Is one prayer in Masjid al-Haram worth 100,000 prayers?

The four schools agree on this.

Explanation

Jabir reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "A prayer in my mosque is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram, and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is better than a hundred thousand prayers elsewhere." This is in Sunan Ibn Majah with a chain hadith scholars grade sahih, and the first part is also in Bukhari and Muslim. Al-Aqsa also has a special reward, and it is the third mosque to which journeys are made.

• Missed prayers: one prayer in the Haram does not replace 100,000 qada prayers. The reward is multiplied; the debt is not cancelled. See does Hajj make up missed prayers.
• Which area: some scholars apply the 100,000 to the whole Haram of Makkah, others to the mosque only. Praying in the mosque itself is safest.
• Extensions: the majority of scholars include the new extensions of both mosques in the reward.
• Nafl at home: the Prophet ﷺ said in Madinah that a man's best prayer is in his house, except the obligatory ones. Many Hanafi scholars therefore say voluntary prayers at your hotel are still better, though praying them in the mosque is also good.
• Women: women may pray in both mosques, and their reward there is great too.

Make the most of your days there with your fard prayers in congregation. For the city's status see why Makkah is the holiest city.

The evidence

Where the ruling is recorded

• Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Bab al-witr wal-nawafil. Voluntary prayers at home are better, and the multiplied reward in the two mosques.
• al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Hajj, on the virtue of the two mosques. Whether the reward covers the whole Haram and the extensions.

Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.