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| Masjid e Nabawi |
Masjid-e-Nabawi
The Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the second holiest site for Muslims in the world and was the headquarters of the Prophet (peace be upon him) of Islam during his lifetime.
According to Islamic traditions, the reward of prayer performed in Masjid-e-Nabawi is a thousand times more than that of prayer performed in any other mosque except Masjid al-Haram in Makkah.
The Prophet (PBUH) of Islam built this mosque after he migrated from Mecca to the city of Yathrib at that time, Medina, and it was the second mosque to be built in Medina after the Quba Mosque.
According to Islamic traditions, the place known as “Riyadh al-Jana” or one of the gardens of Paradise is located in the same mosque. According to a hadith attributed to Abu Hurairah in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam said, "Between my house and the pulpit of the Prophet's Mosque, there is a piece of the Garden of Paradise."
The more than 1400-year-old mosque has expanded beyond the boundaries of the ancient city of Madinah, and the entire area that witnessed the early days of Islam has now become a part of it.
In this area, there were thousands of signs from the early days of Islam, such as the tomb of the Prophet (PBUH), where two companions, Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), are buried, the house of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with him), the wife of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, the houses of the other wives of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam.
1445 years ago, this mosque was built in 632 ADS on a place adjacent to the house of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam and was expanded many times in the coming centuries.
Sultan Ghalib al-Qaiti wrote in his book about the Holy Cities of Muslims, Hajj, and the World of Islam that in 1909, the Prophet's Mosque was the only building in the Arabian Peninsula where electricity was used for lighting.
During the reign of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the biggest expansion project was started which is still in the process of completion. It is said that after the completion of this project, this mosque, which will become the destination of millions of devotees every year, will have a capacity of 18 lakh people to pray at a time.
The Beginning
According to Al-Mubarakpuri, the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam bought this land for ten dinars from two orphans, Sahil and Sohail, when he arrived in Madinah. Earlier this land was used to dry date palms.
The Prophet (PBUH) of Islam himself participated in the construction of this mosque. Stone foundations were used for construction and mud walls were built. Trunks and branches of palm trees were used for thatching.
At that time, the mosque had three doors, and its direction was towards Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was the Qibla of that time. A shaded section was also built to shelter the poor and travelers.
Later, the direction of the Qibla was changed towards the Kaaba, and one door was closed, and another was made in the other direction.
When the Companions suggested to the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam that the roof be made solid with mortar, he refused saying: "No, this roof will be like the Arish Moses, like the roof of Moses." The floor was not covered with anything until years later.
The Prophet (PBUH) of Islam was the first person who led the prayer in this mosque. After his death, his companions continued to perform this practice.
According to Mubarakpuri, the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam appointed his companion Hazrat Bilal bin Rabah as the first Muezzin of the Prophet's Mosque.
According to tradition, when the Sahabi Messenger Abdullah bin Zayd informed the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam of his dream about the call to prayer, he asked him to train Bilal because his voice was loud, and he would call the people to prayer.
The spokesman of the mosque says that the initial area of the mosque was 1050 square meters and seven years after the Hijra, it was increased to 1425 square meters on the instructions of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam.
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| Masjid e Nabawi View |
Zafar Bangash writes in an article titled "History of Masjid-e-Nabawi and Gunbad Khizra" in a monthly magazine of contemporary Islamic thought that the area of Masjid-e-Nabawi was only 98 by 115 feet in the beginning.
However, in subsequent periods, the mosque was expanded several times to create more space for people from all over the world, especially pilgrims, to offer prayers at the same time. It should be noted that this mosque is one of the three holiest places of Muslims where long journeys are allowed to obtain reward.
Dr. Shafiq Umar has written in one of his research papers that this mosque is now 100 times bigger than its initial area and is spread over almost the entire ancient Median.
The professor has stated that the outer wall of the mosque has now been found in the cemetery of Jannat-ul-Baqi, which was in the suburbs of the Median during the life of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, and he referred to this in Dr. Muhammad Wajid Akhtar's book “Nine facts about the Masjid-e-Nabawi. Don't know about” is quoted.
