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

Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Abdillah from the descendants of Abu Fatimah, from Isma'il ibn Zayd, the mawla of Abdillah ibn Yahya al-Kahili, from Abdillah ibn Yahya al-Kahili, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: A man came to the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, peace be upon him, while he was in the Mosque of Kufa. He said: “Peace be upon you, O’ Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام, and the mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and His عز وجل blessings.” Imam Ali عليه السلام returned the greeting. The man said: “May I be your ransom, I intended to go to the ‘al-Masjid al-Aqsa’, and I wanted to greet you and bid you farewell.” So Imam عليه السلام said to him: “What do you intend by that?” He said: “The merit, may I be your ransom.” Imam عليه السلام said “Then sell your mount and consume your provisions and pray in this mosque (Mosque of Kufa), for the obligatory prayer performed in it is (rewarded as) an accepted Hajj, and the supererogatory prayer in it is (rewarded as) an accepted Umrah. And the blessing from it extends for twelve miles. Its right side is blessed, and its left side is deception. In its center is a spring of oil, and a spring of milk, and a spring of drinking water for the believers, and a spring of purifying water for the believers. From it the Ark of Nuh عليه السلام, peace be upon him, set sail. And in it were (the idols) Nasr, Yaghuth, and Ya'uq. Seventy prophets and seventy successors prayed in it. I am one of them,” And Imam Ali عليه السلام placed his hand upon his chest. (Imam عليه السلام then continued) “No distressed person ever supplicated in it with a need among his needs except that Allah سبحانه وتعالى answered him and relieved him of his distress.”