Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Bedouin pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) upon Islam, but he became feverish in Madinah. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Return my pledge to me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused. He came a second time and said: Return my pledge to me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused. He came a third time and said: Return my pledge to me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refused. (Eventually, despite not being granted permission) the Bedouin left Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Madinah is like a furnace and a bellows; it expels impure things and refines the pure."

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This (i.e., Madinah) is Tayyibah; it expels (the filth of sins) just as fire removes the impurities from silver." This hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit, Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, Sayyiduna Jabir, Sayyiduna Abu Umamah, and Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with them).

It is narrated from Sayyidah Safiyyah bint Abu Ubaid (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever has the ability to die in Madinah (Munawwarah), he should die in Madinah (Munawwarah), because whoever dies here, intercession will be made for him or testimony will be given for him."

Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said regarding this verse «فَمَا لَكُمْ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِئَتَيْنِ» "What is [the matter] with you [that you are] two groups concerning the hypocrites?" (4-An-Nisa:88): When the Companions returned from the Battle of Uhud, they were divided into two groups regarding the hypocrites. One group thought that they should be killed, and the other thought that they should not be killed. Regarding these people, this verse was revealed: «فَمَا لَكُمْ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِئَتَيْنِ» "What is [the matter] with you [that you are] two groups concerning the hypocrites?" At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This (i.e., Madinah) is Tayyibah; it expels impurity just as fire removes the impurities of iron."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "I have been commanded to go to a town whose (inhabitants) will prevail over other towns. People call it Yathrib, but it is Madinah, which removes evils from people just as a furnace removes impurities from iron." In another narration, it is stated: "A time will come upon people when a man will call his paternal cousin or a relative, saying: (Leave Madinah and) come towards prosperity, come towards comfort. But residing in Madinah will be better for them. If only they knew this reality. By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Whenever a person leaves Madinah out of dislike for it, Allah will bring someone better than him in his place. Be aware! Madinah is like a furnace that expels wicked people. The Hour will not be established until Madinah expels the evil ones (by exiling them) in the same way that a furnace removes the impurities of iron."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever frightens the people of Madinah, Allah will make him fearful."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with them both) became ill. I went to them and asked: Father! How are you? Bilal! How are you? She says that when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) would become ill, he used to say: Everyone is with his family in the morning, and death is closer to him than the strap of his sandal. And when Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) would recover from fever, he would lift his weak leg and sing, saying: Alas! If only I knew whether I would spend a night in a valley, and around me would be the fragrant Idhkhir and Jaleel grass; I would go to the water of the Majannah spring; would I see the Shamah and Tufail mountains? Lady Aisha al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of the whole situation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah! Grant us love for Madinah like our love for Makkah or even more than that. Purify it from diseases, bless our Mudd and Sa’ (measures), and transfer its fever to Juhfah." In the narration of Musnad Ahmad, it is stated: When a child was born in Juhfah, before reaching puberty, the fever would overcome him.