Moreover, the very wording in question was conveyed from Shahr in conflicting forms: some transmitters included it while others did not, as we clarified earlier when discussing the fourth chain from Abū Saʿīd. For that reason we stated there that this particular version cannot be used as proof.

A further argument has now occurred to me that supports the view that Shahr erred, and it is this:

What points to the weakness—indeed the invalidity—of this addition is that, in Shahr’s own narrative, Abū Saʿīd objected to his setting out for Mount Sinai and cited this very ḥadith against him. Had the narration contained the extra clause that limits the ruling to mosques alone, excluding other virtuous sites, Abū Saʿīd—an Arab of the purest tongue—could not have employed it as evidence, for Shahr intended nothing but a journey to Mount Sinai. That mountain is not a mosque; rather, it is the sacred height upon which Allah spoke to Moses, peace be upon him. Consequently, were the ḥadith restricted to mosques, it would not cover the journey Shahr proposed. Abū Saʿīd’s disapproval of travelling there is therefore the clearest proof that this clause does not belong to the ḥadith, and equally a proof that the tradition retains its general wording, encompassing every revered location. This is precisely how Abū Saʿīd understood it, and the same understanding was shared by ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, Abū Basrah al-Ghifārī, with Abū Hurayrah concurring; all of them forbade the journey to Mount Sinai on the basis of this ḥadith, as we have documented when citing their reports. Thus, four Companions—without a single dissenting voice among them—held this view, and they are the most knowledgeable of what they heard from the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, and the most aware of his intent.

Reason likewise affirms the universality of the ḥadith. If travelling is forbidden even to a mosque other than the three—despite the fact that worship in any mosque is better than worship elsewhere, such as in ordinary dwellings—while the Prophet ﷺ said: “The places most beloved…"