Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “You should not undertake a special  journey to visit any place other than the three Mosques: the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, this  mosque of mine, and Al-Aqsa Mosque (of Jerusalem).”  (Reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Daw’ud)  In another narration the words are “For three mosques a special journey may be undertaken: The Sacred Mosque (Ka”bah), my mosque, and the mosque of Al-Quds (Jerusalem)”.

            Abu Dharr reported that he asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him),  “O Prophet of Allah, which mosque was built first on earth”?   The Prophet (peace be upon him), replied,  “The Sacred Mosque of Makkah”.  Abu Dharr again asked, “Which was next”?  The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,  “The Al-Aqsa Mosque.”  “How long was the period between them?”  Abu Dharr asked.  The Prophet (peace be upon him) said. “Forty years.  Apart from these, offer your prayers anywhere when it is time to pray, although excellence is in praying in these mosques.”

            Traveling to these three mosques is prescribed because of their special position in Islam.  Jabir reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “One prayer in this mosque of mine is better than 1,000 prayers offered anywhere else except the Sacred Mosque, and one prayer in the Sacred Mosque is better than a hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque.”  (Reported by Ahmad with a sound chain of authorities)

            We read in various ahadith that a prayer offered in the Al-Aqsa mosque is five hundred times superior (in reward) to one offered in any other mosque, except the Sacred Mosque and the Mosque of the Prophet (in Madinah).