In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
He alone suffices me, and He is the best Guardian.
A Question: Which is superior—taking up ribat (guard duty at the frontiers) or residing in Mecca, may Allah ennoble it?!
Answer
The consensus of the Imams and the early generations on the superiority of ribat over residence in the Two Sacred Sanctuaries
1- Praise be to Allah. Stationing oneself at the Muslim frontiers—with the intention of jihad—is, by the unanimous agreement of the Muslim Imams, the followers of the four legal schools, and others,1 more virtuous than living in either of the Two Sacred Sanctuaries.
Deeming places sacred without a legal proof is an innovation
2- This question is not problematic for anyone who understands the religion of Islam; however, because innovations have become widespread in acts of worship and because of the corruption2
(1) The author, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “Taking up residence at the frontier posts for jihad in the path of Allah is superior to living near Mecca or Medina; I know of no disagreement among the scholars on this.” Majmuʿ al-Fatawa, 27/51. He also states: “Staying at the frontier posts with the intention of ribat (guard duty) in the cause of Allah is better than residing near the three mosques, by unanimous agreement of the scholars.” 27/40. He further adds: “Dwelling in the Muslims’ frontier zones, such as those of Syria or Egypt, is superior to living near the three mosques, and I am unaware of any scholarly dissent on this; several leading imams have affirmed it explicitly.” Majmuʿ al-Fatawa, 28/5.
(2) The base manuscript reads fasad (“corruption”) without the prefixed conjunction waw; I have supplied the waw because the context requires it for grammatical and semantic coherence.