and the Helpers. It was the first mosque in Islam where the call to prayer was made. There the Messenger led the Muslims in Friday and congregational prayers, taught them the Book and wisdom, and gave them instructions concerning military expeditions and other matters. There the Sunnah was established, and from there Islam spread. Prayer in it was worth a thousand prayers, and travelling to it was prescribed during the lifetime of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—when there was no grave there, neither his nor anyone else’s. Then, when the Messenger was buried, he was buried in his chamber, in his home; he was not buried in the mosque.

Every Muslim knows the distinction between a home and a mosque. A mosque is a place for devotional retreat, whereas a home is not. When he observed such a retreat, he would leave his home for the mosque and would enter his home only to attend to his bodily needs. Neither a person in a state of major ritual impurity nor a menstruating woman may remain in a mosque. Yet ‘Ā’ishah would remain in his home while menstruating, just as a woman remains in any ordinary home while menstruating. He would also enter a state of major ritual impurity there and remain there until he bathed. His clothes and food were there, and it was his dwelling and place of rest, as Allah has made homes to be.

Allah mentions “the Prophet’s homes” in His Book, attributing them sometimes to the Messenger and sometimes to his wives. Those homes do not possess the mosque’s sanctity or merit, nor the special merit of prayer within it. Journeys are not undertaken specifically to visit them, and prayer in any of them is not worth a thousand prayers. It is well known that he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—during his