guys for your helpfulness.
 
makkah is an ancient city one of the oldest in the world. Before Muhammed :arabic5: was born makkah was a big centre, it was where Ibraheem (peace be upon him) built the kabah. and where the revelation first came to Muhammed peace and blessings be upon him. Al Masjid ul Haram in makkah is also the first masjid to be built on earth.
The Quran mentions much about the sacredness of Makkah and masjid ul haram. here are a few, trans of:

Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamin (mankind and jinn).
3:96



And when We made the House a pilgrimage for men and a (place of) security, and: Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing-place of Ibrahim. And We enjoined Ibrahim and Ismail saying: Purify My House for those who visit (it) and those who abide (in it) for devotion and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves
2:125

Verily! As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in makkah) are of the Symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him who performs Hajj or 'Umrah (pilgrimage) of the House (the Ka'bah at makkah) to perform the going (Tawaf) between them (As-Safa and Al-Marwah). And whoever does good voluntarily, then verily, Allah is All-Recogniser, All-Knower
2:158
(these mountains are in the masjid ul Haram today if you are wondering about them. they are where Ismaeel peace be upon hims mother ran in search for water until they were blessed with what is today called zam zam water)

makkah is also known as the mother of cities and some hadiths narrated on it:

the Prophet peace and blessing be upon him:The best and the most beloved city on the face of this earth to Allah is Makkah. Bukhari

when Muhammed peace and blessing be upon him was leaving makkah he halted and face towards the kabah and said:
By Allah! You are the most beloved portion of Allah's earth to me, and verily you are the most beloved portion of the earth to Allah too. Verily you are the best, spot on the face of the earth. And the most beloved to Allah. If your people did not expel me, I would not have departed from you.

also good deeds are multiplied by one hundred thousand only in makkah (as stated in hadiths bukhari/muslim and others)


having said that madinah is also a very sacred place at it is madina Muhammed peace and blessing be upon him migrated to and passed away and is buried (in the masjid known as The prophets masjid)
both madinah and makkah are known as sacred sanctuaries and has many many many virtues to it which i will later list when i get time hopefully.

Hi guys, not sure if my type is welcome around these parts, but I thought I should ask
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you are more than welcome to ask, i cant speak for everyone but i dont think any muslim member has a problem with non-muslims asking questions such as yours but when they are asked in a rude manner/insulting/or spam copy/pastes of islam says this and that, then theres problems.
but as for asking questions like this, ask away
 
:sl:

JazzakAllah khair amani

Also the Prophet spent 53 of his 63 years of life in Makkah. And 13 out of his 23 years of Prophethood in Makkah. The Prophet only lived in Madeenah about 10 years.
 
Thank you both for your answers. So, now I understand why Mecca is considered more sacred than Medina. I also understand that for Sunni Muslims, which I assume you both are, Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam. This is because of it Al Asqa Mosque. So I want to ask:

Why is the Al Asqa Mosque considered the third holiest sacred site in Sunni Islam?
Have you ever visited the Al Asqa Mosque?
Would you recommend that fellow Muslims visit Jerusalem in addition to Mecca and Medina on a pilgrimage?

Thanks.
 
Why is the Al Asqa Mosque considered the third holiest sacred site in Sunni Islam?

Would you recommend that fellow Muslims visit Jerusalem in addition to Mecca and Medina on a pilgrimage?
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the pilgrimage is only actually in makkah-madinah is not necessary, the rituals happen in makkah. having said that madinah is a beautiful and unmissable place to visit to those who have travelled there.
there is a hadith that states the Prophet peace be upon him said:
Do not travel (specifically) to any masjid except three:
al-Masjid al-Haraam,
Masjid al-Aqsa
and this mosque of mine. (madinah)
Bukhari

so visiting it is a great thing and prayers offered there are equivalent to 250 prayers elsewhere (except in the other two masjids which i mentioned in the previous post).
it was the second masjid built by Solomon peace be upon him and was actually the first place of direction to pray for muslims before it was changed when the muslims were living in madinah towards makkah.
In the night journey The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him also went to Al Aqsa- reference from the Quran:
Glorified be He (Allah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Haram to Al-Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) of Our signs/proofs.Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer .
17:1

Have you ever visited the Al Asqa Mosque?
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no unfortunately i would love to and know many people who have...and despite the troubles in palestine it would be a great honour to visit there.
 
:sl:

JazzakAllah khair amani

Also during the night journey, the Prophets came together there and were lead in prayer by Prophet Muhammad.

Also that area, Palestine is a blessed area alot of Prophets have lived there.

I have not gone there myself, but it is the wish of every muslim to be able to pray there even once and walk on the same land that Jesus Zakkariya John etc walked on.
 
Again, thank you a great deal for your answers. I have a few more questions...

Is the Dome of the Rock given as high a status as the Al Asqa mosque? They're both located on the Temple Mount.
Would you consider cities like Najaf holy at all?
Is the Sacred Mosque in Mecca bigger than St Peter's Basilica in Rome? (Random I know, but I know how big the basilica is and I want to get an idea on how big the mosque is.)

Thanks.

have not gone there myself, but it is the wish of every muslim to be able to pray there even once and walk on the same land that Jesus Zakkariya John etc walked on
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Indeed. In the next ten years, I will go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to see the sights and churches/mosques/synangogues built to commemorate the prophets of God who have lived in the sacred lands.
 
