- Where
- The centre of Madinah, Saudi Arabia
- Built
- 1 AH (622 CE), on the Prophet's ﷺ arrival
- Holds
- The Rawdah, the chamber of the grave under the green dome, the minbar
- Near
- Al-Baqi to the east
What Masjid an-Nabawi is
Masjid an-Nabawi (الْمَسْجِد النَّبَوِي), the Prophet's Mosque, is the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Madinah. After Masjid al-Haram in Makkah it is the most virtuous mosque on earth. The Prophet ﷺ led prayers in it, taught in it and judged in it for ten years, and he is buried in what was Aishah's room, in its south-east corner, under the green dome.
Visiting it is not part of Hajj or Umrah, and Hajj is complete without it. Yet most pilgrims come here before or after Makkah, to pray in the mosque and to give salam to the Prophet ﷺ and his two Companions buried beside him.
Its history
When the Prophet ﷺ reached Madinah in the Hijrah, his camel knelt on a yard used for drying dates, which belonged to two orphan boys, Sahl and Suhayl. He bought the land and built the mosque there, with walls of mud brick and a roof of palm trunks and leaves, carrying the bricks himself with the Companions (Sahih al-Bukhari 3906). His wives' rooms were built along its eastern side.
Umar and then Uthman enlarged the mosque, Uthman with carved stone. The Umayyad caliph al-Walid rebuilt it around 88 to 91 AH and brought the rooms of the Prophet's ﷺ wives inside, so the chamber of the grave became part of the mosque. A wooden dome was first built over the chamber in 1279 under the Mamluk sultan Qalawun; it was rebuilt several times and first painted green in 1837. The Ottomans rebuilt the southern part with its many small domes. The Saudi expansions from the 1950s, and the King Fahd extension finished in 1994, made the mosque many times larger, and the courtyards now have large umbrellas that open for shade.
The hadith on its virtue
صَلَاةٌ فِي مَسْجِدِي هَذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ إِلَّا الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ
“A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1190; Sahih Muslim 1394, from Abu Hurayrah.
لَا تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلَّا إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ: الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ، وَمَسْجِدِ الرَّسُولِ ﷺ، وَمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى
“Do not set out on a journey except to three mosques: al-Masjid al-Haram, the mosque of the Messenger ﷺ, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1189; Sahih Muslim 1397, from Abu Hurayrah.
A report that whoever prays forty prayers in a row in this mosque is freed from the Fire and from hypocrisy is in Musnad Ahmad, but its chain is weak. There is no need to plan your stay around forty prayers; pray as much as you can.
Giving salam to the Prophet ﷺ
The line for the salam usually starts at Bab al-Salam on the west side and runs east along the qibla wall. At the brass grille of the chamber, stand calmly with your back to the qibla, lower your voice and say:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
As-salamu alayka ya Rasulallah: peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.
Ibn Umar used to greet the Prophet ﷺ, then Abu Bakr, then his father, in this way (reported by Malik in al-Muwatta and al-Bayhaqi).
Then step a little to the right and greet Abu Bakr, then a little further and greet Umar. Keep it short so others can pass. For your own dua, many scholars advise facing the qibla. Do not touch or kiss the grille, and do not raise your voice: Allah told the believers not to raise their voices above the Prophet's ﷺ (Quran 49:2).
Visiting the grave of the Prophet ﷺ is among the most virtuous recommended acts, close to wajib for those who are able. One may set out intending both the visit and prayer in his mosque.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- Visiting his grave is a highly recommended act.
- Hanbali
- Visiting is recommended. Ibn Taymiyyah and those who follow him hold that one sets out with the intention of praying in the mosque, then visits the grave once there.
Practical notes
- The Rawdah, between the chamber and the minbar, is entered by timed turns, with separate times for men and women. Check the current arrangement when you arrive.
- Women's entrances and prayer halls are on the east and west sides and are signposted.
- Al-Baqi is just east of the mosque. Leave by Bab al-Baqi after the salam to reach it.
- Quba Mosque is a few kilometres south: go in a state of wudu to earn the reward of an Umrah.
- See every gate and place on the Madinah map.
Questions
Who built Masjid an-Nabawi?
The Prophet ﷺ himself, with the Companions, when he arrived in Madinah in 1 AH (622 CE). Later rulers enlarged it many times.
Is the Prophet ﷺ buried in Masjid an-Nabawi?
Yes. He is buried in what was Aishah's room, now inside the south-east corner of the mosque, under the green dome, with Abu Bakr and Umar beside him.
How much reward is a prayer in Masjid an-Nabawi?
Better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except Masjid al-Haram (Sahih al-Bukhari 1190; Sahih Muslim 1394).
Is praying forty prayers in Masjid an-Nabawi a sunnah?
The report about forty prayers is in Musnad Ahmad, but its chain is weak. Pray there as much as you can, without tying it to a number.
Is visiting Madinah part of Hajj?
No. Hajj and Umrah are complete without it, but visiting the mosque and giving salam to the Prophet ﷺ is a great virtue.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1189, 1190 and 3906; Sahih Muslim 1394 and 1397.
- Malik, al-Muwatta, and al-Bayhaqi, on Ibn Umar's salam.
- Quran 49:2.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on the visit (ziyarah). The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic is the standard wording of the collection named; gradings are given for every hadith outside al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.