Is it proven that fasting Ramadan in Madinah is equivalent to fasting seventy Ramadans elsewhere?

Praise
be to Allah

Firstly:

Al-Bayhaqi
narrated in ash-Shu‘ab (3852) that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Fasting
the month of  Ramadan in Madinah is like fasting one thousand months
elsewhere, and one Jumu‘ah prayer in Madinah is like one thousand offered
elsewhere.”

Al-Bayhaqi said
after quoting the hadith: This is an extremely da‘eef isnad.

It was also
narrated by at-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (1144), from the hadith of
Bilaal ibn al-Haarith. Adh-Dhahabi said:

This is false
and its isnad is problematic.

End quote from
Mizaan al-I‘tidaal (2/473).

 It was also
narrated by al-Jawzi in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah (2/87) via al-Qaasim
ibn ‘Abdillah from Katheer ibn ‘Abdillah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, from Naafi‘,
from Ibn ‘Umar, in a marfoo‘ report [i.e., attributed directly to the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)].

But al-Qaasim
ibn ‘Abdillah was regarded as a liar by Ahmad and Ibn Ma‘een.

See: Mizaan
al-I‘tidaal (3/371).

 With regard to
Katheer ibn ‘Abdillah, ash-Shaafa‘i and Abu Dawood said: He is one of the
foremost liars.

Mizaan al-I‘tidaal

(3/407).

Shaykh al-Albaani
narrated this hadith in ad-Da‘eefah (831), and said: It is false.

With regard to
the hadith, “Ramadan in Madinah is equivalent to seventy Ramadans
elsewhere,” we could not find anyone who narrated it with this wording, but
Shaykh ‘Atiyyah Saalim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in
Sharh al-Arba‘een an-Nawawiyyah (79/5) and said: It is mentioned in a
da‘eef hadith that is quoted in A‘dhab al-Mawaarid… And he quoted the
hadith.

Ibn Maajah
(3117) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever is in Makkah when Ramadan comes,
and he fasts and prays qiyaam as much as he can, Allah will write for him
the reward of a hundred thousand Ramadans observed elsewhere, and for every
day Allah will write for him the reward of manumitting a slave, and for
every night the reward of manumitting a slave, and for every day the reward
of providing mounts for two fighters in Allah’s cause, and for every day a
hasanah, and for every night a hasanah.”

Al-Albaani said
in Da‘eef Ibn Maajah: It is fabricated (mawdoo‘).

Secondly:

In the answer to
question no. 38213, we noted that hasanaat (good
deeds) and sayi’aat(bad deeds) may be multiplied in times and places of
particular virtue, and that multiplication of good deeds is multiplication
in both quantity and quality. As for bad deeds, the multiplication is in
terms of quality only.

In Makkah and
Madinah, the reward for fasting Ramadan is multiplied in comparison to
fasting the month in other cities, because of the honoured status of the
place. But it cannot be said that it is seventy times better than fasting
somewhere other than Makkah and Madinah, or that it is a thousand times
better, or more or less than that, because this precise definition of the
factor of multiplication and virtue requires a sound (saheeh) report to
prove it.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz
(may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The shar‘i
evidence indicates that good deeds may be multiplied in times and places of
particular virtue, such as Ramadan and the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah,
or in the Haramayn, because good deeds are greatly multiplied in Makkah and
Madinah. It says in the saheeh hadith that the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: “One prayer in this mosque of mine is better
than a thousand prayers offered anywhere else, except al-Masjid al-Haraam;
one prayer in al-Masjid al-Haraam is better than one hundred prayers in this
mosque of mine.” Narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan with a saheeh isnad.

The reward for
other righteous deeds is also multiplied, but there is no report that speaks
of a specific number; rather a specific number and explanation is mentioned
only in the case of prayer. As for all other deeds, such as fasting,
remembering Allah (adhkaar), reading Qur’an and giving charity, I do not
know of any proven text to indicate a particular factor by which they are
multiplied. Rather the reports indicate in general terms that the reward for
them is multiplied, but no specific number is given.

End quote from
Fataawa Ibn Baaz (3/388)

Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The idea of the
reward of deeds being multiplied by a specific factor is something that
requires specific evidence (from the religious texts), and there is no room
for analogy in this case. If there is a sound text that speaks of the
multiplication of other good deeds, then it will be accepted. But
undoubtedly places and times of particular virtue have an impact in
multiplying the reward, as the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said:
Good deeds may be multiplied at times and places of particular virtue, but
stating that the multiplication is by a particular factor requires specific
evidence.

End quote from
ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘ (6/514)

And Allah knows
best.