Al-Ḥāfiẓ continues:

“Every transmitter in its chain is trustworthy; nevertheless, the narration here comes through ʿAṭāʾ. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr says: ‘It is quite possible that ʿAṭāʾ received it from both of them, and that is the explanation adopted by the hadith scholars. This is supported by the fact that ʿAṭāʾ is an eminent imam with an extensive repertoire, well-known for narrating from both Jābir and Ibn al-Zubayr.’”

ʿAṭāʾ also possesses a third chain for this tradition, transmitted from Ibn ʿUmar as well; we shall address it later when discussing the Prophet’s Mosque.

As for the report al-Ṭabarānī records in al-Awsaṭ from ʿĀʾishah (Allah be pleased with her), in marfūʿ form with the wording, “A prayer in the Sacred Mosque is better than one hundred prayers elsewhere,” its chain includes Suwayd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who is weak, as al-Haythamī points out.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ adds:

“This hadith has been used to argue for the superiority of Mecca over Medina, because places derive their honor from the excellence of the worship performed there compared with worship performed elsewhere. That is the view of the majority, and it is also related from Mālik; Ibn Wahb, Muṭarrif, and Ibn Ḥabīb among his followers held it as well. The more widely transmitted position from Mālik and most of his disciples, however, is that Medina is superior. They cite as proof the Prophet’s words, ‘The area between my grave and my pulpit is one of the gardens of Paradise’—its documentation will follow—together with his saying, ‘A spot in Paradise the size of a whip is better than the whole world and everything in it.’ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr responds: ‘This is using a report for a matter other than that for which it was conveyed, and it cannot stand against the explicit texts affirming Mecca’s virtue.’ He then proceeded to cite…"