What is the name of the mosque in the medina. Muslim shrines: Prophet's Mosque in Medina (Masjid an-Nabi). The dome over the mosque was erected only in the thirteenth century

Masjid an-Nabawi mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina. It was built by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions immediately after the Hijra (migration) of Meccan Muslims to Medina. This mosque is the third shrine of Islam after the “Forbidden” Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca and the “Outmost” Mosque (Al-Aqsa) in Quds (Jerusalem), to which pilgrimage is permitted in Sharia law. After the Prophet Muhammad moved to Medina, he remained for some time in the suburbs of the city of Quba, where a mosque was built by his order. Then he left from there and arrived in Medina. There, many people began to invite him to their homes. However, the prophet refused and announced that he would stay in the house where his camel would stay. After that, he released the animal. Left without a rider, the camel walked some distance, stopped and sat on the ground near the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, where Muhammad stopped temporarily. The place where the camel stopped belonged to the Medinans Sahl and Suhail, who were ready to donate this land to the prophet. However, he did not agree and bought this territory from them for a symbolic sum of 10 dinars. The money was paid by Abu Bakr. After this, Muslims, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, began to build a mosque on this site, which was built in the shortest possible time. Due to the fact that the qibla originally faced Quds, the mihrab of the mosque was installed on the north side of the mosque. Six months later, after changing the direction of the qibla towards Mecca, the mihrab was installed on the south side of the building. A minbar was also installed in the mosque, from which the prophet read sermons to the people. However, the dome of the structure was missing. After completion of construction, the Prophet Muhammad settled in this mosque. On its eastern side two rooms were built for his wives Aisha and Sauda. However, these rooms remained outside the main building. Also, near the mosque, a place called Suffa was established, where needy Muslims and travelers gathered for prayers and teaching the basics of religion (See Ashab al-Suffa). The number of rooms belonging to the prophet was initially seven, then they became nine. The Medina mosque had exceptional social significance in the life of the early Muslim community. It turned into a social and educational center in which all everyday, economic and political problems of Muslims were solved. From here, the Prophet Muhammad ruled the state, received various ambassadorial delegations,, together with his companions, solved military problems, created the legal mechanism of society, and taught the people the Koran. In addition to him, the Koran was taught here, as well as Arabic writing and grammar by his other educated companions. After the conquest of Khaybar in 628, the Prophet Muhammad ordered the expansion of the mosque's territory. And after his death in 632, he was buried in the room of his wife Aisha. There, next to him, the first Righteous Caliphs - Abu Bakr and Omar - were buried. During the reign of the second Righteous Caliph Omar, the mosque was further expanded. The first thorough reconstruction of the mosque was carried out during the reign of the third Righteous Caliph Osman in 650. The weak brick walls of the structure were replaced with solid stone ones. A dome was built and columns were added to support it. During the period of the Umayyad governorship of Omar ibn Abd al-Aziz in 707-711, the Prophet's Mosque was rebuilt and expanded so much that the rooms of the prophet's wives were inside the building. Due to the fact that Muhammad's grave was located in Aisha's room, only part of it was brought inside the mosque. The walls, structures and columns were built of stone and brick and lined with marble. At the same time, the first four minarets of the Prophet’s Mosque were built. In 778-781, the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi carried out another reconstruction of the mosque, significantly expanding it to the north. Similar work was carried out in 817 during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun. In 1180, Caliph an-Nasir built a special room on the territory of the mosque, where he collected clothes and household items preserved from the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. In 1256, during the reign of the last Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim, due to the fault of one of the servants, a major fire occurred in the mosque. The fire destroyed almost the entire building. The following year, the Caliph ordered the urgent restoration of the mosque. In the same year, he sent the best craftsmen and architects to Medina who restored the prophet's mosque. The ruler of Yemen, Muzaffar, and the ruler of Egypt, Nur ad-Din Ali ibn Muiz, also took part in this matter. Instead of the prophet's minbar that burned down in the fire, a new minbar made in Yemen was installed there. However, the repair work was not completed due to the invasion of Baghdad by the Mongol-Tatars, who destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate. They were continued and completed only in 1295 on the initiative of the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt Baybars. He ordered a new minbar to be brought from Egypt, with which he replaced the previous one. The second major fire occurred in the Prophet's Mosque in 1481, when one of the minarets was struck by lightning. From there the fire spread throughout the building. After this, the mosque was restored by the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt Ashraf Qaytabay, who sent the best craftsmen to Medina. At the same time, the Mahmudiyya madrasah was built near the mosque. During the reign of the Ottoman Sultans, the Prophet's Mosque was repaired several times. However, the most fundamental work was carried out by Sultan Abd al-Majid in the years 1849-1861, when the building was actually rebuilt in parts. That is, the old walls were replaced by new, more fundamental ones. The last fundamental restoration work on the mosque was carried out by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 1953.

