Fadail Makka - al-Hasan al-Basri
- Author died
- 110 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Falāḥ
Fada'il Makka (The Merits of Mecca), also known as Fada'il Makka wa-al-Sakan Fiha or Risala fi Fadl al-Mujawara bi-al-Bayt al-Atiq, is an early epistolary treatise on the sacredness of Mecca and the virtues of residing there, attributed to the prominent Successor al-Hasan al-Basri (d. 110 AH / 728 CE) .
Background and Attribution
The work is framed as an epistle composed by al-Hasan al-Basri upon learning that an acquaintance had resolved to depart from the sacred precinct of Mecca . According to bibliographical records, it was addressed to 'Abd al-Rahim ibn Anas to encourage dwelling as a neighbor (mujawara) to the Sacred House . The text is regarded as among the earliest surviving specialized treatises devoted to the history, sacred status, and merits of Mecca, though scholars have noted questions regarding the authenticity of its attribution to al-Hasan al-Basri .
The surviving transmission line of the text includes an isnad narrated through the hadith scholar Abu Tahir al-Silafi (read to him in 571 AH), through earlier chains passing via Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Nafi' al-Khuza'i and ending with Abu Hubayra al-Baji from al-Hasan al-Basri .
Structure and Content
The treatise opens with an exhortation urging the addressee to reconsider his departure from the sanctuary, warning him against anxiety and restlessness and urging patience, silence, and forbearance in the face of hardship . It then systematically sets out the merits of Mecca across several key themes:
- Quranic Foundations: A compilation of Quranic passages concerning Mecca, the Kaaba, the sanctuary's safety, the prayers of Abraham and Ishmael, and the rites of the pilgrimage, emphasizing that these revelations specifically venerate Mecca above all other lands .
- Prophetic Traditions and Historical Sanctity: Narrations concerning the Prophet Muhammad's declaration upon leaving Mecca at al-Hazwara that it is the most beloved land to God; the rolling out of the earth (dahw al-ard) from Mecca, earning it the title Umm al-Qura; Abu Qubays as the first mountain set upon the earth; and the angels circumambulating the site two thousand years before the creation of Adam .
- Multiplication of Rewards: Narrations detailing the exponential reward of worship in Mecca, including the hadith that a single prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is worth 100,000 prayers elsewhere, and the descent of 120 divine mercies upon the Kaaba daily—sixty for those circumambulating (tawaf), forty for those praying, and twenty for those gazing upon it .
- Sites of Answered Prayer: An enumeration of fifteen specific locations in Mecca and pilgrimage sanctuaries where supplications (du'a) are answered: inside the Kaaba, at the Black Stone, at the Yamani Corner, at the Hijr, behind the Station of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim), at the Multazam, near the well of Zamzam, upon al-Safa, upon al-Marwah, between al-Safa and al-Marwah, between the Corner and the Station, at Mina, at Arafat, and at al-Mash'ar al-Haram .
- Virtues of Residing and Dying in the Sanctuary: Traditions on the merits of fasting Ramadan in Mecca, bearing its daytime heat, performing circumambulations in severe weather, drinking Zamzam water, touching the Black Stone, and the spiritual safety granted on the Day of Resurrection to those who pass away in either of the two holy sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina) .
Manuscript Tradition and Publications
Manuscripts of the treatise are preserved in several collections, including the Library of the Holy Mosque in Mecca (Maktabat al-Haram al-Makki), King Saud University in Riyadh, the Al-Azhar Library in Cairo, the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts, the Islamic University of Madinah, the Mahmudiyya Library, and European libraries such as Gotha and Vienna .
The Arabic text was critically edited by Sami Makki al-Ani and published by Maktabat al-Falah in Kuwait (second edition, 1406 AH) under the title Fada'il Makka wa-al-Sakan Fiha . An Ottoman Turkish translation of the treatise was prepared by Prince Mustafa Hami Bey and printed in Istanbul in 1280 AH / 1863 CE .
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