Prayer in the mosque of Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more excellent than a thousand prayers in other mosques except the Masjid al-Haram, for Messenger of Allah ﷺ is the last of the Apostles, and his mosque is the last of the mosques. Abu Salama and Abu Abdullah (two of the narrators in this chain of narrations said: We had no doubt that what Abu Haraira (Allah be pleased with him) had said was from Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and so we did not like to get an attestation from Abu Huraira about this hadith until Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) died. We discussed it (the issue of getting attestation from Abu Huraira) amongst ourselves and blamed one another as to why we did not talk about it to Abu Huraira regarding it so that he could attribute its transmission to Messenger of Allah ﷺ in case he had heard It from him. While we were discussing it as we sat with 'Abdullah b. Ibrahlm b. Qariz; we made a mention of this hadith, and our omission (in getting its attestation) about its direct transmission by Abu Huraira from him (the Holy Proohet) ; thereupon Abdullah b. Ibrahim said to us: I bear witness to the fact that I heard Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) say that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I am the last of the Apostles and my mosque is the last of the mosques.
عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَغَرِّ مَوْلَى الْجُهَنِيِّينَ وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّهُمَا سَمِعَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ صَلاَةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلاَةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَسَاجِدِ إِلاَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ آخِرُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَإِنَّ مَسْجِدَهُ آخِرُ الْمَسَاجِدِ قَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ وَأَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَمْ نَشُكَّ أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ كَانَ يَقُولُ عَنْ حَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَمَنَعَنَا ذَلِكَ أَنْ نَسْتَثْبِتَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الْحَدِيثِ حَتَّى إِذَا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ تَذَاكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ وَتَلاَوَمْنَا أَنْ لاَ نَكُونَ كَلَّمْنَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُسْنِدَهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنْ كَانَ سَمِعَهُ مِنْهُ فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ جَالَسَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ قَارِظٍ فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ الْحَدِيثَ وَالَّذِي فَرَّطْنَا فِيهِ مِنْ نَصِّ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَشْهَدُ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَإِنِّي آخِرُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ وَإِنَّ مَسْجِدِي آخِرُ الْمَسَاجِدِ