This excerpt is taken from the book of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
History of the Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque
The Messenger of Allah is buried in the house of Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her. All the houses of the Mothers of the Believers were located to the east of the Prophet's Mosque. During her blessed life, there was not a single house inside the mosque; rather, she would leave her house and proceed towards the mosque.
When Walid ibn Abdul Malik assumed power, he attained a special status in the construction and expansion of mosques. He had a particular passion and zeal for building mosques. Accordingly, he expanded the Prophet's Mosque, the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram), and the Mosque of Damascus, among others. He wrote to his governor Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, instructing him to purchase all the houses of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, that were held as inheritance, and incorporate them into the mosque. Thus, all the houses were bought and then included within the mosque.
This was the time when not a single companion of the Prophet was alive on the face of the earth. Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Abu Saeed Khudri, and Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with them, had also passed away from this mortal world. It is narrated about Saeed ibn Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, that he did not approve of this expansion. Many companions and followers did not agree with the renovation of the Prophet's Mosque by Sayyidna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, because he had adorned the mosque with stone, lime, and teakwood. When Walid expanded the mosque, many followers did not view it favorably.
As for Sayyidna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, expanding the mosque, he had built the walls with mud, the pillars from palm trunks, and the roof from palm branches. No companion criticized Sayyidna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, for this act. However, there was disagreement over the expansions by Sayyidna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and Walid.
The secretary of Walid stated:
Reference: His name was Abdullah ibn Yaqub al-Iskandari. (Translator)
Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated the saying of Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them. He said that during the blessed time of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, the walls of the Prophet's Mosque were made of bricks, the roof of palm branches, and the pillars of palm wood. Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, did not add anything to it. When Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, expanded it, the mosque retained the same shape and form as it was during the Prophet's time. However, Sayyidna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, made significant changes. He built the walls and pillars with carved stones and adorned the roof with teakwood.
❀ Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The distance between the Prophet's pulpit and the wall of the mosque facing the Qiblah was only enough for a goat to pass through. Then Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, extended the Qiblah-facing wall to the intended boundary. Later, Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, brought the Qiblah wall to where it is now located. However, the pulpit was left in its original place.
Kharijah ibn Zaid, counted among the seven well-known jurists of Madinah Munawwarah, said:
The Messenger of Allah built his mosque with a length of 70 and a width of 20 cubits or slightly more.
❀ The people of the Seerah say:
When Sayyidna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, expanded the Prophet's Mosque, its length and width were 160 cubits square. Six doors were built in the mosque, as they were during the time of Umar Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him.
When Walid ibn Abdul Malik expanded the mosque, its length was increased to 200 cubits, and its width was extended to 200 cubits on the Qiblah side and 80 cubits on the rear side.
After that, Mahdi added only 100 more yards to its length towards the Sham (northwest) side. The other three dimensions were not altered. And Allah knows best.
During the time of the companions, anyone who wanted to greet the Messenger of Allah with salutations would do so from the western side of the chamber, facing the Qiblah or facing the chamber itself. Now it is also possible to come from the Qiblah side. Most scholars say it is recommended for the one offering salutations to face the chamber. Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, held the view that one should face the Qiblah when offering salutations.
When Walid took over the reins of government after the death of his father Abdul Malik between 80 and 90 AH, only a few companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, were still alive. For example, Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who was in Basra. He passed away between 90 and 100 AH during the reign of Walid ibn Abdul Malik. Among those who died in Madinah Munawwarah after all the companions were Jaber ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who died in 87 AH. About ten years after his death, Walid ibn Abdul Malik purchased the houses of the Messenger of Allah and incorporated them into the mosque, and the expansion of the mosque took place after his death.
Sayyidna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, did expand the mosque in the presence of the companions, but he did not include even a small part of the houses of the Messenger of Allah within the mosque. They remained outside the mosque, as was the case during the caliphates of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, and Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, because the Mothers of the Believers resided in them.
They remained there until the caliphate of Sayyidna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him. After the death of Hasan ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with both of them, she passed away. Sayyidna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, requested permission from the Mother of the Believers to be buried in the blessed chamber. She gladly granted permission. However, other companions did not approve because if a companion like Sayyidna Uthman was not buried in the chamber, then no one else could be buried there. Another consideration was the possibility of causing fitnah (discord).
When the signs of the death of Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, appeared, she specifically bequeathed that she be buried in Jannat al-Baqi rather than in the chamber. Regarding the expansion of the mosque by Walid ibn Abdul Malik, no one except the followers expressed an opinion, such as Saeed ibn Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, and other noble followers who did not approve of this act.
When asked if he was superior to Alqamah and Aswad, the Imam said:
Yes! Saeed ibn Musayyib is superior to them.
Also remember that Alqamah and Aswad had died long before this expansion of the mosque.
The virtue of the blessed chamber was established even before it was incorporated into the mosque. The virtue of the Prophet's Mosque is because it was built by the Messenger of Allah for himself and the believers to perform prayers in it. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, himself declared its virtue.
Here, we quote a saying of Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding the virtue of the Prophet's Mosque: "I have heard that the Angel Gabriel, peace be upon him, informed the Messenger of Allah of the direction of the Qiblah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, continued to hold Friday and congregational prayers in this mosque until his death, and he did not perform Friday prayers anywhere else, whether traveling or residing. However, he did perform congregational prayers wherever the opportunity arose."
Therefore, we are obliged to follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is incumbent upon us to confirm every word of his and to act upon every command because without confirming and obeying him, the completion of faith is impossible. Following all the actions of the Noble Messenger is Sunnah for us.
