Excellence of the Great Masjid of Kufah, Excellence of Performing Salah (prayer) and the Loveable places Therein

قَالَ لِي‌ يَا هَارُونَ بْنَ خَارِجَةَ كَمْ بَيْنَكَ وَ بَيْنَ مَسْجِدِ الْكُوفَةِ يَكُونُ مِيلًا قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَتُصَلِّي فِيهِ الصَّلَوَاتِ كُلَّهَا قُلْتُ لَا فَقَالَ أَمَا لَوْ كُنْتُ بِحَضْرَتِهِ لَرَجَوْتُ أَلَّا تَفُوتَنِي فِيهِ صَلَاةٌ وَ تَدْرِي مَا فَضْلُ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعِ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ صَالِحٍ وَ لَا نَبِيٍّ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ صَلَّى فِي مَسْجِدِ كُوفَانَ حَتَّى إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص لَمَّا أَسْرَى الل

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), asked me, ‘O Harun ibn Kharijah, how far away do you live from the Masjid of Kufah? Is it one mile?’ I replied, ‘No, it is less than a mile.’ He then asked, ‘Do you perform all Salah (prayers) there?’ I replied, ‘No, I do not perform all Salah (prayers) there.’ He then said, ‘If I were near

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص وَ هُوَ فِي مَسْجِدِ الْكُوفَةِ فَقَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَ بَرَكَاتُهُ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَرَدْتُ الْمَسْجِدَ الْأَقْصَى فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُسَلِّمَ عَلَيْكَ وَ أُوَدِّعَكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ وَ أَيَّ شَيْ‌ءٍ أَرَدْتَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ الْفَضْلَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ فَبِعْ رَاحِلَتَكَ وَ كُلْ زَادَكَ

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Yusuf ibn Ya’qub ibn ‘Abd Allah from the sons of abu Fatimah from Isma’il ibn Zayd, Mawla ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Kahiliy who has said the following: “Once, a man came to ’Amir al-Mu’minin, when he was in the Masjid of Kufah. He said, ‘You are a ‘Alayhi al-

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ نِعْمَ الْمَسْجِدُ مَسْجِدُ الْكُوفَةِ صَلَّى فِيهِ أَلْفُ نَبِيٍّ وَ أَلْفُ وَصِيٍّ وَ مِنْهُ فَارَ التَّنُّورُ وَ فِيهِ نُجِرَتِ السَّفِينَةُ مَيْمَنَتُهُ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ وَ وَسَطُهُ رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ وَ مَيْسَرَتُهُ مَكْرٌ فَقُلْتُ لِأَبِي بَصِيرٍ مَا يَعْنِي بِقَوْلِهِ مَكْرٌ قَالَ يَعْنِي مَنَازِلَ السُّلْطَانِ وَ كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع يَقُومُ عَلَى بَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘The Masjid of Kufah is a very good Masjid. One thousand prophets and one thousand executors of the wills of the prophets have performed Salah (prayer) in it. The oven (of Noah) was there wherefrom water gushed forth and the Ark was carved there-from. Its right side houses the ma

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع يُصَلِّي إِلَى الْأُسْطُوَانَةِ السَّابِعَةِ مِمَّا يَلِي أَبْوَابَ كِنْدَةَ وَ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ السَّابِعَةِ مِقْدَارُ مَمَرِّ عَنْزٍ.

“’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), would perform Salah (prayer) toward the seventh pillar which is before al-Kindah door with a remaining distance of the size of a goat between him and that pillar.”

وَ حَدَّثَنِي غَيْرُهُ‌ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَنْزِلُ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ سِتُّونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ يُصَلُّونَ عِنْدَ السَّابِعَةِ ثُمَّ لَا يَعُودُ مِنْهُمْ مَلَكٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.

“He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘Every night sixty thousand angels descend down to the seventh pillar to perform Salah (prayer), of which no one up to the Day of Judgment returns again.”

قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ إِذَا دَخَلْتَ مِنَ الْبَابِ الثَّانِي فِي مَيْمَنَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَعُدَّ خَمْسَ أَسَاطِينَ ثِنْتَيْنِ مِنْهَا فِي الظِّلَالِ وَ ثَلَاثَةً فِي الصَّحْنِ فَعِنْدَ الثَّالِثَةِ مُصَلَّى إِبْرَاهِيمَ ع وَ هِيَ الْخَامِسَةُ مِنَ الْحَائِطِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ أَيَّامُ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ دَخَلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مِنْ بَابِ الْفِيلِ فَتَيَاسَرَ حِينَ دَخَلَ مِنَ الْبَابِ فَصَلَّى عِنْدَ ا

‘When you enter the Masjid through the second door on the right of the Masjid, count five pillars, two in shadow and three in the open compound, near the third is the station of Ibrahim, Allah has granted him peace. It is the fifth from the wall.’ He (narrator) has said, ‘During the rule of abu al-‘Abbas, abu ‘Abd Alla

الْأُسْطُوَانَةُ السَّابِعَةُ مِمَّا يَلِي- أَبْوَابَ كِنْدَةَ فِي الصَّحْنِ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ع وَ الْخَامِسَةُ مَقَامُ جَبْرَئِيلَ ع.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the seventh pillar counting from Kindah doors in the compound is the station of Ibrahim and the fifth is the station of Jibril (Gabriel), Allah has granted him peace.”

قَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ وَهْبٍ وَ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي وَ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو حَمْزَةَ وَ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي قَالَ: وَ قَالَ لِي الْأَصْبَغُ بْنُ نُبَاتَةَ وَ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي فَأَرَانِي الْأُسْطُوَانَةَ السَّابِعَةَ فَقَالَ هَذَا مَقَامُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص قَالَ وَ كَانَ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ع يُصَلِّي عِنْدَ الْخَامِسَةِ فَإِذَا غَابَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع صَلَّى فِيهَا الْحَسَنُ ع وَ هِيَ مِنْ بَابِ كِنْدَةَ.

“Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahab, holding my hand, said to me, ‘Abu Hamzah holding my hand said to me, “Asbagh ibn Nubatah holding my hand showed me the seventh pillar and said, ‘This is the station of ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) He (the narrator) has said, ‘Al-Hasan ibn Ali (a.s.), would perform Salah (prayer) near the fifth pillar.

مَسْجِدُ كُوفَانَ رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ صَلَّى فِيهِ أَلْفُ نَبِيٍّ وَ سَبْعُونَ نَبِيّاً وَ مَيْمَنَتُهُ رَحْمَةٌ وَ مَيْسَرَتُهُ مَكْرٌ- فِيهِ عَصَا مُوسَى وَ شَجَرَةُ يَقْطِينٍ وَ خَاتَمُ سُلَيْمَانَ‌[1] وَ مِنْهُ‌ فارَ التَّنُّورُ* وَ نُجِرَتِ السَّفِينَةُ وَ هِيَ صُرَّةُ بَابِلَ وَ مَجْمَعُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ ع.[2]

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘The Masjid of Kufah is a garden of the gardens of paradise. One thousand seventy prophets performed Salah (prayer) in it. Its right side houses blessing and its left side lodges wickedness. In it are the staff of Moses, the squash plant (mentioned in the holy Quran) and the ring of Sulaym