Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear mr. burhan

assalamo alaikum

since my family is leaving for hajj, i would appreciate if you could advice me before hajj regarding 40 namaz in medina. my gujarati community says that we have to stay 8 days in medina and finish 40 namaz. when i went for hajj i stayed only 3 days in medina.

pls. answer me in the light of sunnah in detail.

Thanks

a sister

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Forty prayers in madinah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Anas bin Malik reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever prays forty prayers consecutively in my mosque (in Madinah) without missing any of the obligatory prayer, he will be removed from Hell, from punishment, and from hypocrisy."

Related by Ahmad and At-Tabarani with a sound chain.

Dear and beloved Sister, there is indeed a narration to the effect and attributed to the Messenger of Allah (saws) that one who prays forty consecutive obligatory prayers in Madinah will be saved from Hell, from punishment, and from hypocrisy……but the absolute vast majority of the good scholars and jurists do not hold the above quoted narration quoted by Ahmad and Tabarani to be authentic or believable.

Their absolute biggest argument is that many amongst the hypocrites at the time of the Prophet (saws) prayed hundreds if not thousands of their obligatory prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque in congregation behind the Prophet (saws) himself…..but Allah Subhanah Himself declares in His Glorious Quran that He will never ever forgive them, nor save them from the Hell Fire nor its punishment!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 73-80:

73 O Prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, an evil refuge indeed.

74 They (the hypocrites) swear by Allah that they said nothing (evil) but indeed they uttered blasphemy and they did it after accepting Islam; and they meditated a plot which they were unable to carry out: this revenge of theirs was (their) only return for the bounty with which Allah and His Messenger had enriched them! If they repent it will be best for them; but if they turn back (to their evil ways) Allah will punish them with a grievous penalty in this life and in the hereafter: they shall have none on earth to protect or help them.

75 Amongst them are men who made a covenant with Allah that if He bestowed on them of His Bounty they would give (largely) in charity and be truly amongst those who are righteous.

76 But when He did bestow of His bounty they became covetous and turned back (from their covenant) averse (from its fulfillment).

77 So He hath put as a consequence hypocrisy into their hearts (to last) till the Day whereon they shall meet Him: because they broke their covenant with Allah and because they lied (again and again).

78 Know they not that Allah doth know their secret (thoughts) and their secret counsels and that Allah knoweth well all things unseen?

79 Those who slander such of the believers as give themselves freely to (deeds of) charity as well as such as can find nothing to give except the fruits of their labor, and (the hypocrites) throw ridicule on them; Allah will throw back their ridicule on them: and they shall have a grievous penalty.

80 Whether thou (O Prophet (saws)) ask for their (the hypocrite’s) forgiveness or not (their sin is unforgivable!): if thou (O Prophet (saws)) ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them!: because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger; and Allah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious!

Thus in conclusion sister, obviously one will get a superior reward for praying in the Prophet’s Mosque….but the absolute majority of the good scholars and the jurists in Islam have not agreed with the above quoted hadith of Ahmad and Tabarani regarding the merits of the forty consecutive prayers in Madinah. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: …..when i went for hajj i stayed only 3 days in medina.

Beloved Sister in Islam, going to Madinah or praying in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah is not a requirement or obligation or a rite of Hajj. If one did all their Hajj rites as guided by Allah and His Messenger (saws) perfectly, and for any reason whatsoever was not able to, or chose not to go visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, or stayed only a few hours or days in Madinah, it would not effect their rewards for their Hajj in the least.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan