"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The greater the distance from the mosque, the greater the reward.'"  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الأَبْعَدُ فَالأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا  

"There was a man among the Ansar whose house was the furthest house in Al-Madinah, yet he never missed prayer with the Messenger of Allah. I felt sorry for him and said: 'O so-and-so, why do you not buy a donkey to spare yourself the heat of the scorching sand, to carry over the stony ground, and to keep you away from the vermin on the ground?' He said: 'By Allah! I do not want to live so close to Muhammed.' This troubled me until I came to the house of the Prophet and mentioned that to him. He called (the man) and asked him, and he said something similar, and said that he was hoping for the reward for his steps. The Messenger of Allah said, 'You will have that (reward) that you sought.'"  

كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ بَيْتُهُ أَقْصَى بَيْتٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ لاَ تُخْطِئُهُ الصَّلاَةُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ فَتَوَجَّعْتُ لَهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا فُلاَنُ لَوْ أَنَّكَ اشْتَرَيْتَ حِمَارًا يَقِيكَ الرَّمَضَ وَيَرْفَعُكَ مِنَ الْوَقَعِ وَيَقِيكَ هَوَامَّ الأَرْضِ فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ بَيْتِي بِطُنُبِ بَيْتِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ قَالَ فَحَمَلْتُ بِهِ حِمْلاً حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ بَيْتَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَدَعَاهُ فَسَأَلَهُ فَذَكَرَ لَهُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ يَرْجُو فِي أَثَرِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ لَكَ مَا احْتَسَبْتَ  

"Banu Salimah wanted to move from their homes to somewhere near the mosque, but the Prophet did not want the outskirts of Al-madinah to be left vacant, so he said: 'O Banu Salimah, do you not hope for the reward of your footsteps?' So they stayed (where they were)."  

أَنْ يَتَحَوَّلُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ إِلَى قُرْبِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَكَرِهَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنْ يُعْرُوا الْمَدِينَةَ فَقَالَ يَا بَنِي سَلِمَةَ أَلاَ تَحْتَسِبُونَ آثَارَكُمْ فَأَقَامُوا  

"The houses of the Ansar were far from the mosque and they wanted to move closer. Then the following Verse was revealed: 'We record that which they send before (them), and their traces.'" [Ya-Sin: 12] He said: So they remained (where they were)."  

كَانَتِ الأَنْصَارُ بَعِيدَةً مَنَازِلُهُمْ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ فَأَرَادُوا أَنْ يَقْتَرِبُوا فَنَزَلَتْ {وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ} قَالَ فَثَبَتُوا