Documents of the Right Word

the second year. It was roofed with branches and leaves of date. It
had three entrances. The Mihrâb was at the place where the
(entrance called) Bâb-i-Tawassul is today. The jamâ’at would go in
and out through the entrance where the Mihrâb stands today. The
depth of the foundation was three arshins [one and a half metres],
the same size as the thickness of the walls. The foundation was laid
with stones and the walls were built with sun-dried bricks. The
mosque was a hundred arshin long and wide, and seven arshins
tall. He (the Prophet) placed the first foundation stone with his
blessed hands. Then he ordered hadrat Abû Bekr, ’Umar,
’Uthmân and Alî each to put a stone by this stone, respectively.
When he was asked the reason why, he stated, “This is to signify
the order of their caliphates!” On the right and left hand sides of
the mosque nine additional rooms were made for his blessed
wives. The room which was nearest the mosque was alotted to
hadrat Âisha.
From the month of Safer till the time of his passing away, the
beloved Messenger of Allah performed all his prayers of namâz in
jamâ’at in this mosque whenever he stayed in Medîna. Despite the
apparent fact that Rasûlullah and his As-hâb performed namâz in
the abovenamed mosques, these communists assert that “Salât
means prayer. Islam does not contain any commandment
pertaining to the performance of namâz.” It is such a consternating
assertion.
The hundred and twenty-fifth âyat of Baqara sûra purports,
“Perform namâz at the place called Maqâm-i-Ibrâhîm in the
Mesjîd-i-harâm! We have ordered Ibrâhîm and Ismâ’îl to ‘Clean
My Home for those who visit it and who make rukû’ (in it) and
who sit (in it) and who make sajda in it!’ ” In this âyat-i-kerîma
Allâhu ta’âlâ calls Ka’ba ‘My Home.’ For this reason, Ka’ba is
called ‘Baytullah’ (the Home of Allah). And in Hûd sûra Allâhu
ta’âlâ calls Sâlih’s ‘alaihis-salâm’ camel ‘Nâqatullah’ (the Camel of
Allah). These namings do not come to mean that Allâhu ta’âlâ is
in Ka’ba or that the Camel is with Him. Even an ignorant idiot
would not infer such stupid meanings. Like Ka’ba, all mosques are
called Beytullah. This designation is intended to point out the
value and honour of mosques.
The thirty-sixth âyat of Nûr sûra purports, “Allâhu ta’âlâ has
commanded that some homes be valued highly. He commanded
that His Name be mentioned in these highly valued homes.
Tesbîh of Allâhu ta’âlâ is made in these places in the morning and
in the evening.” On the other hand, in an âyat-i-kerîma which we
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