Which is better: should we pray the Sunnah in the Haram to gain multiplied reward, or should we pray it at home to conform to the Sunnah, or should we pray it twice, once in the Haram and once at home?

The questioner : The questioner asks which is better: should one pray the Sunnah in the Haram to gain the multiplied reward, or should one pray it at home to conform to the Sunnah, or should one pray it twice, once in the Haram and once at home?

The Shaykh : There remains a fourth possibility: not praying it. Well, this man is asking a good question: Is it better to pray the Sunnah at home, or is it better to pray it in al-Masjid al-Haram? Yes, or is it better to pray it once at home and once in al-Masjid al-Haram? These are three possibilities. I say that adhering to the Sunnah is preferable to doing what is not the Sunnah. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: It is not recorded that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray voluntary prayers in the mosque, except for the voluntary prayers specific to the mosque. The voluntary prayers specific to the mosque, he used to pray them in the mosque. Like what?

The questioner : The greeting of the mosque.

The Shaykh : And others, such as prostrating the prayer of arrival. If you arrive in a town, you do not enter your home until you go to the mosque and pray two rak'ahs, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that and also commanded it. So the story of Jabir regarding the famous sale of the camel: when he arrived in Madinah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, "Have you entered the mosque and prayed in it?" He said, "No." He said, "Enter and pray in it." So it is prescribed for a person, when he arrives in his town, that the first thing he does upon arrival is to go to the mosque and pray two rak'ahs. And I ask you, do you do that?

The questioner : No.

The Shaykh : I mean, some people are unaware of this matter. Many people are unaware of this matter. If they knew, the matter would be easy. If you come and the mosque is locked, that is an excuse. But some mosques are open, or the inner mosque is closed and the courtyard is open. In any case, if it is possible, this is the Sunnah. I say the best is to adhere to the Sunnah and to pray the opening prayers of the home. Because the one who said: is the one who said: So he affirmed the excellence of his mosque and clarified that it is better to pray the non-obligatory prayers in your home. So here, for example, we pray in al-Masjid al-Haram. There are rawatib before the prayer, like the rawatib of Zuhr and the rawatib of Fajr. Do we pray them at home and then come, or do we come and pray them in the mosque? It is better to pray them at home. So when we arrive at the mosque, when we arrive at the mosque, we pray the greeting of the mosque and whatever Allah wills.