Kūfa

Merits

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The city of Kūfa holds a unique place of honour, being one of four cities specially chosen by Almighty Allah. It's said that the term "Ṭūr Sīnīn" in the Holy Qurʾān actually refers to this very city. Another narrative positions Kūfa as a sanctuary not just for Allāh, but also for the Holy Prophet(p) and Imām ʿAlī(a). Here, acts of charity and prayer gain extra merit - giving a single dirham as alms here is worth a hundred elsewhere, and a two-unit prayer holds the same reward as a hundred-unit prayer performed in other places.

Masjid al-Kūfa, a prominent mosque in the city, is amongst four mosques whose visitation brings great spiritual rewards. It's also one of the four places where travellers have the choice to perform their obligatory prayers in either complete (tamām) or shortened (qasr) form. Offering a single obligatory prayer at Masjid al-Kūfa carries the same reward as completing a fully accepted Ḥajj, or performing a thousand prayers in other locations.

  • Abū Ḥamza al-Thumālī narrates: "ʿAlī b. Ḥusayn(a) embarked on a journey from Medina, setting his sights on the revered Masjid al-Kūfa. Before leaving, he prayed two raka'at, then mounted his camel and started his journey."
  • Imām Ṣādiq(a) said: "A single dirham given in charity in Kūfa holds the weight of two hundred dirhams offered elsewhere. Similarly, two units of prayer in Kūfa carry the significance of a hundred prayed elsewhere."
  • Imām Bāqir(a) said: "If people were fully aware of the merits of Masjid al-Kūfa, they'd traverse great distances to visit. An obligatory prayer performed here holds the equivalence of a Ḥajj, while a recommended prayer mirrors the merits of performing an ʿUmrah."
  • Imām Bāqir(a) said: "Praying an obligatory (wājib) prayer in Masjid al-Kūfa is akin to an accepted Ḥajj. Likewise, a recommended prayer carries the reward of an accepted ʿUmrah"
  • Imām ʿAlī(a) said: "Praying a recommended (mustaḥabb) prayer in Masjid al-Kūfa equals performing an ʿUmrah with the Prophet(p) himself. An obligatory prayer there is as rewarding as a Ḥajj undertaken with the Prophet(p). Furthermore, this extraordinary mosque has been blessed by the prayers of a thousand prophets and their successors."
  • Ḥārūn b. Khārijah narrates: Imām Ṣādiq(a) asked me, "Do you pray all of your prayers in Masjid al-Kūfa?" I replied, "No."
    Imām(a) said, "If I lived nearby, I would not miss performing a single prayer in it. Do you know the merits of Masjid al-Kūfa?" I replied, "No."
    Imām(a) said, "Every devoted servant and prophet has prayed in Masjid al-Kūfa. On the night of Miʿrāj1, Jabrāʾīl(a) asked Rasūl Allāh(p), "O Muḥammad! Do You know where you are right now?" Rasūl Allāh(p) replied, "No." Jabrāʾīl(a) said, "You are in front of Masjid al-Kūfa."
    Rasūl Allāh(p) said, "Ask your Lord for permission so that I may descend and pray in it."
    Jabrāʾīl(a) asked for permission and it was granted. Then Rasūl Allāh(p) descended and prayed two raka'at of prayer in Masjid al-Kūfa."
    The Imām(a) continued and said: "A single obligatory (wājib) prayer in Kūfa Mosque matches that of ten thousand prayers offered elsewhere and a single recommended (mustaḥabb) prayer there is like five hundred prayers elsewhere. Surrounded by gardens from Paradise, just sitting in Masjid al-Kūfa, even without praying or praising Allah, is deemed worship. The Imām concluded, "If people understood its merits, they would surely journey to it, even if it meant crawling.."
  • Khālid al-Qalanisi narrates: I heard Imām Ṣādiq(a) say: "A single prayer in Kūfa Mosque is like a thousand prayers elsewhere."
  • Imām Ṣādiq(a) said: "Mecca, Medina, and Kūfa are sanctuaries of Allāh, His Messenger(p), and ʿAlī(a). A single prayer in their mosques matches that of ten thousand prayers offered elsewhere. Similarly, giving a dirham as charity in Medina equates to donating ten thousand dirhams in any other city. Kūfa, equally sacred, amplifies the weight of your prayer a thousandfold when offered in its revered mosque."

Footnotes

  1. Al-Miʿrāj (Arabic: [المِعراج], lit. ascent) is the nightly journey of the Holy Prophet(p) from Mecca to al-Aqsa Mosque and from there to the skies. ↩