General information about the Prophet’s Mosque
1 - The Prophet Muhammad founded the mosque in the first year of the Hijra, and the Prophet Muhammad personally participated in the construction of the mosque, which was built with mud walls on rock foundations. Palm trunks and fronds were used to construct part of its roof.
2 - In its beginnings, the Prophet’s Mosque was facing the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Which was the first qibla for Muslims, and it had three doors. There was also a shaded area in the background to shelter the poor and passers-by however, the mihrab was moved to the northern side when the qibla was changed to the Kaaba. The southern door was closed and replaced by another door to the north, when the Companions asked the Prophet to support the roof of the mosque with clay, he refused and said, “No, but a rooftop like Moses’ rooftop.” The floor of the mosque was not paved until three years later.
3 - The Prophet’s Mosque was the second mosque built in Medina - which was known as Yathrib before the Hijra. It was preceded by the Quba Mosque.
4- The mosque was built in 632 AD, next to the residence of the Prophet Muhammad - that is, 1441 years ago.
5 - In 1909, the Prophet’s Mosque was the first building connected to electrical power in the Arabian Peninsula.
6- The mosque, in its current state after centuries of expansions, contains the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad and the graves of the two caliphs, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Omar ibn al-Khattab, it also contains the homes of the Prophet's wives, in addition to the Rawda.
7 - Visiting the Prophet’s Mosque may not be a pillar of Hajj or Umrah, but the vast majority of pilgrims and Umrah performers, they do not feel that their visit is complete without visiting it and visiting the grave of the Prophet Muhammad.
8 - It is one of the largest mosques in the world, with wonderful decorations and advanced technologies, the Saudi authorities have spent billions of riyals on it to restore, maintain, expand and beautify it.
The history of the construction of the Prophet’s Mosque
The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, purchased the land for his mosque and repaired it for reconstruction.
And he participated with the Companions in building it, and he urged them to do so. In Sahih al-Bukhari, it is stated that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, set out from Quba after he had established the mosque there and prayed in it, ((Then he mounted his mount and set off, with the people walking with him, Until I sat on the ground at the mosque of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, in Medina, and some Muslim men were praying there that day, It was a breeding ground for dates, (what is spread and dried in it) for Suhail and Sahl, two orphan boys, in the quarantine of Asaad bin Zurarah, The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said when his camel sat on the ground in it, This, God willing, is the house. Then the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, called the two boys and bargained with them about the place to store the dates ( Al marbud), to take it as a mosque, and they said: No, but we will give it to you as a gift, O Messenger of God, The Messenger of God refused to accept it as a gift from them, so he bought it from them, the built a mosque, and the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, began moving with them the brick in its building and saying, while he was transporting the bricks, he said: “This is the porter, not the porter of Khaybar, this is the most righteous and purest of our Lord, and He says: O Allah, the reward is the reward of the Hereafter, so have mercy on the Ansar and the Muhajirs)).
In another narration by Anas bin Malik
may God be pleased with him as well, he said: ((...and he was ordered to build the mosque, so he sent for a group of Banu Al-Najjar and said: “O sons of the Nagar, give me an eighth of this wall of yours.” They said: No, by God, we do not ask for its price except from God, Anas said: There were in it, as I tell you, the graves of the polytheists, and in it there were ruins and in it were palm trees, So the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, ordered the graves of the polytheists to be dug up, then they were destroyed and leveled, and the palm trees were cut down, so they were lined up, they faced the direction of the mosque and made stones on its supports, and they started moving the rocks while they were singing poetry, and the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was with them: And he says: “O God, there is no good except the good of the hereafter, so forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirs.
The virtue of the Prophet’s Mosque
1 - It is a mosque founded on piety from the first day.
Allah says
((لا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَداً لَمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوى مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَقُومَ فِيهِ رِجالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَتَطَهَّرُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ)) [سورة التوبة، آية ١٠٨].
God Almighty said: ((Never establish therein a mosque that was founded on piety from the first day, Is it more deserving that there be men who love to be purified, and God loves those who purify themselves.” [Surat Al-Tawbah, verse 108].
