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:

assalam wa alaikum brother,

your site has been more than informative to me and has really opened my eyes in various fields, please keep up this noble  deed. my question is what are we muslims supposed to do when we visit medinah (prophet p.b.u.h mosque)? how many rakahs are  we supposed to pray and what is the reason behind it? your response to my email address will be greatly appreciated.

khudahafiz and may Allah help you in every way. 

(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:

What to do in Medina?

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 no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth.    If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause.  We hope,  beg,  and pray the Merciful Lord  accepts our humble and weak efforts,  forgives us our shortcomings,  and saves you, us,  and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire.  Ameen.

Your question: my question is what are we muslims supposed to do when we visit medinah (prophet p.b.u.h mosque)?

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.69

It is a Sunnah for one who wants to enter any mosque to enter with his right foot first, and to say: "I seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, and by His Honorable Face, and in His Everlasting Authority, [away] from the outcast Shaytaan. In the name of Allah! O Allah, shower blessings upon Muhammad (saws).  O Allah, forgive my sins for me and open for me the doors of Your mercy."

When one visits Medinah, one should visit the Prophet’s Mosque, supplicate the above supplication upon entering,  and offer the two rakahs of ‘tahiyatul-masjid’ just as one offers when visiting any House of Allah Subhanah.

If one gets a chance, then one should visit the ‘Raudah’ or the place between the grave of the Prophet (saws) and his ‘mimbar’ (pulpit) and offer his obligatory or voluntary prayers, as the prayers prayed anywhere in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina are equivalent to the reward of a thousand prayers prayed elsewhere.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 5.135

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "The space between my house and my pulpit is (raudah) one of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is at my Fountain."

Jabir reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "One prayer in this mosque of mine (in Madinah) is better than 1,000 prayers offered anywhere else except the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah), and one prayer in the Sacred Mosque is better than a hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque."

Related by Ahmad.

Then one should visit the grave of the Prophet (saws), and offers salutations to him and recite the Durood.

One may offer the recommended salutation offered by the noble companions of the Prophet (saws) in the following format if one wishes:

‘Assalamu 'alaika ya rasulallah. Assalamu 'alaika ya nabiyallah. Assalamu 'alaika ya khiyrata khalqillah min khalqihi. Assalamu 'alaika ya khaira khalqillah. Assalamu 'alaika ya habiballah. Assalamu 'alaika ya sayyidil mursaleen. Assalamu 'alaika ya rasullallah rabal 'alameen. Assalamu 'alaika ya qa 'idal ghirril muhajjaleen. Ash-hadu alla-ilaha illallah, wa ash-hadu annaka 'abduhu wa rasuluhu wa ameen uhu wa khiyratuhu min khcllyihi, wa ash-hadu annaka qad ballaghtar rasalata wa addaital amanata wa nasahtal ummata wa jahdta fillahi haqa jihadihi.’

‘Peace be on you, O the Messenger of Allah. Peace be on you, O, the Prophet of Allah. Peace be on you, O, the chosen one of Allah's creation. Peace be on you, O, the beloved one of Allah. Peace be on you, O, the Chief of the Messengers of (Allah). Peace be on you, O, the Messenger of the Lord of the universe. Peace be on you, O, the Chief of the unique generation. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I bear witness that you are His slave, messenger, trustee, and the chosen one of His creation. I bear witness that you indeed delivered the message (of Allah). discharged your trust, counseled the Muslim community, and strove hard tor the cause of Allah.’

Then one may face the Kaabah and make as much supplication to Allah Subhanah for oneself and one’s family and loved ones as one wishes.

One of the recommended deeds when visiting Madinah is to visit the first mosque of the city, which is the Quba mosque which is located at a distance of a few kilometers from the Prophet’s Mosque and offer prayers there.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 5.135a

The Prophet (saws) used to go to the Quba Mosque, riding or on foot, every Saturday and offer a two rak'ah prayer there.  He (saws) advised others to do the same, saying, "Whoever makes ablutions at home and then goes and prays in the Mosque of Quba, he will have a reward like that of an 'Umrah."

Related by Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim.

Other things one might do when in Madinah is visit the Baqi graveyard where many of the noble companions and the wives of the Prophet (saws) are buried; visit the battleground of the plains of Uhud where the beloved uncle of the Prophet (saws), Hadrat Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib was martyred and buried along with the other martyrs of Uhud; or visit the various historical landmarks of Medina like the plains of Khandaq, the Qiblatain mosque, etc. 

Your Question: how many rakahs are  we supposed to pray and what is the reason behind it?

There is no minimum or maximum number of rakahs one is obliged to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.  One may pray as many or as few rakahs as one wishes and is easy for them when visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. 

Some people claim that one must pray a minimum of 40 obligatary prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, but that claim is unsubstantiated and considered a weak opinion by almost all the good scholars in Islam.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan