Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts

The reader: "It is also narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he prohibited prayer in places of punishment. Abu Dawud narrated from Sulayman ibn Dawud: Ibn Wahb informed us, Ibn Lahi'ah and Yahya ibn Azhar told me, from 'Ammar ibn Sa'd al-Muradi, from Abu Salih al-Ghafari

It was narrated from Ibn al-Hanafiyyah that `Ali (

أن عليا رضي الله عنه مرّ ببابل

Musnad Ahmad 1010Sahih (Darussalam)

".

The Shaykh : In Babylon
The reader: He passed by Babylon while traveling

The Shaykh : In al-Baqarah Yes.
The reader: "

He passed by Babylon while traveling, so the mu'adhdhin came to him to call him to the 'Asr prayer. When he had emerged from it, he ordered the mu'adhdhin to give the iqamah for prayer. When he finished, he said: 'My beloved, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), prohibited me from praying in the cemetery, and prohibited me from praying in the land of Babylon, for it is cursed.'

مر ببابلَ وهو يسير ، فجاءه المؤذن يؤذنه بصلاة العصر فلما برز منها ، أمر المؤذن فأقام الصلاة فلما فرغ قال : إن حِبِّي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم نهاني أن أصلي في المقبرة ، ونهاني أن أصلي في أرض بابل ، فإنها ملعونة

.
It was also narrated from Ahmad ibn Salih: Ibn Wahb informed us, Yahya ibn Azhar and Ibn Lahi'ah told me, from al-Hajjaj ibn Shaddad, from Abu Salih al-Ghafari, from 'Ali, with the same meaning and wording:

When he had exited from it

فلما خرج منها

in place of

Emerged

برز

.
Imam Ahmad narrated in the recitation of his son Abdullah, with a chain clearer than this, from 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) something similar to this:

That he disliked prayer in the land of Babylon, or the land of the subsidence, or something like that

أنه كره الصلاة بأرض بابل، أو أرض الخسف ، أو نحو ذلك

.
Imam Ahmad disliked prayer in these places, following 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and his statement: 'He prohibited me from praying in the land of Babylon, for it is cursed.' This implies that one should not pray in a cursed land.
The famous hadith regarding al-Hijr agrees with this, for if he prohibited entering the land of punishment, then prayer and other things are included in that.
This agrees with His statement (Glorified and Exalted is He) regarding the Mosque of Harm:

Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever

لا تقم فيه أبدًا

[At-Tawbah 9:108]

for it was one of the places of punishment. He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):

Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell

أفمن أسس بنيانه على تقوى من الله ورضوانٍ خيرٌ أم من أسس بنيانه على شفا جُرفٍ هارٍ فانهار به في نار جهنم

[At-Tawbah 9:109]

And it was narrated that when it was demolished, smoke came out of it. And this is just as it is recommended to pray in places ".

The Shaykh : Recommended
The reader: "And this is just as it is recommended to pray in places "

The Shaykh : The Mosque of Harm is a mosque built by the hypocrites near the Mosque of Quba, out of harm, disbelief, and to divide the believers, and to lie in wait for whoever warred against Allah and His Messenger. They had four objectives. Harm to the mosque was mentioned first because its harm is apparent, for if one hundred were praying in the mosque and another mosque was built around it, they would decrease to fifty. And if the direction of the second mosque had more people, perhaps they would decrease by more than fifty. So this is harm. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: "It must be demolished" meaning the Mosque of Harm, and the destruction of its value is a punishment for its owner. Otherwise, it is possible to change its form and use it as a warehouse or a shop or something similar. But they said it should be demolished, because it is a good punishment for its owner. Now, this mosque was taken by the hypocrites, and in this is an indication that every hypocrite wishes the believers to be divided. And therefore, we must be cautious of the people who sow discord among the believers, especially among the youth and students of knowledge, to divide their gathering.