Allah, Exalted is He, has made Makkah and Al-Madeenah superior to other places and lands. He declared Makkah a sacred and secure sanctuary for Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) and declared Al-Madeenah a sacred sanctuary for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺhighlights the sacredness of Al-Madeenah and defines the limits of itsinviolable sanctuary. He ﷺ said: “I have made Al-Madeenah a sanctuary between its two (Harrahs)mountains.” i.e., it was declared an sanctuary by the Prophet ﷺ just as Makkah was declared an sanctuary by Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him). The Arabic word ‘laabah’ or 'harrah’ (used in the previously cited hadeeth) means a stony tract or lava field, whose stones are black, as if they were burned with fire. Al-Madeenah, may Allah perpetuate its security and honor, is located between two harrahs; the Harrah of Waaqim to the east, where the Mosque of Qubaa’ and Waaqim fortress are situated, and the Harrah of Wabarah to the west, where Masjid Al-Qiblatayn is located. ‘Ayr Mountain, about 8.5 km from the Prophet’s Mosque, straddles the southern outskirts of Al-Madeenah, and constitutes its southern boundary. Thawr Mountain, around 8 km from the Prophet’s Mosque, is located in the northern outskirts and constitutes the northern boundary.A Saudi official committee has defined the limits of Al-Madeenah sanctuary, and the Madeenah Municipality has installed architectural signs in the shape of the arcs of the Prophet's Mosque to mark the limits of the sanctuary. The sacredness of Al-Madeenah is manifested in the fact that whatever lies within its boundaries is declared inviolable, to the extent that no tree may be cut down. As for trees and plants that people grow and plant, it is permissible for people to cut down and eat from them. Hunting animals in Al-Madeenah is also prohibited, just like Makkah, except that there is no expiation required, because its sanctuary is not a place for Hajj or ‘Umrah rituals like Makkah. Then, the Prophet ﷺ turned towards the people of Banee Haarithah, belonging to the Aws (i.e., one of the main Arab tribes in Al-Madeenah),whose housesat that time were to the west of the current site of Hamzah’s grave. Considering them outside thesanctuary limits,he ﷺ remarked, “I see that you have gone out of the sanctuary.” However,after looking around and verifying their location, he ﷺ added, “No, you are still within the limits of the sanctuary.” It is deduced from this hadeeth that a scholar may give his opinion based on what he believes to be most likely, then if he comes to know that he erred, he should simply correct himself and follow the truth. .