The merit of being buried in al-Baqi' or Makkah, given that a person has nothing but his deeds when he dies?

The questioner : The subject of the merit, such as burial in al-Baqi' or Makkah; given that a person has nothing but his deeds when he dies?

The Shaykh : I do not believe that there is any special merit for being buried in Makkah or al-Madinah merely for the sake of burial. I am pleased, on this occasion, with what Imam Malik narrated in al-Muwatta' that Salman al-Farisi was in Iraq and Abu al-Darda' was in al-Madinah, so he wrote to Salman urging him to come to al-Madinah. Salman replied to him by saying, "The sacred land does not sanctify anyone; rather, it is a person's deeds that sanctify him."
Therefore, what some people do by leaving a will to be buried in Makkah or al-Madinah, and especially the Shi'ah, who leave wills to be buried in Najaf because it is sacred land in their view; this and that are not prescribed at all. This is without doubt... Preferring burial in Makkah or al-Madinah is one thing, and settling in these two lands is another thing, so the matter should not be confused, one with the other. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . By this hadith, he means not merely burial, but residence. This is because, usually, it is assumed that the people of these sacred lands are more righteous than those of other places, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the one who migrates to these two cities, Makkah and al-Madinah, has his reward multiplied due to the known virtue of prayer in Makkah and al-Madinah. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged the Muslims to die in al-Madinah... It reminds us that a Muslim should choose a righteous environment in which to live, because a righteous environment corrects a man... or increases his righteousness upon his righteousness. In this regard came the authentic hadith, with which I conclude this session; it is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): . This is like the righteous companion, and that is like the bad companion; so a righteous town increases its resident in righteousness, and a bad town increases its resident in badness. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged the Muslims to settle in al-Madinah, especially in the last of times.
And this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.