Chapter on the Virtue of Mosques and Prayer Within Them, and the Virtue of Congregational Prayer and Its Rulings

From him, from his father, from Hammad, from Hariz, from Zurarah, who said: I said to Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “What do you say about sleeping in the mosques?” Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no problem except in two mosques; the ‘Mosque of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم’, peace be upon him and his family, and the ‘Sacred Mosque.’” He (Zurarah) said: “And Imam عليه السلام would take me by the hand during part of the night, then withdraw to a side, and sit and talk in the ‘Sacred Mosque’, and Imam عليه السلام would sometimes sleep. So I asked Imam عليه السلام about that, and Imam عليه السلام said: ‘It is only disliked to sleep in the part of the mosque that existed during the time of the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family. As for that which is in this area, there is no problem with it.’”