Is passing away in sacred places, such as Mecca and Medina, considered a sign of a good end (ḥusn al-khatimah)?

It has been reported from scholars that passing away in a sacred place such as al-Medina al-Munawarah, Mecca al-Mukarramah, or other virtuous locations is a sign of a good end. Therefore, jurists have recommended the preference of burial in the cemeteries of the righteous and in virtuous places.

Imam al-Nawawi mentioned in al-Majmuʿ (5/118) the recommendation of wishing to meet one’s end in an honored land. This meaning is supported by the hadith reported from ʿAbdullah Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), in which Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“Whoever is able to die in al-Medina, let him die there, for I shall intercede on behalf of the one who dies there.”
This hadith was recorded by imams Aḥmad in al-Musnad, al-Tirmidhi in al-Sunan, Ibn Abu Shaybah in al-Muṣannaf, al-Ṭabarani in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir, and al-Bayhaqi in Shuʿab al-Iman.

Imam al-Nawawi stated in al-Majmuʿ (5/283) that
al-Shafiʿi, in both al-Umm and his earlier opinion, along with the consensus of his students, recommended burial in the most virtuous cemetery in the town, for the reasons mentioned by the author [of the book being cited by al-Shafi’i], and because it is closer to mercy. They also said that among such cemeteries are those that are renowned for their association with goodness—where righteous and pious individuals are buried.

He also said in Sharh Ṣahih Muslim (15/128),
“This indicates the recommendation of burial in virtuous places, blessed spots, and near the graves of the righteous.”

Imam Abu al-Saʿadat al-Buhuti noted in Kashshaf al-Qinaʿ (2/166),
“Burial is also recommended in a place where many righteous people are laid to rest so that their blessings may reach the deceased. This is why ʿUmar wished to be buried next to his two companions, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He continued to seek ʿAʾisha’s permission until she granted it.”

And Allah the Almighty knows best