Prophet's Mosque

De **Prophet's Mosque** (Arabic: ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلنَّبَوِي‎, romanized: *al-Masjid al-Nabawī*, lit. 'Mosque of de Prophet') be de second mosque wey de Islamic prophet Muhammad build insyd Medina, after de Quba Mosque, as well as de second largest mosque den holiest site insyd Islam, after de Masjid al-Haram insyd Mecca, insyd de Saudi region of de Hejaz. De mosque dey locate for de heart of Medina, wey ebe a major site of pilgrimage wey dey fall under de purview of de Custodian of de Two Holy Mosques.

Na Muhammad einself be involved insyd de construction of de mosque. For de time, na de mosque ein land belong to two young orphans, Sahl den Suhayl, den wen dem learn say na Muhammad wish make he acquire dema land take erect a mosque, dem go to Muhammad wey dem offer de land to am as a gift; na Muhammad insist on make he pay a price for de land secof na dem be orphaned kiddies. Na de price dem agree upon wey Abu Ayyub al-Ansari pay, wey thus he cam turn de endower anaa donor (Arabic: وَاقِف, romanized: *wāqif*) of de mosque, on behalf anaa for favor of Muhammad.Na al-Ansari sanso accommodate Muhammad upon ein arrival for Medina insyd 622.

Originally an open-air building, na de mosque serve as a community center, a court of law, den a religious school. Na e contain a raised platform anaa pulpit (*minbar*) give de people wey na he teach de Quran den for Muhammad make he give de Friday sermon (*khutbah*). Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expand den decorate de mosque, wey dem name ein walls, doors den minarets after demaselves den dema forefathers. After an expansion during de reign of de Umayyad caliph al-Walid I (r. 705–715), e now dey incorporate de final resting place of Muhammad den de first two Rashidun caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) den Umar (r. 634–644). One of de most notable features of de site be de Green Dome insyd de south-east corner of de mosque, originally Aisha ein house, wer de tomb of Muhammad dey locate. Chaw pilgrims wey perform de Hajj sanso dey go to Medina make dem visit de Green Dome.

Insyd 1909, under de reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, e cam turn de first place insyd de Arabian Peninsula make dem provide am plus electrical lights. From de 14th century, na de mosque be guarded by eunuchs, na de last remaining guardians dem photograph for de request of then-Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud, den insyd 2015, na five per wey lef. Dem generally dey gbele am regardless of date anaa time, wey na dem close am to visitors once insyd modern times, as Ramadan approach during de COVID-19 pandemic insyd 2020.

## History

### Under Muhammad den de Rashidun (622–660 AD)

Na Muhammad build de mosque insyd 622 AD after ein arrival insyd Medina. Na he dey ride a camel dem call Qaswa, he arrive for de place wer na dem build dis mosque, wich na dem dey use am as a burial ground. Na he refuse make he accept de land as a gift from de two orphans, Sahl den Suhayl, wey own de land, na he buy de land wich na Abu Ayyub al-Ansari bia, wey e take seven months make dem plete de construction of de mosque. E measure . De roof wich na be supported by palm trunks dem make am of beaten clay den palm leaves. Na ebe for a height of . Na de three doors of de mosque be de *Bāb ar-Raḥmah* (بَاب ٱلرَّحْمَة, "Gate of de Mercy") to de south, *Bāb Jibrīl* (بَاب جِبْرِيْل, "Gate of Gabriel") to de west, den *Bāb an-Nisāʾ* (بَاب ٱلنِّسَاء, "Gate of de Women") to de east. For dis time point insyd de history of de mosque, na de wall of de *qiblah* dey face north to Jerusalem, wey na de Suffah dey along de northern wall. Insyd de year 7 AH, after de Battle of Khaybar, na dem expand de mosque to  for each side, wey na dem build three rows of columns beside de west wall, wich e cam turn de place of praying. Na de mosque remain unaltered during de reign of Abu Bakr.

