For he intended to build a mosque and wanted the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to be the first to pray in it, and to build it on the spot where he prayed. The purpose, then, was to build the mosque, and he wanted the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to pray where he would build it. The prayer was intended for the sake of the mosque; building the mosque was not intended merely because he had happened to pray there. This was a place where the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—deliberately prayed so that it would become a mosque. Deliberately choosing to pray there therefore constituted following his example, unlike choosing a place where he merely happened to pray without deliberately selecting it.

Likewise, deliberately choosing Mondays and Thursdays for fasting constitutes following his example, because he deliberately fasted on those two days. He said in an authentic hadith:

“The gates of Paradise are opened every Thursday and Monday, and every servant who associates nothing with Allah is forgiven, except a man between whom and his brother there is enmity. It is then said, ‘Let these two wait until they are reconciled.’”

Likewise, deliberately visiting the mosque of Qubā’ constitutes following his example. It is established in the two Sahīh collections that he used to visit Qubā’ every Saturday, sometimes riding and sometimes walking.

This was because Allah had revealed to him:

“A mosque founded on piety from the very first day is more worthy for you to stand in prayer in.”

His mosque had the greatest claim to this description. It is also established in an authentic report:

“He was asked about the mosque founded on piety and said, ‘It is this mosque of mine.’”

He meant that his mosque fulfilled this description more completely than the mosque of Qubā’. The mosque of Qubā’ was also founded on piety, and it was on its account that the verse was revealed. Hence Allah said:

“In it are men who love