Built by the Messenger of Allah (saw) himself, Masjid an-Nabi is generally recognized as the second most important mosque in the Muslim world.

Its special status is emphasized, first of all, by the fact that the prayers in it are many times superior to the prayers in other “Houses of Allah”. In addition, near it is the burial place of Muhammad (s.g.w.), as well as his closest companions - Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (r.a.) and Umar ibn Khattab (r.a.).

History of the Medina mosque

It was built after Mecca to Medina. This plot of land originally belonged to two orphans.

After the fulfillment of the Hijra by the Prophet (s.g.w.), every Ansar wanted Muhammad (s.g.w.) to settle in his house. Realizing this, the Grace of the Worlds (s.g.v.) said the words: “Make way for my camel, as she follows the path that Allah commands her.” After some time, the camel approached a stall owned by two orphans. And then God’s Messenger (s.g.v.) set out to redeem this place. Having learned about this, the young men declared that they wanted to give it to the Prophet (s.a.w.). However, he refused to accept such a gift and paid them 10 dinars (the hadith is given in the code of Bukhari).

Subsequently, the first mosque in Medina was built on this very spot - Masjid an-Nabi, built at the behest of the Prophet (s.a.w.). After its construction, it was repeatedly expanded by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) himself, as well as during the reigns of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (r.a.). In a later period, the Prophet's Mosque was reconstructed during the reign of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. In 1256, a major fire occurred here, engulfing all the premises and causing great damage. The restoration of the temple immediately began, and the mosque acquired its new appearance.

After the conquest of Medina by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I the Terrible, a new era began in the history of Arabia, and the Prophet's Mosque was no exception. Turkish rulers paid enormous attention to Masjid an-Nabi, thanks to which it acquired its modern appearance.

Today it is already a large complex with a total area of ​​360 thousand square kilometers. There are 10 minarets on its territory. Every year during the Hajj the mosque accommodates up to a million believers.

Attractions Masjid an-Nabi

1. Rauda

The name of this place translated means “Garden of Eden.” Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said: “Between the house and the minbar is ar-Rauda - one of the gardens of Paradise” (Bukhari, Muslim). Muslim theologians comment on this hadith in different ways, but they all agree that this place carries grace. Some argue that a believer who performs namaz on Rauda experiences special inner harmony and peace. Others believe that prayer itself in a given place can lead to the Gardens of Eden. Still others put forward the version that Rauda in another world will become one of the heavenly places.

A well-known landmark is the burial place of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), as well as the first two righteous caliphs - Abu Bakr (r.a.) and Umar (r.a.). During the time of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), his house was located with a mosque. However, due to the constant expansion of Masjid an-Nabi, the grave of the Prophet (s.a.w.) ended up on the territory of the complex.

The burial sites are surrounded by two walls. This is to ensure that Muslims do not mistake graves for places of worship and do not perform prayers there. When visiting a mosque, believers greet God's Messenger (s.g.w.) and offer dua for him.

3. House of Ali ibn Abu Talib and Fatima al-Zahra (r.a.)

Also on the territory of Masjid an-Nabi, over time, there was also a house in which Fatima (r.a.) and his son-in-law, the fourth righteous caliph Ali (r.a.), lived.

4. Great Islamic Library

The mosque houses a large collection of rare books on Islamic history, law, doctrine and tawhid. Unfortunately, many copies were lost during the fire of 1256, but, nevertheless, some were still saved.

Advantages of the Prophet's Mosque

  • Great reward for prayer. The prayer in Masjid al-Nabi is 1000 times greater than that offered in any other mosque except the Sacred Mosque. This is indicated by the hadith cited in their collections by Bukhari and Muslim. Those. for one fard prayer in the Mosque of the Prophet (s.a.w.), which will take us no more than 15 minutes, we can receive the reward of six months of regular collective prayer.
  • Mosque of Piety. One day a believer asked the Prophet (s.a.w.) a question about which mosque is based on piety. And he replied: “This is the mosque of Medina!” (Muslim).
  • A place to gain knowledge. It is believed that a believer will receive additional benefits if he visits Masjid al-Nabi to receive education. One of the hadiths cited by Albani says: “Whoever visited this mosque to gain knowledge or teach others is like one who fights in the path of God.”

