The Place Dearest To Allah

عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ مَوْلَى أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَسَاجِدُهَا وَأَبْغَضُ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَسْوَاقُهَا

Narrated Abi Hurairah:

Rasulullah (ﷺ) said, “The places on earth most loved by Allah are its mosques, and the most hated are its markets.”

Narrated in Sahih Muslim, hadith no. 671

Grade: sahih (authentic)

Reflections:

1. The mosque is the abode of Allah, visited by Muslims – among other things – to offer congregational prayer.

2. It is the place most loved by Allah and where ties of kinship are forged.

3. The mosque is also where iman (faith) is strengthened and knowledge is gathered. Allah says in the Quran:

إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلا الله َ فَعَسَى أُولَئِكَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ

“The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.” – Surah at-Taubah, verse 18

Translation from Sahih International

4. The place most unliked by Allah is the market (i.e. where goods are bought and where people loiter). Imam Nawawi said in Syarh Sahih Muslim, “The market is where fraud, deception, perjury, promise-breaking, disregard for (the commands of) Allah and the like take place.”  

May we be given the opportunity again to fill the mosques and nurture our remembrance of Allah.