What is the history of Al-Masjid An-Nabawee?
What did the Prophet ﷺ say about Al-Masjid An-Nabawee?
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- On the 12th of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, the Prophet left Qubaa’ and headed towards the city of Madeenah. He was accompanied by some Companions including Aboo Bakr and ‘Ali ibn Abee Taalib.
- When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madeenah, the Companions who lived in the city grabbed the reins of the Prophet’s camel. They were all eager to host the Prophet ﷺ in their homes. So the Prophet told the Companions to let go of the reins and let the camel go wherever it wanted. The camel started walking and finally stopped in the area of Banoo Maalik ibn An-Najjaar. That land was owned by two orphan boys. The boys wanted to donate it to the Prophet ﷺ ; however, he refused and bought it instead. This land contained a few date-palm trees. After the land was bought, the trees were cut and the ground was then cleared to build Al-Masjid An-Nabawi. The Prophet ﷺ and the Companions & all worked very hard to build the masjid. When it was finished, the masjid was in the shape of a square. Each side was approximately 100 yards long and the Qiblah was facing Jerusalem. The walls of the masjid were made of stone and moulded clay, the roof was made of date-palm branches and it had two pillars which were the trunks of date- palm trees.
- While building the masjid, the Companions started to read a few lines of poetry and the Prophet ﷺ joined in:
Allah, there is no goodness except that of the next life, So forgive the Ansaar and the Muhaajireen.”
- On the eastern side of the masjid, rooms were built for the Prophet and his household. To the north of the masjid, there was a place for those Companions who did not have families or homes. Al-Masjid An-Nabawi was not only a place to perform the Salah; it was the center of the new Islamic state where the Muslims could worship Allah as freely. It was the place where disputes were settled and Islamic verdicts were given.
- While the masjid and the house of the Prophet ﷺ were being built, he stayed with Aboo Ayyoob Al-Ansaari. The house of Aboo Ayyoob was the closest to the masjid. When the construction was complete, Zayd ibn Haarithah and Aboo Raafi went to Makkah to bring the family of the Prophet
- As soon as they arrived in Madeenah, the Prophet ﷺ moved into his new house. The reward for praying in Al-Masjid An-Nabawi is one thousand times more than praying in any other masjid. This is known from the following hadeeth narrated by Aboo Hurayrah
“صَلاةٌ في مسجدي هذا خير من ألف صلاة فيما سواه إلا المسجد الحرام “رواه البخاري
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “One Salah in my masjid is better than a thousand Salah in any other masjid except Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.” (Al-Bukhaari)
There is also a great reward for praying in between the house of the Prophet and the pulpit. The Prophet said:
عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةً من رياض الْجَنَّةِ رواه البخاري و مسلم
What lies between my house and my pulpit is a Garden from the Gardens of Paradise (Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Zayd Al- Maazini and Aboo Hurayrah in Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)
- The words ‘a garden from the gardens of Paradise’ could mean that praying in that place gives the person the reward of Paradise. It could also mean that this place will be transferred to Paradise in the next life.
What we learn from the lesson:
- Al-Masjid An-Nabawi was built by the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions.
- The Prophet ﷺ stayed with Aboo Ayyoob Al-Ansaari for over six months.
- The reward for praying in Al-Masjid An-Nabawi is 1000 times greater than praying in any other masjid except Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.
“Discussion:”
- Why you think Madeenah and Masjid An- Nabawi are so special.