A recent expansion plan for the mosque, which King Abdullah launched in 2012, will provide space for 1.8 million people to pray at the same time when completed.
The Minister of Finance of Saudi Arabia, says that the building of the central part of the mosque will consist of 614 thousand 800 square meters, while the total area of the mosque and its courtyards will cover 1 million 20 thousand 500 square meters. Later, 1 million people will be able to pray in the main building of the mosque, and 8 lack in its outer courtyard at the same time.
Arab News quoted the spokesman of the mosque, as saying that King Abdullah ordered the installation of 250 specially designed umbrellas inside the mosque, which will provide shade to an area of 134,000 square meters. These automatic umbrellas will be double layered so that the worshipers are fully protected from the rain and the scorching sun of the Arabian desert.
In the second and third phases of the mosque expansion project, capacity for one million worshipers will be provided, while in the first phase, space for eight lack people will be created.
The House of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam
The Prophet (PBUH) of Islam's house was built right next to the mosque and he died there and was buried there in the chamber of his wife Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with him).
Dr. Zariwa says that when the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam died and his companions were choosing the best place for his burial, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) told them that the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam had said that the Prophets are buried where Allah intended them to be buried. Expels the soul.
When the first caliph fell ill, he asked his daughter's permission if he could be buried in her chamber near the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, to which Hazrat Aisha agreed.
The second Caliph Umar bin Khattab also did the same and he too got permission to be buried near the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam and the first Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr.
However, due to the expansion of the mosque over many centuries, this chamber with graves has come inside the mosque. The famous green dome of Masjid-e-Nabawi is built on top of this room.
The Gates of the Mosque
Currently, the architectural design of the mosque has 41 doors, and above each door is a stone inscription that reads “Enter with peace and security”, which is the 46th verse of Surah al-Hijr of the Quran.
On the other hand, Sheikh Hatabi says that it has 85 doors. Some gates have one door, some have two, and some have three four, or five doors. Some elevators take you from the courtyard and the first floor to the second floor.
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| Khazra Dome |
The Saudi General Presidency of the Kaaba and Masjid-e-Nabawi says that the size of the mosque built by the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam was 1050 square meters in the beginning.
Akaz newspaper quoted the spokesman of the presidency as saying that after seven years of migration, it was increased to 1425 square meters on the instructions of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam.
Centuries after the death of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, this mosque has been reconstructed and expanded several times, which started during the era of Hazrat Umar and then continued from the Umayyad and Abbasid periods and the Ottoman Caliphate to the Saudi era.
Despite the increase in the Muslim population in Madinah, the status of this mosque was kept in mind to preserve its true foundation during its expansion in various dimensions. Dr. Zariwa says that it includes a hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam according to which one prayer performed in this mosque is better than 1000 prayers performed in all other mosques except the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
According to Dr. Zariwa, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had said that if the mosque is standing on its original foundations, then there is no problem in extending it to Syria.
For the first time after the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, the expansion of the mosque was done in the year 638 during the reign of the second Caliph due to rush. They bought the land around the mosque and made it part of the mosque, but nothing was done on the side where the houses of the wives of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam were.
After that, the third Caliph Usman bin Affan also upgraded the mosque in the year 650 (29 Hijri) after consulting the Companions. According to the Arab newspaper, they built plaster and carved stone walls, carved stone and iron pillars, and teal wood roofs.
In the year 707 (88 Hijri), the governor of Madinah, Umar bin Abdul Aziz, on the orders of the Umayyad caliph Walid bin Abdul Malik, extended the mosque's cover to 6440 square meters. He built four minarets and one arch. The entrance pillars were decorated with marble and gold work and reached 232 in number.
The Abbasid Caliph Al-Mahdi commissioned the mosque in 161-165 AH, after which its area increased to 8890 square meters, and 60 windows and 24 doors were installed.
