Losing a child is one of the greatest calamities for the one whom it befalls. There are Hadiths which explain that if two or more of a person’s children die and he bears that with patience, then he is promised Paradise and salvation from the Fire.

A person will be rewarded for reading the Quran whether he understands its meanings or not, but he should be very keen to understand its meanings and to learn these meanings from scholars who are trustworthy in their knowledge.

There is no authentic Hadith about the virtue of looking at the Ka`bah, and simply looking at it is not an act of worship for which a person will be rewarded.

Beneficial worldly knowledge comes under the heading of the knowledge that a person may leave behind and that will benefit him after he dies. The one who helps or is a means of spreading this benefit will also have a great reward.

Some virtues of Makkah and Madinah: 1. The best spot on earth, in and of itself, is Makkah, then Madinah. 2. One prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah is better than one hundred thousand prayers offered in any other mosque. 3. Makkah is unique in that it is the place where Hajj and `Umrah. 4. Allah, may He be Exalted, swears by Makkah. 5. Allah, may He be Exalted, decreed Makkah to be a sanctuary the day He created the heavens and the earth. 6. Madinah is the location of Hijrah. 7. In Madinah, most of the verses on rulings and laws were revealed. 8. In Madinah there is the Prophet’s Mosque and the blessed Rawdah.

The reward may be multiplied if there are multiple intentions for a single deed. If the Muslim enters the mosque having done Wudu, then prays two Rak`ahs intending them as the Sunnah prayer of Fajr, the Sunnah prayer following Wudu and the Sunnah prayer of greeting the mosque, he will attain the reward of what he intended, and Allah is the bestower of great bounty.