Na Umar demolish all de houses around de mosque, except those of Muhammad ein wifeys, make he expand am. Na de new mosque ein dimensions cam turn . Na dem use sun-dried mud bricks take construct de walls of de enclosure. Besides strewing pebbles for de floor, na dem increse de roof ein height to . Umar construct three more gates for entrance. Na he sanso add *Al-Buṭayḥah* () for people make dem recite poetry.

De third Rashidun caliph Uthman demolish de mosque insyd 649. Na dem spend ten months insyd building de new rectangular shaped mosque wey na dem turn ein face towards de Kaaba insyd Mecca. Na de new mosque measure . De number of gates as well as dema names remain de same. Na dem make de enclosure of stones dem lay insyd mortar. Na dem replace de palm trunk columns by stone columns wich na dem join by iron clamps. Na dem use teakwood insyd reconstructing de ceiling filza.

## Architecture

De modern-day mosque dey situate for a rectangular plot wey ebe two stories tall. De Ottoman prayer hall, wich be de oldest part of de mosque, dey lie towards de south. E get a flat paved roof topped plus 27 sliding domes for square bases. Holes dem pierce into de base of each dome illuminate de interior wen dem close de domes. Dem dey close de sliding roof during de afternoon prayer (*Dhuhr*) make e protect de visitors. Wen de domes slide out for metal tracks make dem shade areas of de roof, dem dey create light wells give de prayer hall. For dese times, dem sanso dey shade de courtyard of de Ottoman mosque plus umbrellas dem affix to freestanding columns. Dem dey access de roof by stairs den escalators. Dem sanso dey use de paved area around de mosque for prayer, dem equip plus umbrella tents. Na de sliding domes den retractable umbrella-like canopies be designed by de German Muslim architect Mahmoud Bodo Rasch, ein firm SL Rasch GmbH, den Buro Happold.

### De Green Dome
De chamber adjacent to de *Rawdah* dey hold de tombs of Muhammad den two of ein companions den father-in-laws, Abu Bakr den Umar. Dem reserve a fourth grave give ʿĪsā (Jesus), as Muslims dey believe say he go return wey dem go bury am for de site. Dem cover de site by de Green Dome. Na dem construct am insyd 1817 CE during de reign of de Ottoman sultan Mahmud II wey he paint am green insyd 1837 CE.

### De Rawdah

*Ar-Rawḍah ash-Sharīfah* (Arabic: ٱلرَّوْضَة ٱلشَّرِيْفَة, lit. 'De Noble Garden') be an area between de *minbar* den de burial-chamber of Muhammad. Dem dey regard am as one of de *Riyāḍ al-Jannah* (Arabic: رِيَاض ٱلْجَنَّة, lit. 'Gardens of de Paradise'). Na dem use a green carpet take distinguish de area from de red carpet insyd de rest of de mosque, though now nu e sanso be green.

### Mihrabs

Der be two mihrabs anaa niches wey dey indicate de *qiblah* insyd de mosque, na Muhammad build one wey Uthman build anoda. De one wey de latter build be larger dan dat of Muhammad ein own, wey e dey act as de functional mihrab, whereas Muhammad ein mihrab be a "commemorative" mihrab. Besides de *mihrab*, de mosque sanso get oda niches wich act as indicators for praying. Dis dey include de *Miḥrāb Fāṭimah* (Arabic: مِحْرَاب فَاطِمَة) anaa *Miḥrāb at-Tahajjud* (Arabic: مِحْرَاب ٱلتَّهَجُّد), wich na ebe built by Muhammad for de late-night prayer.

### Minbars

Na de original *minbar* (مِنـۢبَر) wey Muhammad use be a block of date palm wood. Na he replace dis plus a tamarisk one, wich na e get dimensions of . Insyd 629 CE, na dem add a three staired ladder to am. Na Abu Bakr den Umar no use de third step as a sign of respect to Muhammad, buh Uthman place a fabric dome over am, wey dem cover de rest of de stairs plus ebony. Na Baybars I replace de *minbar*, by Shaykh al-Mahmudi insyd 1417, den by Qaitbay insyd 1483. Insyd 1590 na de Ottoman sultan Murad III replace am plus a marble *minbar*, while na dem move Qaytbay minbar to de Quba Mosque. As of 2013, dem still dey use de Ottoman minbar insyd de mosque.