Basic moments

It is believed that the first temple on this site appeared during the lifetime of the prophet - the building was founded in 622. The Prophet's Mosque has an open rectangular courtyard and corner minarets. It is noteworthy that this planning principle was subsequently used for all Muslim temples that began to be built throughout the world.

The prophet's grave is located under the Green Dome. The exact date of construction of this part of the mosque is not known, but mention of the dome can be found in old manuscripts from the 12th century. In addition to the tomb of Muhammad, the Prophet's Mosque contains the burials of the first two Muslim caliphs - Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab. It is curious that the dome acquired green color 150 years ago, and before that it changed colors several times and was white, purple and blue.

The Prophet's Mosque has always played an extremely important role in the life of the Muslim community. As is customary in Islam, religious ceremonies were regularly performed here. Students were taught in the temple, the court functioned, and public meetings and holidays were held.

Each new ruler considered it his duty to make his contribution to the expansion and improvement of the shrine. In 1910, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to use electric lighting. The last large-scale reconstruction of the mosque was carried out with funds from the Saudi Arabian government in 1953.

Today Masjid an-Nabawi is a functioning Muslim mosque and a place of mass pilgrimage for adherents of Islam from all over the world. Muslims believe that a prayer said here is worth 1,000 prayers performed in other places. At the same time, up to 600 thousand believers can be inside the Prophet’s Mosque, and during the Hajj their number reaches 1 million people. It should be borne in mind that only Muslims can visit the mosque.

Architecture Features

The current size of the Prophet's Mosque exceeds the original structure by about a hundred times. Today, Masjid al-Nabawi occupies an even larger area than the entire Old City of Medina.

The huge mosque is a real masterpiece of engineering. It has 10 minarets, the height of which reaches 105 meters. The floors and walls of the architectural monument are decorated with multi-colored marble. Today, the complex includes 27 prayer halls-courtyards, each of which is covered with a sliding dome. All of them are equipped with automatic control systems, and the opening of the domes occurs almost silently.

The territory of the Prophet's Mosque can be reached through 89 entrances. It is equipped with an unusual grid air conditioning system. Special metal gratings are inserted into the rectangular bases of thousands of columns. Cool air comes here from an air conditioning station located 7 km from the mosque, so even on the hottest day it is never hot inside.

In the evenings, the Prophet's Mosque is beautifully illuminated. The four historical minarets that stand at the corners of Masjid an-Nabawi are brighter than others.

How to get there

The Prophet's Mosque is located in the center of Medina. Special buses carry pilgrims from Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz and Yanbu airports to the city center.

The Prophet's Mosque in the Radiant Medina can, without a doubt, be called one of the “wonders of the world.” It is the second largest Islamic place of worship in the world, and deserves to be called one of the masterpieces of architecture in terms of aesthetics.

The mosque was founded by the Prophet himself, shortly after the Hijra to Medina in 622 AD. The first mosque was a kind of open veranda with a canopy of palm leaves, in the middle of which there was a raised platform for reading the Koran. The structure was rectangular with sides 30x35 meters and a height of more than two meters with three doors called “bab-ar-Rahman”. Wab Jibril and Bab an-Nisa. Inside there was also a raised platform known as a suffa. It is still here, just outside the fence of the Prophet’s grave. In those years, a group of companions of the Prophet was formed who devoted themselves exclusively to the study of Islam and the prophetic tradition, spent all their time with the Prophet and subsequently spread Islam. They gathered for their meetings, sitting on the “suffa.” The members of this peculiar brotherhood did not even have families, and if one of them acquired one, then, according to an unspoken rule, he had to leave this jamaat. Among the “sahaba of the suffah” was the famous transmitter of hadiths Abu Hurayrah, who knew about 8 thousand of these edifying stories. The others probably knew no less.

Seven years later, the mosque's area had doubled, and the roof had risen to 3.5 meters, supported by 35 wooden columns. During the time of the righteous caliph Umar bin Khattab, the area of ​​the mosque increased to 3500 sq.m., and the number of columns also increased.

In the center of the Prophet’s Mosque there is a very small but very significant place called “Riyadh al-Janna” (Garden of Eden). It extends from the Prophet's tomb (“rawdah”) to his minbar. Pilgrims certainly try to enter the boundaries of this place - after all, according to tradition, it is considered part of paradise here on Earth. Abu Hurayrah reports in one of the hadiths: “The place between my house and my minbar is one of the heavenly gardens. He who prays and reads the Quran here receives blessings as if he were praying in the gardens of paradise.”

