Is the multiplication of prayer in Makkah specific to the Mosque of the Ka'bah, or does it apply to all the mosques of Makkah?

The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you. This questioner says: There are two opinions, O Shaykh, regarding prayer in Makkah. Some say that prayer in any part of the Noble Makkah is like prayer in the Mosque of the Ka'bah. What is the evidence for each of the two opinions?

The Shaykh : Yes, the stronger position in my view is that the prayer preferred by a factor of one hundred thousand is the prayer in the Mosque of the Ka'bah, because this is established by this text in *Sahih Muslim*. And the best person to explain the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger himself, for he is the most knowledgeable about his intended meaning. He said: This is an explicit text. The other mosques in Makkah are not the Mosque of the Ka'bah. However, prayer in the Haram is better than prayer in the Hal. The evidence for this is that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was staying at al-Hudaybiyyah, and al-Hudaybiyyah is partly in the Hal and partly in the Haram, he was staying in the Hal but he prayed in the Haram. This indicates that prayer in the Haram is better than prayer in the Hal. But the specific reward is specific to the Mosque of the Ka'bah. And what indicates this is the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): It is well known that one does not travel a long distance to a mosque in al-'Aziziyah, or in al-Jadriyyah, or in something similar to that, or in other neighborhoods of Makkah. So the stronger position is that the specific preference is only in the mosque that contains the Ka'bah. Yes.