### Minarets

Na dem construct de first recorded minarets, four in number, between 707 den 709 during de reign of al-Walid I. Na dem be 26 feet (7.9 m) high. Insyd 1307, na al-Nasir Muhammad add a minaret dem title *Bāb as-Salām* *Bāb as-Salām* (بَاب ٱلسَّلَام, "Gate of de Peace") wich na Mehmed IV renovate am. After de renovation project of 1994, na der be ten minarets wich na dem be 104 metres (341 ft) high. De minarets dema upper, middle, den bottom portions be cylindrical, octagonal, den square shaped respectively.

## Gallery

File:'Madinah Sharif' Indian token.jpg|An 18th century bronze token wey dey depict de original Mamluk era dome, wer de Green Dome dey stand today.
File:SaudiArabiaP25-100Riyals-(1984)-donatedth b.jpg|De mosque for de reverse side of a 1993 100-*Saudi riyal* paper bill. Dem use de Masjid an-Nabawi for de reverse of all 100-*riyal* notes insyd Saudi Arabia, plus de Green Dome for de obverse side.
File:Green Dome of Madinah.jpg|De Green Dome over Muhammad ein tomb, den de smaller silver dome next to am.
File:Masjid e Nabawi Interior 2.jpg|Interior of de new section
File:Masjid e Nabawi Interior.jpg|Inner courtyard
File:Masjid e Nabawi Courtyard Umbrellas.jpg|Courtyard
File:Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi umbrella.jpg|De umbrellas protect pilgrims from de harsh summer temperatures of Medina. De sanso attach fan spraying water to each umbrella pillar, make e keep de square den pilgrims alike cool.
File:Al-Masjid AL-Nabawi Door.jpg|Dem inscribe "Muhammad the Messenger of God"
File:Masjid Nabawi Library.jpg|De library for de mosque dey house chaw old manuscripts, books den dey specialize insyd de preservation of Islamic history.

## List of current den former Imams

### Current Imams

* Ali ibn Abdur-Rahman al Hudhaify — chief of imams for Prophet ein Mosque.
* Salah Al Budair — deputy chief of imams for de Prophet ein Mosque
* Abdulbari ath-Thubaity
* Ahmad bin Talib Hamid,
* Abdulmuhsen Al-Qasim,
* Abdullah bin Abdurahman al-Bu'ayjaan
* Ahmad bin Ali al-Hudhaify, son of Ali ibn Abdur-Rahman al Hudhaify
* Khalid al Muhanna
* Muhammad Burhaji, guest imam insyd Ramadan 2024, dem appoint am permanent imam insyd October 2024
* Abdullah Qarafi, dem appoint am insyd October 2024

### Former Imams

* Muhammad Ayyub
* Sa'ad al Ghamdi, *(for [[Tarawih]] only)*
* Ibrahim Akhdar
* Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani, now imam of Masjid al-Haram
* Abdul Wadood Hanif
* Emad Hafidh
* Hussain Aal Sheikh
* Mahmood al Qari
* Muhammad al Qari
## References


### Sources
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## Read further
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* Prophet's Mosque: mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia, in *Encyclopædia Britannica Online*, by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Brian Duignan, Kanchan Gupta, John M. Cunningham and Amy Tikkanen

## External links

**[http://mecca.net/masjid-al-nabawi-in-madinah-live-prayers/ Watch Live Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]*
**Detailed information on [http://islamicencyclopedia.org/public/index/topicDetail/id/644 Masjid Al-Nabawi الْمَسْجِد النَّبَوي]* Archived 2016-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
* *[http://jamiat.org.za/the-curious-tale-of-the-abyssinian-guardians-of-masjid-nabawi-saw/ The curious tale of the Abyssinian Guardians of Masjid Nabawi SAW]*
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20190501094045/https://www.spinattic.com/1481/12833 prophet muhammad's mosque 360º Virtual Tour]*