Under Caliph Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik from the Umayyad dynasty (707-715), the structure of the building was completely changed and expanded, which also included the tomb of the Prophet. Now the mosque occupied an area of ​​84X100 sq.m., had a stone foundation, and the roof was supported by stone columns. 4 minarets were also attached to the building. The Abbasid Caliph Mahdi further expanded the area of ​​the mosque by adding twenty new doors, eight each on the east and west sides and four on the north.

During the Ottoman Empire, under Sultan Abdul Majid, the Prophet's Mosque was completely reconstructed. The area of ​​the prayer hall was doubled, expanding to the south and including a new mihrab for the imam. The wall indicating the qibla was inlaid with glazed calligraphic quotations from the Koran. Also, the floor of the mosque was covered with granite and marble, and another, fifth minaret, called “al-Majidiyya,” was added to the west.

King Abdul Aziz (1932-1953) ordered the demolition of the buildings around the mosque to make way for the construction of new wings to the east and west of the prayer hall, which were based on a system of concrete columns and pointed arches. The structure's older columns were reinforced with concrete and reinforced with copper rings at the top. Two open courtyards were formed in the extensions, over which a mechanically controlled Teflon covering later appeared. The courtyards have terraces fenced off by columns in the eastern and western parts, the upper part of the columns is covered with golden paint, and, when illuminated by electric bulbs, a wonderful effect is created.

A library was attached to the western wall of the mosque, storing unique manuscripts of the Koran and other historical books. Two more minarets appeared on the north-eastern and north-western sides.

A master plan to significantly expand the mosque was adopted under King Fahd in 1985.

This grand expansion began to the north of the old Ottoman mosque, expanding the entire structure in a western and eastern direction. Another grandiose architectural decision was the new entrances with escalators on the east and west sides. In total, the mosque expanded by 400,327 sq.m. Thus, after expansion in the northern, eastern and western directions, the mosque can accommodate up to 1 million believers at the same time.

The mosque is a real masterpiece of architecture and engineering. The rectangular bases of its thousands of columns contain iron bars. The column system is connected to an air conditioning station located 7 km away. from the mosque. The columns seem to “radiate” cold air, and this allows you to maintain coolness inside the mosque even in the hottest months. The floors and walls of the mosque are decorated with marble and multi-colored stones.

Today, the mosque complex includes 27 main platforms, each of which is covered with an opening moving dome, and the moment of their opening or closing does not create any noise.

Medina (Madinat An-Nabiy, Madina Munauwarra) is the current name of one of the cities in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula, which used to be called Yathrib.

The city owes its worldwide fame to the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, moved to it from Mecca, laying the foundation of the modern Islamic Ummah (Community), uniting those Muslims who moved to Medina (muhajirs) with those believers who lived in this city (Ansars). In difficult times, the Ansars received their fellow believers from Mecca, providing them with selfless help, wanting only to receive benefit in the next world. In Medina, the Prophet Mukhammad, peace be upon him, lived for 10 years, calling people to Monotheism. Many responded to His call. The Messenger of Allah also died in Medina, at the age of 63, and He was buried in this city.

The Prophet's Mosque was built as soon as the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon Him, moved from Mecca to Medina. When He died, He was buried in the room of His wife, ‘Aisha, daughter of Abu Bakr.

The first expansion of the mosque was carried out during the time of Caliph ‘Umar ibn Al-Khatt aba, who annexed part of the land from the northern side to the mosque and built it up. Caliph Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik expanded and rebuilt the mosque, introducing new architectural elements such as balconies, minarets, niches (mihrabs). During the life of the Prophet Mukhammad, peace be upon him, no minarets were built. Therefore, this is considered an innovation that has been approved by the Shari'ah (bida' x asana). At the same time, the rooms of the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, were attached to the mosque. The mosque underwent dramatic architectural changes during the reign of Sultan Mahmuda II.

A large green dome made of lead was built over the room of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Ottoman Sultan ‘Abd Al-Majid I completely rebuilt the mosque with the exception of the room of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Currently, ten minarets rise near the mosque, six of which, 99 meters high, were recently built. The mosque has 2,104 columns, which form a series of galleries and courtyards. Above it there are 27 domes, forming 27 open courtyards. The dome opens automatically, allowing the room to be ventilated in good weather. All buildings of the mosque were built in the Islamic architectural style, giving the mosque a unique oriental flavor. The finishing of the new buildings is done in such a way as to preserve as much as possible the appearance of the mosque, characteristic of the first expansion of the building. Windows, railings and doors are decorated with subtle, intricate patterns that match the marble of the most exquisite shades. All this gives the mosque of the Prophet, peace be upon him, a particularly solemn appearance.

 

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