'Atban asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to come to his house to pray in a place he had designated as a mosque. One scholar said: “They seek blessing from it!”

Question:
The Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, says: I am confused by the statement of one scholar when he mentioned the story of 'Atban ibn Malik, who asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to come to his house to pray in a place he had designated as a mosque. The scholar said: “They seek blessing from it, like his hair and sweat.” Is it permissible to seek blessing from the places where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in an absolute sense?

Answer:
This statement that they seek blessing from it is from his own opinion; he derived it from his own opinion. He wanted the Prophet to pray in it so that people would follow him in the sense of emulation, not in the sense of seeking blessing. There is a difference between the place where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to pray, in which case it is emulated and people pray in it, and the place where he did not intend to pray but happened to pray in it when the time for prayer came, without any intention. In that case, no, it is not designated as a mosque afterwards. This is because he prayed in many places on the earth during his battles and travels, and the Companions did not follow these places because he did not pray in them intentionally, but rather the time for prayer coincided with his presence there and he prayed. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for the place where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to pray and prayed in intentionally, it is emulated and people pray in it, not for the sake of seeking blessing, but for the sake of following him (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.