Prophet's Mosque
Prophet's Mosque | |
---|---|
Al-Masjid An-Nabawī (ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلنَّبَوِي) | |
AH) | |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 1,000,000[1] |
Minaret(s) | 10 |
Minaret height | 105 m (344 ft) |
Inscriptions | Verses from the Quran and the names of Allah and Muhammad |
Website | |
wmn |
The Prophet's Mosque (
Originally an open-air building, the mosque served as a
In 1909, under the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, it became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to be provided with electrical lights.[6] From the 14th century, the mosque was guarded by eunuchs, the last remaining guardians were photographed at the request of then-Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud, and in 2015, only five were left.[7][8] It is generally open regardless of date or time, and has only been closed to visitors once in modern times, as Ramadan approached during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[9]
History
Under Muhammad and the Rashidun (622–660 AD)
The mosque was built by Muhammad in 622 AD after his arrival in Medina.[10] Riding a camel called Qaswa, he arrived at the place where this mosque was built, which was being used as a burial ground.[11] Refusing to accept the land as a gift from the two orphans, Sahl and Suhayl, who owned the land, he bought the land which was paid for by Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, and it took seven months to complete the construction of the mosque. It measured 30.5 m × 35.62 m (100.1 ft × 116.9 ft).[11] The roof which was supported by palm trunks was made of beaten clay and palm leaves. It was at a height of 3.60 m (11.8 ft). The three doors of the mosque were the Bāb ar-Raḥmah (بَاب ٱلرَّحْمَة, "Gate of the Mercy") to the south, Bāb Jibrīl (بَاب جِبْرِيْل, "Gate of Gabriel") to the west, and Bāb an-Nisāʾ (بَاب ٱلنِّسَاء, "Gate of the Women") to the east.[11] At this time point in the history of the mosque, the wall of the qiblah was facing north to Jerusalem, and the Suffah was along the northern wall. In the year 7 AH, after the Battle of Khaybar, the mosque was expanded[12] to 47.32 m (155.2 ft) on each side, and three rows of columns were built beside the west wall, which became the place of praying.[13] The mosque remained unaltered during the reign of Abu Bakr.[13]
Umar demolished all the houses around the mosque, except those of
The third Rashidun caliph
Under subsequent Islamic states (660–1517)
In 706 or 707, the
It took three years for the work to be completed. Raw materials were procured from the
The
Ottoman period (1517–1805 & 1840–1919)
Sultan
In 1817, Sultan
The entire mosque was reorganized except for the tomb of Muhammad, the three altars, the pulpit and the Suleymaniye minaret. On the walls, verses from the
Saudi insurgency (1805–1811)
When
Saudi rule and modern history (1925–present)
The Saudi takeover was characterized by events similar to those that took place in 1805, when the Prince Mohammed ibn Abdulaziz retook the city on 5 December 1925.
In 1974, King Faisal added 40,440 m2 (435,300 sq ft) to the mosque.[39] The area of the mosque was also expanded during the reign of King Fahd in 1985. Bulldozers were used to demolish buildings around the mosque.[40] In 1992, when it was completed, the mosque took over 160,000 m2 (1,700,000 sq ft) of space. Escalators and 27 courtyards were among the additions to the mosque.[41] A $6 billion project to increase the area of the mosque was announced in September 2012. After completion, the mosque should accommodate between 1.6 million to 2 million worshippers.[39] In March of the following year, the Saudi Gazette reported that demolition work had been mostly complete, including the demolition of ten hotels on the eastern side, in addition to houses and other utilities.[42]
Architecture
The modern-day mosque is situated on a rectangular plot and is two stories tall. The
The Green Dome
The chamber adjacent to the Rawdah holds the tombs of Muhammad and two of his companions and father-in-laws, Abu Bakr and Umar. A fourth grave is reserved for ʿĪsā (Jesus), as Muslims believe that he will return and will be buried at the site. The site is covered by the Green Dome. It was constructed in 1817 CE during the reign of the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II and painted green in 1837 CE.[4]
The Rawdah
Ar-Rawḍah ash-Sharīfah (
was used to distinguish the area from the red carpet used in the rest of the mosque, though it is now also green.Mihrabs
There are two
Minbars
The original minbar (مِنـۢبَر) used by Muhammad was a block of
Minarets
The first
Imams
The following is a list of the Prophet's mosque imams as of April 2024:[50]
- Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais (as President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques)
- Ali ibn Abdur-Rahman al Hudhaify (as Lead Imam of the mosque)
- Abdullah Al Bu'ayjaan
- Salaah Al Budair
- Ahmed Taleb Hameed
- Ahmed Ali Al Hudhaify
- Abdul Muhsin Al Qasim
Gallery
-
An 18th century bronze token depicting the original Mamluk era dome, where the Green Dome stands today.