When the mosque was set on fire in the year 1257 (654 Hijri), Caliph Al-Mu'tasim tried to rebuild it, but he could not do it due to the Tatar attack on Baghdad in 656 Hijri.
It was rebuilt during the Mamluk period, which closed all the doors except the four central ones with brass carvings.
During the Ottoman period, Sultan Suleiman had the dome repaired and in 974 Hijri installed a new crescent made of copper plated with gold. Before this, crescents were started to be placed on minarets and domes during the Kingdom period. In the year 1228 Hijri during the reign of Sultan Mahmud, the dome was painted green which is the same color till today.
Sultan Abd al-Majid expanded the mosque when it was cracked in 1277 Hijri and after this expansion, the area of the mosque became 10303 square meters. According to Al Jazeera news agency, five new gates were added and the height of the walls increased to 11 meters. 170 small domes were installed, and 600 oil lamps were also added.
According to the historian Sultan Ghalib al-Kuwaiti, in the year 1909 (1327) Hijri, the Prophet's Mosque was the first place in the Arabian Peninsula where electricity was installed.
During the Saudi era, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud expanded the mosque's cover to 16,327 square meters in 1950, with 706 pillars and 170 domes. According to the spokesman Al-Hatab, in the same period, electricity supply to the mosque started coming from a special station and the number of lamps increased to 2427.
According to Arab News, in 1973, King Faisal allocated 35,000 square meters to the west of the mosque for the mosque, and umbrellas were also installed in this area.
After the expansion of Shah Khalid bin Abdul Aziz in 1398 AH, Shah Fahd started another expansion project from 1405 to 1414 AH.
The entrance passages were widened while electric staircases were built, after which the total number of gates and entrance passages of the Haram increased to 85. Beautifully decorated domes, four minarets, and 13 gates were besides.
The biggest expansion plan was approved by the now-deceased King Abdullah in 2012 to accommodate two million worshipers upon completion.
Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said that this building will be on an area of 614 thousand 800 square meters and the total area of the mosque and courtyards will be 1 million 20 thousand 500 square meters. He further said that after this, the mosque will be able to accommodate 1 million worshipers and 8 lack worshipers in the courtyard.
Al-Hatb said that King Abdullah had also ordered the installation of 250 umbrellas on the pillars of the mosque's courtyards and premises to provide shade over 143,000 square meters. The automatic umbrellas were of two different heights so that they could overlap each other and block the sun or rain from reaching the worshippers.
Daily Akaz quoted Abdulwahid Al-Hatb as saying that in the current expansion project, the existing constructions on the east and west sides of 12.5 hectares will be removed.
He further said that when King Salman took over the throne after King Abdullah, he insisted on restarting the expansion project and other works to improve the Haram Sharif and provide all the facilities here so that pilgrims can easily perform Hajj and Umrah.
At the end of the second and third phases of the expansion project, it is expected to accommodate more than 1 million worshippers, while the first expansion will accommodate 8 lack worshippers. He said that the entire expansion plan will create space for 12 lacks more worshipers by 2040.
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| Dome of Khazra |
The Dome of Khazra
This green dome is one of the most prominent structures of the Prophet's Mosque. It is built over the graves of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr, and Hazrat Omar.
Ali bin Ahmad al-Sammoudi writes in his book Wafa al-Wafa that the first dome on the grave of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam was built after 650 years and the first dome was built by Sultan Qalawan in 1279 (678 AH) and it was made of wood.
Dr. Akhtar says that 'the green dome we see today is the outer dome above the room of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam. There is another dome inside it, which is much smaller than this one, and the names of the Prophet (PBUH) of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr, and Hazrat Umar are engraved on it.
It was octagonal at the top and square at the bottom. According to the Island Encyclopedia, it was rebuilt more than once after it burned down and was rebuilt by Ottoman Sultan Ghazi Mahmud.
Referring to Rafat Pasha's Diaries, Vol. I, pp. 464 to 465, Dr. Akhtar points out that it was painted white for the longest period and later purple blue before being painted green in 1837.
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Wonderful and infoactive art8cle
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