Is it permissible for a resident of Makkah to intend to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instead of intending to visit al-Masjid al-Nabawi?

The student : Some people say that it is permissible to travel specifically to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They argue by asking: If a person residing in Makkah wants to travel to al-Madinah, what should he intend? If we say he intends to visit al-Masjid al-Nabawi, then prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is better than prayer in al-Masjid al-Nabawi. So they say, therefore, he must intend to visit the Noble Grave so that his visit has meaning. What is the response to them, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : The response is clear. Is visiting the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) better than praying in the Messenger’s mosque? If he lives in Makkah, where the reward for prayer is a hundred thousand times, then he has no justification to set out to pray in al-Masjid al-Nabawi. Therefore, he has no justification to set out to visit the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him).