My mother made a vow to visit the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque and pray in it for seven days and their nights
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Question: My mother made a vow to visit the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mosque and pray in it for seven days and their nights. Is it permissible for her to fulfill this vow, but in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah al-Mukarramah? And what must she do?
Answer: The Noble Prophet’s Mosque has a virtue, and it is one of the three mosques to which journeys are undertaken for prayer and worship therein.The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:58 .
So, if one vows to travel to the Noble Prophet’s Mosque to pray and worship in it, this is a vow of obedience, and it is obligatory to fulfill it.And the questioner or questioneress says: If my mother vowed to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque, is she allowed to deviate from that and pray in the Sacred Mosque? What she should do is proceed with her vow and pray in the Prophet’s Mosque for the number of days she vowed, in fulfillment of what she vowed. As for substituting that by fulfilling these days in the Sacred Mosque, I see no obstacle to
that; because the Sacred Mosque is better than the Prophet’s Mosque, and if a person specifies one of these three mosques by a vow, then fulfills it with what is better than it, there is no obstacle to that.By the evidence of the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him): narrated by Abu Dawud. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to pray in the Sacred Mosque instead of the Al-Aqsa Mosque; because the Sacred Mosque is better than the Al-Aqsa Mosque. So, based on this, the one who vowed to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque may pray in the Sacred Mosque; because it is better than the Prophet’s Mosque, and Allah the Exalted knows best.
Question: What does her statement mean: seven days and their nights?
Answer: This means i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) for seven days and their nights. And if her intention was prayer, it is the five daily prayers. And if her intention was to remain in the Prophet’s Mosque for seven days and their nights praying, this means i'tikaf. So, if she is able to do this, it is obligatory upon her.
Answer: The Noble Prophet’s Mosque has a virtue, and it is one of the three mosques to which journeys are undertaken for prayer and worship therein.The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
One should not undertake journeys except to three mosques: al-Masque al-Haram (in Makkah ), the Aqsa mosque, or this mosque (in Madinah).
لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد، المسجد الحرام، ومسجدي هذا، والمسجد الأقصىSo, if one vows to travel to the Noble Prophet’s Mosque to pray and worship in it, this is a vow of obedience, and it is obligatory to fulfill it.And the questioner or questioneress says: If my mother vowed to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque, is she allowed to deviate from that and pray in the Sacred Mosque? What she should do is proceed with her vow and pray in the Prophet’s Mosque for the number of days she vowed, in fulfillment of what she vowed. As for substituting that by fulfilling these days in the Sacred Mosque, I see no obstacle to
that; because the Sacred Mosque is better than the Prophet’s Mosque, and if a person specifies one of these three mosques by a vow, then fulfills it with what is better than it, there is no obstacle to that.By the evidence of the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him):
A man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of the conquest of Makkah, and he said to him: O Messenger of Allah, I vowed that if Allah opened Makkah for you, I would pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Pray here. He asked him again, and he said: Pray here. He asked him again, and he said: Pray here. He asked him again, and he said: Then it is up to you.
أن رجلًا سأل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم فتح مكة، فقال له: يا رسول الله، إني نذرت إن فتح الله عليك مكة أن أصلي في المسجد الأقصى، فقال له النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: صل هاهنا، فسأله، فقال: صل هاهنا، فسأله، فقال: صل هاهنا، فسأله، فقال: شأنك إذًا.Question: What does her statement mean: seven days and their nights?
Answer: This means i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) for seven days and their nights. And if her intention was prayer, it is the five daily prayers. And if her intention was to remain in the Prophet’s Mosque for seven days and their nights praying, this means i'tikaf. So, if she is able to do this, it is obligatory upon her.