- Where
- Masjid an-Nabawi, Madinah, along the qibla wall
- Size
- About 22 metres long, between the chamber and the minbar
- Marked by
- Green carpet and white pillars
- Entry
- Timed turns, separate for men and women
What the Rawdah is
Al-Rawdah (الرَّوْضَة), "the garden", also called Riyad al-Jannah, is the area of Masjid an-Nabawi between the Prophet's ﷺ house, which is now the chamber of his grave, and his minbar. It lies in the oldest part of the mosque, along the south (qibla) wall. Its carpet is green, unlike the red carpet around it, and its pillars are white with gold.
The hadith
مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَمِنْبَرِي عَلَى حَوْضِي
“What is between my house and my minbar is a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and my minbar is on my Pond.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 1196; Sahih Muslim 1391, from Abu Hurayrah. Sahih Muslim 1390 has the first half from Abdullah ibn Zayd.
Scholars explained "a garden of Paradise" in three ways: that worship there leads to Paradise; that this very ground will be moved into Paradise; or that it is like a garden of Paradise in the mercy that comes down on those who remember Allah in it. Ibn Hajar mentions these views in Fath al-Bari. All of them make it a special place to pray and make dua.
No hadith gives prayer in the Rawdah a separate multiplied reward beyond the thousandfold reward of the mosque itself. Its virtue is what the Prophet ﷺ said about it.
The pillars of the Rawdah
Several pillars stand where palm-trunk pillars stood in the Prophet's ﷺ time, and carry names from the events there. Among them:
- The pillar of Aishah, which she is reported to have pointed out as a place of great virtue.
- The pillar of repentance (Abu Lubabah), where the Companion Abu Lubabah tied himself until his repentance was accepted.
- The pillar of the delegations, where the Prophet ﷺ received visiting tribes.
- The fragrant pillar (al-Mukhallaqah), near the place of the palm trunk that cried when the first minbar was made (Sahih al-Bukhari 3583).
The names come from the historians of Madinah, such as al-Samhudi. The cards in front of the pillars show their names.
How to pray there
- Come in a state of wudu, and wait calmly for your turn. Staff guide each group in and out.
- Pray two rakahs of nafl if it is not a disliked time, then make dua. Keep it short so the next group can come in.
- Do not push, shout, or film. The Rawdah is beside the grave of the Prophet ﷺ, and Allah told the believers to lower their voices near him (Quran 49:2).
- If you cannot get in, you lose nothing of the mosque's reward. Pray in the mosque and come back another time.
- Women have their own times. The women's entrances on the east side are signposted.
Questions
What is Riyad al-Jannah?
Riyad al-Jannah, or the Rawdah, is the area between the Prophet's ﷺ grave and his minbar in Masjid an-Nabawi. He called it a garden from the gardens of Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 1196).
Where exactly is the Rawdah?
Along the qibla wall in the oldest part of Masjid an-Nabawi, west of the chamber of the grave and east of the minbar. It has green carpet.
How big is the Rawdah?
About 22 metres from the chamber to the minbar and about 15 metres deep, so only a few hundred people fit at a time.
Can women go into the Rawdah?
Yes, at set times for women, through the women's entrances. The times change, so check when you arrive.
Is a prayer in the Rawdah worth more than elsewhere in the mosque?
No hadith gives it a separate number. The whole mosque carries the thousandfold reward, and the Rawdah has the virtue of being a garden of Paradise.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1196 and 3583; Sahih Muslim 1390 and 1391.
- Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, on the hadith of the Rawdah.
- Al-Samhudi, Wafa al-Wafa, on the pillars.
- Quran 49:2.
- 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.