Sahih Muslim, 1361 a
sahihRafi' b. Khadij reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Ibrahim declared Mecca as sacred and I declare sacred the area between its two stony grounds (lava lands by which he meant Medina).
وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مُضَرَ - عَنِ ابْنِ الْهَادِ، عَنْ أَبِي، بَكْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم
إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَرَّمَ مَكَّةَ وَإِنِّي أُحَرِّمُ مَا بَيْنَ لاَبَتَيْهَا
. يُرِيدُ الْمَدِينَةَ .
Isnad
5 transmittersReferences2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 15, Hadith 519
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Book 7, Hadith 3151 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah Almighty has given Makkah and Madīnah greater status than other places and positions. Allah rendered Makkah a sanctuary for Abraham (Ibrāhīm) (peace be upon him) and made it a safe town. Likewise, He rendered Madīnah a sanctuary for the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). This Hadīth points out that Madīnah is sacred like Makkah. This version has a story. Marwān ibn al-Hakam - the then-governor of Madīnah - addressed the people and mentioned Makkah and its people and its inviolability but did not mention Madīnah and its people and its inviolability. Its inviolability means that everything becomes secure therein, even animals, which may not be hunted, and trees, which may not be cut down, and that no one may do anything in it that contradicts the religion of Allah or commit a crime, an act of injustice, or a sin for which a legal punishment is prescribed. So, it is forbidden to hunt in Madīnah as it is forbidden in the sanctuary of Makkah, but he who hunts in Madīnah faces no punishment, for it is not a place for the rituals, unlike Makkah. So, Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj (may Allah be pleased with him) called him and said: "What is it that I hear you making mention of Makkah and its inhabitants and sacredness, but you did not make mention of Madīnah and its inhabitants and its inviolability, while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared what is between its two lava fields as inviolable?!" He meant that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared all of Madīnah inviolable. Madīnah lies between two lava fields, eastern and western. A lava field is a land covered with black stones as if it was burned. The eastern lava field is called "Harrat Wāqim", and it now contains Qubā' and the Wāqim fortress. The western lava field is "Harrat Wabarah", and it contains the mosque called the Mosque of the Two Qiblahs. Its borders from the south and north are between the two mountains' Ayr and Thawr. The Prophetic Sanctuary falls between Mount' Ayr from the south, 8.5km away from the Prophet's Mosque, and Mount Thawr from the north, 8km away from the Prophet's Mosque. An official committee in Saudi Arabia has demarcated the Madīnah sanctuary, and the Madīnah Regional Municipality has put architectural signs in the form of arches like those of the Prophet's Mosque, in many places demonstrating these borders. Then, Rāfi‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "And this is with us" written "on Khawlāni parchment", which is skin attributed to Khawlān, a village in Yemen. Perhaps this skin is characterized by strength and durability suitable for keeping such things. Then, Rāfi‘ said to him: "If you wish, I can make you read it", i.e., if you want to verify this matter by reading the text by yourself, I will enable you to read it. Thereupon, Marwān kept silent and then acknowledged that, saying: "I heard part of that," i.e., the Hadīth in which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared Madīnah inviolable. The Hadīth demonstrates the status of Madīnah. It indicates that a knowledgeable person should alert others if they make a mistake or forget or overlook a Shar‘i ruling..