Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons
Prophet's Mosque
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (المسجد النبوي)
Also known as: Masjid al-Nabawi, Mosque of the Prophet
Religions: Islam | Place Type: Mosque | Region: Middle East
Overview
The Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) is located in Medina, Saudi Arabia. It was built by Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in 622 CE on the site of his home, and later became his final resting place. Muslims regard it as the second holiest site in Islam, after the Great Mosque of Mecca. The mosque is in daily use for prayer and draws millions of pilgrims each year, many combining their visit with the yearly Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Present
The Prophet's Mosque is managed by the General Authority for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, a Saudi state body that also oversees the Great Mosque of Mecca and answers to the King of Saudi Arabia, who holds the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The mosque holds the five daily Muslim prayers and Friday congregational prayers, and receives pilgrims throughout the year, with numbers rising sharply during the Hajj season and the month of Ramadan. Entry to the mosque is restricted to Muslims.
Religious Significance
The Prophet's Mosque was built by Prophet Muhammad after he fled from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. This event, called the Hijra (migration), was so impactful that it marked the year one for the Islamic Lunar Calendar (known as the Hijra calendar). Muslims venerate the mosque as the burial place of Muhammad, regarded in Islam as the last prophet God sent to humanity. They believe that prayer offered at the mosque carries far greater reward than elsewhere. The Prophet's Mosque is one of only three mosques Islamic tradition singles out for the purpose of earning a higher spiritual reward in worship, alongside the Great Mosque of Mecca and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. At its heart is the Rawdah, the area between Muhammad's tomb and his pulpit, which Muslims regard as a garden of Paradise.
History & Structure
The Prophet's Mosque was constructed in 622 CE and became the religious, political, and social heart of the newly formed Muslim society. Successive rulers extended and rebuilt it over the centuries. Prophet Muhammad's tomb was brought inside the mosque walls in the early 8th century CE. A dome was raised over the tomb in the 13th century and given its green colour in the 19th century. From the 1930s the Saudi state enlarged the prayer areas and surrounding courtyards to accommodate hundreds of thousands of worshippers.