The Comparison Between Residing in Makkah and Madinah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. It was reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:, and it was reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him): . Did you know?
The Shaykh:
It is better for them, if they had known. Yes.
The questioner:
Or Madinah.
The Shaykh:
"For them" is the third-person pronoun. Yes.
The questioner:
And Madinah is better for them, if they had known.
The Shaykh:
Yes, it means that after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), people used to leave Madinah for the provinces, to the provinces. When the conquests were opened, the Messenger encouraged staying in Madinah and said it is better for them, if they had known its excellence. Yes.
The questioner:
Then he says, may Allah preserve you: Is it taken from these two texts that Madinah and residing in Madinah is better than residing in Makkah?
The Shaykh:
No, residing in Makkah is better. Makkah is better than Madinah. Makkah is better than Madinah. Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), when he mentioned the issue of comparing residing in Makkah and Madinah, which is better? He said: "The correct view is that the land in which a person’s faith increases, his benefit multiplies, and it extends beyond himself, is better to reside in; because the Companions, after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), resided in the Levant, Iraq, and Egypt; because their benefit was greater."
The Shaykh:
It is correct. Meaning, do you stay in Makkah while you have knowledge and good, or do you leave jihad in the cause of Allah and stay in Makkah? No, there are deeds better than residing in Makkah. There are deeds of residence better than residing in Makkah: jihad in the cause of Allah, calling to Allah the Exalted, spreading knowledge in the East and the West. This is the best, without doubt. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. It was reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Whoever is able to die in Madinah, let him die there.
من استطاع أن يموت في المدينة فليمتMadinah is better for you, if
المدينة خير لكم لوThe Shaykh:
It is better for them, if they had known. Yes.
The questioner:
Or Madinah.
The Shaykh:
"For them" is the third-person pronoun. Yes.
The questioner:
And Madinah is better for them, if they had known.
The Shaykh:
Yes, it means that after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), people used to leave Madinah for the provinces, to the provinces. When the conquests were opened, the Messenger encouraged staying in Madinah and said it is better for them, if they had known its excellence. Yes.
The questioner:
Then he says, may Allah preserve you: Is it taken from these two texts that Madinah and residing in Madinah is better than residing in Makkah?
The Shaykh:
No, residing in Makkah is better. Makkah is better than Madinah. Makkah is better than Madinah. Yes.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), when he mentioned the issue of comparing residing in Makkah and Madinah, which is better? He said: "The correct view is that the land in which a person’s faith increases, his benefit multiplies, and it extends beyond himself, is better to reside in; because the Companions, after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), resided in the Levant, Iraq, and Egypt; because their benefit was greater."
The Shaykh:
It is correct. Meaning, do you stay in Makkah while you have knowledge and good, or do you leave jihad in the cause of Allah and stay in Makkah? No, there are deeds better than residing in Makkah. There are deeds of residence better than residing in Makkah: jihad in the cause of Allah, calling to Allah the Exalted, spreading knowledge in the East and the West. This is the best, without doubt. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم، بداية من باب ما يقتل من الدواب في الحرم والإحرام — islamhouse.com (43:18)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.