Advice for the Muslim

Quds (Jerusalem) to the Ka’ba in the month of Rajab in the next
year, the gate of the masjid on the Meccan side was closed and a
new gate on the opposite, that is, the Damascene side, was opened.
This gate is called ‘Bâb at-tawassul’ now. In Medina, salât was
performed towards Quds for about 16 months. In Mecca, salât had
been performed formerly towards the Ka’ba, and it had been
commanded to perform it towards Quds a little before the Hegira.
While the qibla of the masjid was changed, the direction of the
qibla was determined by Rasûlullâh’s seeing the Ka’ba with his
blessed eyes. The place where Rasûlullah performed salât is
between the minbar and the Hujrat as-Sa’âda, and it is closer to
the former. The copy of the Qur’ân al-karîm sent in a big wooden
box by Hajjâj to al-Madînat al-Munawwara was placed with this
box on the right side of the pillar which is in front of this place. The
first mihrâb was placed here by ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-’Azîz. After the
second fire, Masjid as-Sa’âda was repaired and the present marble
mihrâb was constructed in the year 888 A.H. But this marble
mihrâb was placed somewhat closer to the Hujrat as-Sa’âda.
Formerly, there was not a minbar in Masjid an-Nabî, and
Rasûlullah delivered the khutba standing, where a branch of a date
tree was erected later. And still later a minbar of four stairs was
made, and Rasûlullâh stood on the third stair. A curtain was hung
at the door of the minbar during the time of Hadrat Mu’âwiya.
During the time of the Prophet, there were eight pillars in Masjid
an-Nabî. At the times when the religious necessity for the
enlargement of the masjid was concluded, the number of pillars
added up to 327. At the Rawdat al-mutahhara, there are three
lines of pillars and in each line there are four pillars. Some of these
pillars are in the walls. The number of pillars in sight is 229. The
southern wall of the masjid faces the qibla. The bower where the
As’hâb as-suffa used to reside is outside the northern wall. In
order not to lose this blessed place by time, its base was raised half
a meter from the level, and a wooden fence of half a meter height
was put around it.
While Masjid ash-sharîf was being constructed, a room for each
of the two pure wives of the Prophet was constructed (next to the
masjid). The number of rooms became nine later on. Their ceiling
was one and a half meters high. They were on the east, north or
south of the masjid. Every room, including those of some Sahâbîs,
had two doors, one opening to the masjid and the other to the
street. Rasûlullâh (sall-Allahu ’Alaihi wa sallam) stayed mostly
at ’Â’isha’s (radî-Allâhu ’anhâ) room, whose door to the masjid
– 329 –