Is the preference for voluntary prayer in the home also superior to praying it in the Prophet's Mosque and the Sacred Mosque, and is this specific only to the people of Madinah and Makkah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : There is a question, O Shaykh, regarding a hadith in Sahih al-Jami' and another hadith, regarding voluntary prayer. Some people say that this hadith is directed specifically to the people of Madinah and Makkah, whereas others who go there for 'Umrah or other purposes pray in Makkah and Madinah and receive the great reward mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for voluntary prayers.
The Shaykh : What is the evidence? The opinion?
The questioner : The opinion...
The Shaykh : This text and its like, such as his saying (peace be upon him)Jami` at-Tirmidhi 325Sahih (Darussalam) — the atmosphere is warm, may Allah reward you with good — is this specific to the people of Madinah or general?
The questioner : General.
The Shaykh : Is there a problem?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Fine, and is that hadith you read from al-Jami' al-Saghir specific or general?
The questioner : General.
The Shaykh : So what is the benefit? I would like, or I would not like, I would not like... for you to adopt the opinion so that I can discuss it with you, but since you are with us in this, who are we discussing it with?
The questioner : We respond to those who hold that other opinion.
The Shaykh : I understand.
The questioner : As I said, O my Shaykh, it is just the opinion there.
The Shaykh : What are we saying? This hadith is not specific; this is the response. He has no answer at all, meaning if he had an answer, he would specify it. Its existence is impossible. I wanted to say: "Prayer in my mosque is this." If one of us goes to the Prophet's Mosque and wants to perform voluntary prayer, is it better for him to pray in his home or in the Prophet's Mosque?
The questioner : The hadith we mentioned is about in his home.
The Shaykh : I am not asking you for the evidence; I am asking you for what you believe and adopt. If you need the evidence, I will ask you about it without hesitation; otherwise, I am in no need of it, so you are at ease and I am at ease.
The questioner : In his home.
The Shaykh : In his home, and what do those people say? In the mosque?
The questioner: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : Then they are mistaken; they specify general hadiths based on desires and opinions.
Al-Halabi : They reversed it.
The Shaykh : Bring it so we can see how they reversed it?
Al-Halabi : They said the hadith so this is what is applied to the other hadiths, or all of them are applied to it.
The Shaykh : What are the other hadiths?
Al-Halabi : .
The Shaykh : This is with us.
Al-Halabi : Against them.
The Shaykh : It is with us, against them; so if I tell you, as Ibn 'Umar said, "Make it so that when that star..."
The prayer of one of you in his home is better — meaning the voluntary prayer — than his prayer in this mosque of mine.
صلاة أحدكم في بيته خير ـ أي النافلة ـ من صلاته في مسجدي هذاThe prayer of one of you in his home is better than his prayer in the mosque by twenty-seven degrees.
صلاة أحدكم في بيته خير من صلاته في المسجد سبع وعشرين درجةThe Shaykh : What is the evidence? The opinion?
The questioner : The opinion...
The Shaykh : This text and its like, such as his saying (peace be upon him)
Salat is this Masjid of mine
صلاة في مسجدي هذاA prayer in this mosque of mine is worth a thousand prayers in any other mosque, except the Sacred Mosque.
صلاة في مسجدي هذا بألف صلاة مما سواه من المساجد إلا المسجد الحرامThe questioner : General.
The Shaykh : Is there a problem?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Fine, and is that hadith you read from al-Jami' al-Saghir specific or general?
The questioner : General.
The Shaykh : So what is the benefit? I would like, or I would not like, I would not like... for you to adopt the opinion so that I can discuss it with you, but since you are with us in this, who are we discussing it with?
The questioner : We respond to those who hold that other opinion.
The Shaykh : I understand.
The questioner : As I said, O my Shaykh, it is just the opinion there.
The Shaykh : What are we saying? This hadith is not specific; this is the response. He has no answer at all, meaning if he had an answer, he would specify it. Its existence is impossible. I wanted to say: "Prayer in my mosque is this." If one of us goes to the Prophet's Mosque and wants to perform voluntary prayer, is it better for him to pray in his home or in the Prophet's Mosque?
The questioner : The hadith we mentioned is about in his home.
The Shaykh : I am not asking you for the evidence; I am asking you for what you believe and adopt. If you need the evidence, I will ask you about it without hesitation; otherwise, I am in no need of it, so you are at ease and I am at ease.
The questioner : In his home.
The Shaykh : In his home, and what do those people say? In the mosque?
The questioner: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : Then they are mistaken; they specify general hadiths based on desires and opinions.
Al-Halabi : They reversed it.
The Shaykh : Bring it so we can see how they reversed it?
Al-Halabi : They said the hadith
Indeed, prayer in this mosque of mine is better by a thousand prayers than in any other.
إن الصلاة في مسجدي هذا أفضل بألف صلاة مما سواهThe Shaykh : What are the other hadiths?
Al-Halabi :
The best prayer of a man is in his home, except for the obligatory prayers.
أفضل صلاة الرجل في بيته إلا المكتوبةThe Shaykh : This is with us.
Al-Halabi : Against them.
The Shaykh : It is with us, against them; so if I tell you, as Ibn 'Umar said, "Make it so that when that star..."
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.