It has been proven from the hadith of Sahl bin Saad, may God be pleased with him, who said: “Two men disagreed during the time of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, regarding the mosque that was founded on piety One of them said: It is the Mosque of Medina, and the other said: It is the Mosque of Quba. So they came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he said: “This is my mosque.”),
This credit includes his mosque, may God bless him and grant him peace, and the Quba Mosque. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may God Almighty have mercy on him, also indicated this
Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah - may God have mercy on him - mentioned that the , verse was revealed because of the Quba Mosque, then he said, “But the ruling addresses him and applies to what is more deserving of that, which is the Medina Mosque, This directs what was proven in the Sahih on the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, “that he was asked about the mosque that was founded on piety, and he said: This is my mosque.”
2- The superiority of praying in it is equal to a thousand prayers in any other prayer except the Sacred Mosque:
He, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers in any other place, except the Sacred Mosque.” and in some of Muslim’s words from the hadith of Maimuna, may God be pleased with her: ((Except the Kaaba Mosque))
3 - It is one of the three mosques that you only need to travel to; Because of her great virtue and status before God Almighty:
On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said: “Do not set out on a journey except for three, Mosques: The Grand Mosque, the Mosque of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, and Al-Aqsa Mosque))
4- Whoever comes to him to learn knowledge or to teach it is like a mujahid in the path of God: He, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said, “Whoever comes to this mosque of mine does not come there except for something good to learn or teach, then he is in the position of a mujahid for the sake of God, and whoever comes to it for other than that, he is in the position of a man looking at someone else’s possessions.)
5- It is one of the last mosques of the prophets, so its virtue over other mosques is like the virtue of its Prophet, On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: ((I am the last of the prophets, and my mosque is the last of the mosques))
6 - That there is one of the gardens of Paradise in it, as the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, told us: On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, he said: ((Between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is at my basin)) On the authority of Umm Salamah, may God be pleased with her, she said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: ((Between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and the stands of my pulpit are places in Paradise)).
7 - The choice of his city and the place for its construction was from God Almighty, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: ((I was commanded by a town that devours the towns. They say: Yathrib, And it is Medina. It expels people just as a furnace expels impurities from iron.)) And when the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, entered Medina, They took the reins of his camel, saying: Come, O Messenger of God, to numbers, equipment, peace, and protection, He used to say to them: “Let her go, for she has been commanded.” She continued to walk with him until she reached the site of the Prophet’s Mosque.
8 - The center of knowledge and call to God Almighty, and the first school in Islam, and it contains virtuous landmarks, as it contains the prophetic pulpit, And the noble Rawdah, and the prayer place of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, and next to it is the Prophet’s Chamber, and the starting point of the Islamic conquests, in addition to other features, and the virtues that confirm the great reward of its increase, Its construction, expansion, maintenance, and service to those who visit it are the guests of God of visitors, pilgrims and Umrah performers.
9 - The Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, built it and his companions participated in it.
10 - The virtue of building and expanding the Prophet’s Mosque is indicated by the hadith of Qatada, may God be pleased with him, who said:
The surroundings of the mosque
One of the main landmarks surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque is Baqi’ al-Gharqad, which is the main cemetery for the people of Medina since the time of the Prophet, It is currently located at the western wall of the mosque. Hundreds of the Prophet’s companions are resting in Al-Baqi’, the mosque is also surrounded by government buildings, hospitals, luxury hotels, shopping complexes and main roads.
The Trustees
The Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque are managed by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, But the task of serving and caring for the Prophet’s Mosque is one of the responsibilities of the Saudi royal court, and therefore the Saudi king is called “the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.”
The architecture and decoration of the Noble Mosque
The mosque is distinguished by its small domes The spokesman for the General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Abdul Wahed Al-Hattab, said that there are 250 umbrellas in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque, its purpose is to protect worshipers from rain and stormy weather. He said that each of these umbrellas, equipped with puncturing systems, can protect 800 worshipers from rain and cover areas of 143 square metres, The Prophet’s Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, is filled with wonderful decorations and advanced technologies. The Saudi authorities have spent billions of riyals on it to restore, maintain, expand and beautify it.
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