(1st year of the Hijrah / AD 622)

When the Honorable Messenger honored Medina with his coming, the city was lacking a place where they could perform salah together, and gather together to discuss their issues. They needed a mosque which would be a center for these important duties.

The first thing the Prophet started in Medina was to build this mosque.

When they entered the city for the first time, the Prophet’s camel kneeled down in a plot where two orphans named Sahl and Suhayl, from the Sons of Najjar tribe, dried dates. These two orphans were under protection of Muadh bin Afra, who was a Medina Muslim. The Honorable Messenger told Hazrat Muadh that he wanted to purchase this plot.

                         

                                                     Masjid an-Nabawi

However, this renunciant companion said that he wanted to donate the price of the plot, in order to have this distinct honor, to two orphans under his protection.

However, the Prophet declined it. Then, he sent for the two orphans, who were the owners of the plot, and asked them the price of the plot. Two young orphans said: O Messenger of Allah! We can only ask its price from Allah! We shall give it to you for the sake of Allah!”

The Honorable Messenger did not accept this proposal of the orphans, either and purchased the plot for ten shekels of gold, which was its price. Hazrat Abu Bakr paid this price to them right away as the Honorable Messenger told him to do so. (1)

The plot was cleaned up by self-sacrificing Companions in a short time, and with the order of the Messenger of Allah, adobe bricks were made.

Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman and Hazrat Ali were present there when the Honorable Messenger was about to lay the foundations of the mosque.

A Muslim who was passing by asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Are there only those few people with you?”

The Prophet said in response: “They are the ones who will manage after me.” Following him, Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman and Hazrat Ali put down a stone in the base in this order. Therefore, in addition to the foundations of the Masjid an-Nabawi, the foundation of four caliphs era was also laid metaphorically.

The Prophet worked in building of the mosque actively without having a rest. While carrying adobe bricks in his blessed hands, he was also saying the following words, in order to cheer up and encourage Muslims:

 

This load we are carrying, o Lord!

More decent and purer than Khaibar’s load!

O Lord! Blessings, yet otherworldly blessings!

May Thou mercy the Ansar and immigrants!  (2)

 

Masjid an-Nabawi was built in a short time as a result of non-stop working. This divine temple, which was made of four adobe brick walls, free from all kinds of ornamentation, did not have a roof. Its qiblah was towards Jerusalem, as the Kaaba was not appointed to be the qiblah at that time. It was tetragonal in shape and had three gates and a mihrab. Date tree trunks were put in line in place of mihrab. There was no mimbar. Only was there a date log which the Messenger of Allah leant on while reciting sermons. Later, a mimbar with three steps was built as the Companions wished to do so. (3) Masjid an-Nabawi took its final shape, having gone through restorations at various times.

Masjid an-Nabawi was used not only for collective praying but also for meeting religious needs of Muslim population. Moreover, lessons were taught in the mosque and, messengers and tribe chiefs were received (as it will be seen later) there.

Rooms for the Prophet’s Wives are Built

Two rooms, one for Hazrat Sawda and one for Hazrat Aisha, were built of brick next to Masjid an-Nabawi. The top of the rooms were covered with date logs and branches. Later, more rooms were built when the Prophet married other wives. Four rooms were made of brick and the other five were made of stone. Their roofs were made of date branches.

The Prophet moved into the rooms built next to Masjid an-Nabawi from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s house, after they were built. (4)

HANIN AL-JIZZ MIRACLE

Masjid an-Nabawi did not have a mimbar when it was first built. The Honorable Messenger used to lean on a date tree log when he recited a sermon.

This continued for a long time. Later, a mimbar with three steps was built as the companions wanted. From then on, the Prophet started to give talks on this mimbar.

When the Honorable Messenger got on the mimbar for the first time to recite the sermon, a sorrowful sound and crying resembling the crying of a pregnant camel was heard. They looked around but there was neither a pregnant camel nor a camel cub. It was that deadwood crying!

Both the Prophet and his companions heard the log crying like a camel. It would not stop crying. The Prophet climbed down the mimbar and went up to it. When he put his hand on it to console, it stopped. Even the companions who heard the date log crying like a camel could not help but burst into tears.

Yes, the deadwood log was crying because it was away from the Messenger of Allah. It was weeping like a pregnant camel because it was deprived of the dhikr which was said on it.

After consoling the deadwood log, the Honorable Messenger turned to his Companions and said: “If I did not embrace and console it, it would continue crying until the end of time because it was separated from the Messenger of Allah. (5)

The log was buried in a hole dug under the mimbar, by the order of the Honorable Messenger. Later, Ubay bin Ka’b brought it home and kept it until it decayed, when the mosque was pulled down to restore in Hazrat Uthman’s era. (6)

It was a bright miracle of the Messenger of Allah that the dead date log cried before the eyes of the community. Yes, just like the Jinn and the humankind recognize the greatest Prophet, deadwoods too recognize him, know his duty and uphold his cause in their own way.

What did Hassan al-Basri say?

While narrating this miracle to his students, Hazrat Hassan al-Basri used to say in tears:

“Wood shows affection and aspiration for the Honorable Messenger! You are much worthier of showing affection and aspiration for the Messenger!” (7)

Would we not be lower in rank than that deadwood if we the conscious and intelligent beings behaved in a carefree way towards the Prophet while dead, dry woods showed him affection and aspiration?

It is only possible to show him affection and aspiration through abiding by his sunnah.

Another Narration

According to another narration, when the deadwood cried, the Honorable Messenger put his hand on it and said: “I shall send you to the garden where you were before if you like, there you will take root again and refresh with leaves and fruits. And if you like, I shall plant you in Heaven so that dearest slaves of Allah will eat your fruits.

The deadwood said:

“Plant me in Heaven so that Allah’s dearest slaves will eat my fruits. And Heaven is such place that there is no decaying there; let me live forever!”

Upon this, the Honorable Messenger stated that he made its wish come true and then he turned to his Companions and said:

“It preferred the everlasting world to the mortal world!” (8)

 

1. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 239.

2. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 142; İbn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 210.

3. Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 240.

4.Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 143.

5. Badiüzzaman Said Nursi, Mektûbat, p. 134.

6. Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 252.

7. Badiüzzaman Said, Nursi, ibid, p. 135.

8. Badiüzzaman Said Nursi, ibid, p. 135.