The soundest of all opinions that the reward of the Sal?t done in Baitul Maqdis equals two hundred and fifty ones done in any where else except the two Masjids in Makkah and Mad?nah; they have greater superiority over Baitul Maqdis. Ibn M?jah narrated in his “Sunnan” (no.1406) and Ahmad in his “Musnad” (vol3/no.343 and 397) traced back to J?bir that the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) said: ‘One Sal?t in my mosque [at Mad?nah] is superior to one thousand Sal?t in any other place except in Al-Masjidul Har?m. A Sal?t in the latter is superior to one hundred thousand Sal?t in any other mosque’.

The had?th’s chain of narrators is Sah?h [authentic] according to the conditions set by both Al-Bukh?r? and Muslim for authentic narrations. (1)

Al-B?s?r? also affirmed its authenticity in “Misb?h Az-Zuj?jah” (2) and then said: ‘This had?th stems from another had?th reported in the two Sah?hs through a chain of narrators traced back to Ab? Hurairah ( - رضي الله عنه -) and Ibn ‘Umar in Muslim’s Sah?h. Ibn Hibb?n and Al-Baihaqi traced it back to Abdull?h Ibn Az-Zubair.

The evidence for what we previously stated is Ab? Thar’s ( - رضي الله عنه -) had?th. He ( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘Once, we raised the question of which has more superiority over the other: The prophet’s ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) mosque or Baitul Maqdis?’

The prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -) said: ‘One Sal?t in my mosque is four times superior than Sal?t in Baitul Maqdis and the latter is indeed a superior place in which Sal?t is performed. The time is about to come when one wishes that he has a piece of land the size of which is like that of a horse robe through which one could see Baitul Maqdis. This would be better for him than the whole world’. Another narration states: ‘It is better for him than the whole world and its fortunes’. (3)