-
The mosque on the reverse side of a 1993 100-riyal paper bill. The Masjid an-Nabawi is used on the reverse of all 100-riyal notes in Saudi Arabia, with the Green Dome on the obverse side.
-
The Green Dome over Muhammad's tomb, and the smaller silver dome next to it.
-
Interior of the new section
-
Inner courtyard
-
Courtyard
-
The umbrellas protect pilgrims from the harsh summer temperatures of Medina. Fans spraying water are also attached to each umbrella pillar, to keep the square and pilgrims alike cool.
-
"Muhammad the Messenger of God" inscribed on the gates of the mosque.
-
The library at the mosque houses several oldIslamic history.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ "WMN". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-307-47290-8)
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ "Masjid-e-Nabwi - IslamicLandmarks.com". IslamicLandmarks.com. 29 March 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Ariffin 2005, pp. 88–89, 109
- ISBN 978-0-203-20387-3.
- ^ "The History of Electrical lights in the Arabian Peninsula". Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Portrait of Saeed Adam Omar". The British Museum. 2014. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ "'The Guardians' at Leighton House Museum". The Park Gallery. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ Farrell, Marwa Rashad, Stephen (24 April 2020). "Islam's holiest sites emptied by coronavirus crisis as Ramadan begins". Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Prophet's Mosque [Al-Masjid An-Nabawi]". Islam Web. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Ariffin 2005, p. 49.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 50.
- ^ a b Ariffin 2005, p. 51.
- ISBN 978-81-7435-329-0.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 54.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 55.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 56.
- ^ a b c Hillenbrand 1994, p. 73.
- ^ Munt 2014, p. 106.
- ISBN 978-1-137-29789-1.
- ^ a b Bacharach 1996, p. 35.
- ^ a b Ariffin 2005, p. 62.
- ^ Kennedy 2002, p. 127.
- ^ Munt 2014, pp. 106–108.
- ^ Munt 2014, p. 116.
- ^ Munt 2014, p. 118.
- ISBN 978-0-19-507101-6.
- ISBN 978-0-9624483-0-0.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 64.
- ^ a b Ariffin 2005, p. 65.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-470-18257-4.
- ISBN 978-90-04-14442-2.
- ISBN 90-04-12756-9.
- ^ "History of the Cemetery Of Jannat Al-Baqi". Al-Islam.org. 23 December 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-470-18257-4.
- ISBN 978-0-275-98734-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8078-5577-5.
- ^ "New expansion of Prophet's Mosque ordered by king". Arab News. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Prophet's Mosque to accommodate two million worshippers after expansion". Arab News. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah (3 of 8)". King Fahd Abdulaziz. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Expansion of the two Holy Mosques". Saudi Embassy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Prophet's Mosque to house 1.6m after expansion". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ISBN 3-930698-66-8
- ^ "Archnet". archnet.org.
- ^ MakMax (Taiyo Kogyo Group). "Large scale umbrellas (250 units) completed, covering the pilgrims worldwide with membrane architecture : MakMax". makmax.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ISBN 0-419-24060-8.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ^ Malik ibn Anas. "14.5.11". Muwatta Imam Malik.
- ^ Ariffin 2005, p. 57.
- ^ a b c "The Prophet's Mosque". Last Prophet. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "جدول صلاتيّ التراويح والتهجد في المسجد النبوي في شهر رمضان 1445" [Schedule of Taraweeh and Tahajjud Prayers in the Prohpets Mosque in Ramadhan 1445]. Ajel (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-17.
Sources
- Ariffin, Syed Ahmad Iskandar Syed (2005). Architectural Conservation in Islam : Case Study of the Prophet's Mosque. Penerbit UTM. ISBN 978-983-52-0373-2.
- ISBN 90-04-10633-2.
- Hillenbrand, Robert (1994). Islamic Architecture: Form, Function and Meaning. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10132-5.
- Kennedy, H. (2002). "al-Walīd (I)". In ISBN 978-90-04-12756-2.
- Munt, Harry (31 July 2014). The Holy City of Medina: Sacred Space in Early Islamic Arabia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-04213-1.
Further reading
- Fahd, Salem Bahmmam (30 January 2014). Pilgrimage in Islam: A description and explanation of the fifth pillar of Islam. Modern Guide, 2014. ISBN 978-1-78338-174-6.
- Hasrat Muhammad the Prophet of Islam. Adam Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7435-582-9.
- Muhammad, Asad (1954). The Road To Mecca. The Book Foundation, 1954. ISBN 978-0-9927981-0-9.
- Sir, Richard Francis Burton (January 1964). Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah, Volume 2. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-21218-0.
- 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