The Rites of Pilgrimage

Jarir b. ‘Abdallah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “God revealed to me that whichever of these three I settled in, it would be the abode of my emigration:

Medina, al-Bahrain, (In eastern Arabia, on the Persian Gulf)* or Qinnasrin."(In Syria) Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Bakra reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, ‘‘The terror of the antichrist will not enter Medina. That day it will have seven gates with two angels at each gate." Bukhari transmitted it.

Anas reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “O God, put in Medina twice as much blessing as You have put in Mecca." Bukhari and Muslim.

A man of the family of al-Khattab reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "He who purposely comes to visit me will be under my protection on the day of resurrection; he who lives in Medina and endures its difficulty will have me as a witness and intercessor on the day of resurrection; and he who dies in one of the two sacred territories will be raised by God on the day of resurrection among those who will be safe." Ibn ‘Umar traced the following back to the Prophet, "He who performs the pilgrimage and visits my grave after my death will be like him who visited me in my lifetime." Baihaqi transmitted the two traditions in <i>Shu’ab al-iman</i>.

Yahya b. Sa'id said that God’s messenger was sitting when a grave was being dug in Medina. A man looked down into the grave and said, "What a bad-resting-place for a believer!" God’s messenger thereupon retorted, "What a bad thing you have said!" and the man replied, "I did not mean that; I meant that being killed in God’s path [is more excellent]." God’s messenger said, "Nothing compares with being killed in God’s path. There is no other region in the earth in which I would prefer my grave to be," saying it three times. Malik transmitted it in <i>mursal</i> form.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab said he had heard God’s messenger say when he was in the <i>wadi</i> of al-‘Aqiq, "A visitant from my Lord came to me last night, telling me to pray in this blessed <i>wadi</i> and [consider its Reward equivalent to that for] an <i>’umra</i> incorporated in a hajja.” A version has, "and [consider its reward equivalent to that for] an <i>’umra</i> and a hajja” Bukhari transmitted it.