Question Summary:
Praying 40 salah in Madina

Question Detail:

Just want an advice. Me and my husband are planning for hajj next year. My husband mentioned his intention to perform hajj next year to his father. His father advised him that we must do 40 Salah in madina whenever we perform hajj as its part of performing hajj. We both know that is not right and it is a biddah but he can't tell it to his father and got very upset that how we can manage this because we were planning to go for 2 weeks only and to perform 40 Salah in madina in 2 weeks package is not possible. It made me upset too because I don't want to perform 40 Salah in madina considering it as part of hajj. I feel like it's a biddah and that is a sin. No doubt I would always like to perform as many Salah in madina as possible but don't want to follow a biddah. Just need advice what we should do in this situation.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
If a person has sufficient time at hand, it is advisable for him to perform 40 salah in Masjid Nabawi. The significance and virtue of performing 40 salah in Masjid Nabawi is understood from the following Hadith;
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَسَمِعْتُهُ أَنَا مِنَ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي الرِّجَالِ، عَنِ نُبَيْطِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ "مَنْ صَلَّى فِي مَسْجِدِي أَرْبَعِينَ صَلَاةً، لَا يَفُوتُهُ صَلَاةٌ، كُتِبَتْ لَهُ بَرَاءَةٌ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَنَجَاةٌ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ، وَبَرِئَ مِنَ النِّفَاقِ"[1]
Anas ibn Malik (رضي الله عنه) narrates that Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Whoever prays forty salah in my masjid (Masjid an-Nabawi) without missing a salah between them, it will be written for him freedom from the hellfire, escape from punishment, and freedom from hypocrisy.”[2]
The above practice is not a compulsory part of Hajj. If one does not have sufficient time at hand and does not perform 40 salah in Masjid Nabawi, that will not affect the validity of his Hajj.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saad Haque
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.