Is the Dome of the Rock given as high a status as the Al Asqa mosque? They're both located on the Temple Mount.
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no. although when looking at many posters youd probably seen the dome of the rock as al aqsa, if i recall correctly the dome of the rock was actually built a bit after Muhammed peace and blessings be upon him had passed away.

Would you consider cities like Najaf holy at all?
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no not at all. and muslims dont take shrines as holy places, although muhammed peace and blessings be upon him was buried in what is today his mosque, we do not go there to pray to him. and najaf has absolutely no significance,nor is it a place to visit/make pilgrimage to etc.

Is the Sacred Mosque in Mecca bigger than St Peter's Basilica in Rome? (Random I know, but I know how big the basilica is and I want to get an idea on how big the mosque is.)
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from wikipedia
The current structure covers an area of 400,800 square metres (99.0 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to four million worshippers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.
it is currently being expanded even more.

so yes, it is much much much bigger.
 
:sl:

JazzakAllah Khair amani

In Islaam we are not allowed to take graves as places of worship since our worship is only meant to be for Allah the Most High. So any place that you see claiming to be islamic but has people attached to a grave etc then know that that is not from orthodox islaam at all.

Also what is it that makes a place holy in Islaam? Well basically whatever has been mentioned in the texts to be holy, either in the Qur'aan or the Hadith then it is holy. So if you hear for an example Najaf being holy then cross refrence it with the Qur'aan or the hadith, is it mentioned? If not then it is like any other place
 
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amani said:
no. although when looking at many posters youd probably seen the dome of the rock as al aqsa, if i recall correctly the dome of the rock was actually built a bit after Muhammed peace and blessings be upon him had passed away.
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The answer is YES (sorry amani). We Muslims consider the land or the Haram Sharif area to be sacred and holy, not the Masjid buildings that exist there -although these do have historical significances.

That the land of the Masjid Al Aqsa contains tow main buildings called Al-Aqsa [Grey Domed Mosque] and the Dome of the Rock [the Golden Domed Mosque].

Alhamdulilah i've been (was able to to ihram on from there before going for umrah). The Mufti of Al Aqsa gave us a history lesson - so when people talk about the reward of prayers in Al Aqsa being multiplied, they are talking about the whole haram (the whole compound is the "masjid").

So if you prayer outside (but in the compound), you are praying in masjid Al Aqsa.

I hope that clears things up.
 
also good deeds are multiplied by one hundred thousand only in makkah (as stated in hadiths bukhari/muslim and others)
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And in medina its fifty thousand ,thus clearly showing the superiority of Makkah over Medina
 
:sl:

One Salah in the Prophets Masjid equals 1000 prayers prayed anywhere else except Makkah and Al-Aqsa.
 
:sl:

^Is prayin Salah in Masjid Al Aqsa more virtuous than prayin in Masjid An Nabwi (saw)?? :?

:wa:
 
Crazy_Lady said:
:sl:

^Is prayin Salah in Masjid Al Aqsa more virtuous than prayin in Masjid An Nabwi (saw)?? :?

:wa:
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:sl:

No its not because For example, Sahih Bukhari quotes Abu al-Dardaa as saying: "the Prophet of Allah Muhammad said a prayer in the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth 10,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa is worth 1,000 prayers," more than in an any other mosque.


:w:
 
:sl: Sister,

I found the following:

"The multiplication of reward for prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is proven in the report narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Majaah (1406) from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “One prayer in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haraam, and one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere.”

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Mundhiri and al-Busayri. Al-Albaani said: Its isnaad is saheeh according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. End quote from Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (4/146)."

From:http://islamqa.com/en/ref/124812/virtues%20of%20mosques

"It was reported that Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: we were discussing, in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which of them was more virtuous, the mosque of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or Bayt al-Maqdis. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: One prayer in my mosque is better than four prayers there, but it is still a good place of prayer. Soon there will come a time when if a man has a spot of land as big as his horse’s rope from which he can see Bayt al-Maqdis, that will be better for him than the whole world. (Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 4/509. Al-Dhahabi and al-Albaani agreed with him, as stated in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, at the end of the discussion of hadeeth no. 2902).

One prayer in al-Masjid al-Nabawi is equivalent to one thousand prayers elsewhere, so one prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa is equivalent to two hundred and fifty prayers elsewhere.

With regard to the famous hadeeth which says that prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsaa is equivalent to five hundred prayers elsewhere, this is da’eef (weak). (See Tamaam al-Minnah by Shaykh al-Albaani – p. 292). "

From: islamqa.com

Allah knows best.

:sl:
 
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MMohammed said:
The clear answer is that Makkah is the house of Allah and Madinah, the house of Prophet(S.A).
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Now my simple question is this: why does Allah need a house in the first place? In Christianity, we believe God to be everywhere. He doesn't need a church or a 'house' to live in, such an idea is blasphemous.
 
Supreme said:
Now my simple question is this: why does Allah need a house in the first place? In Christianity, we believe God to be everywhere. He doesn't need a church or a 'house' to live in, such an idea is blasphemous.
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Why do you have churches then and call them the house of God?
obviously your god not only needed a house but a womb and everything else that regular humans need or suffer!

all the best
 

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