Rawdah Riyad ul-Jannah (Masjid al-Nabawi)

The Rawdah Riyad ul-Jannah, inside the oldest part of Masjid an-Nabawi, is a small section which extends from the eastern boundry of the Prophet's Tomb enclosure to his pulpit (Minbar Nabawi) westwards. It is a relatively small but very special area named Rawdah ul-Jannah litarally meaning the "Garden of Paradise" (see note), also known as the Rawdaht min Riyad ul-Jannah and Rawdah Sharifah (الروضة الشريفة) due to its sanctity being mentioned in one of the Ahadith (see note 1). Pilgrims attempt to visit the confines of the area, for there is a tradition that supplications and prayers uttered here are never rejected.

Overview

The Rawdah ul-Jannah, general view of the area, with Mihrab Nabawi to the left and Minbar Nabawi partially visible to the right. In Islamic tradition the Riad ul-Jannah is considered to be a part Jannah (Paradise). It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that Muhammad said, "The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise, and my minbar is on my cistern (hawd) (see Note 2)."

Entrance into the area is not always possible, especially during the Hajj season, as the space can only accommodate a few hundred people. Rawdah ul-Jannah is carpeted green in contrast to the rest of the mosque carpeted red. Although commonly called Riyad ul-Jannah (رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ), the correct term would be Rawdah (روضة). The Hadith is narrated by Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr;

مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ ‏"

circa 622 CE

A Panoramic view of the Rawdah ul-Jannah (green carpeted area), with mehrab nabawi in the far background (center) and mukabariyya (right). The Suffah platform during the time of prophet Muhammad (after the Qiblah shift to Mecca) would have been somewhere close to the pillars at the boundry of green carpet. Though historically the area of Riyadhul Jannah has varied over the centuries and due to change in the constructions, today the approximate area of Rawdah ul-Jannah is about 22 meters by 15 meters.

Notable Structures

circa 622 CE

Mihrab Nabawi
The Mihrab Nabawi is one of the six mehrabs of prophet's mosque, it was only a commemorative mehrab at Masjid al-Nabawi and marks the spot from where prophet Muhammad used to lead prayers. Up until recently (December 2017) this mehrab has remained a commemorative one and the Imams used to lead prayers from the Mihrab Uthmani. It is richly decorated with patterns and gold-plated calligraphic inscriptions.

circa 622 CE

Minbar Nabawi (Pulpit of the Prophet)
The current Minbar Nabawi, was placed in the mosque by Qaitbey in the late fifteenth century and is still in use. The original minbar (Arabic: مِـنـۢبَـر‎) used by Muhammad was a "wood block of date tree". This was replaced by him with a tamarisk one, which had dimensions of 50 cm × 125 cm (20 in × 49 in). Also in 629, a three staired ladder was added to it. The first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, did not use the third step "due to respect for the Prophet", but the third caliph Uthman placed a fabric dome over it and the rest of the stairs were covered with ebony.

circa 622 CE

Mukabariyya (Muazzin's Platform)
Also known as the Muazzin's platform, it is situated at the appriximate spot where Bilal Habashi used to stand over the wall of the Prophet's Mosque to declare the Adhan. The height of the platform is also approximately same as that of the height of the mosque's at the time of the Prophet. Before the introduction of loud speakers the muazzins at the Two Mosques would call Adhan from one of the minarets but in 1970s Muazzin platforms were installed in both Masjid al-Nabawi and Masjid al-Haram.

circa 622 CE

Bab ul-Taubah
The Bab ul-Touba (the gate of forgiveness), also known as Bab Sayeda Aiesha or Bab ul-Wufud, is located in the western wall of Rawdha al-Sharifa enclosure between the Ustwana e Wufud (column of the delegations) and Ustwana e Hars (the column of the guards). According to tradition this is the entrance that was used by Prophet Muhammad to enter mosque. The actual position of the door is approximately 8-10 feet behind the current location, now it is situated within the Rawdah ul-Jannah and book shelves (inspect) have been placed in front of it.

circa 622 CE

Notable Pillars
The Rawdha al-Sharifah or the Riyadhul Jannah contains at least eight known columns or pillars with which a tradition is attributed. Three of these (the delegations' column, the guards' column and the bed column) are located in the western enclosure wall of the Prophet Muhammad's Tomb Chamber. Two of the columns (the column of tawbah and the column of Aiesha) are located on east-west axis a little to the north-east of the Mihrab Nabawi. One of these (the column of the perfume column), traditionally the most important one, is located directly behind the Mihrab of the Prophet. These columns bear an embosed-circular calligraphic sign marking the original location of the tree-trunks which once supported the roof of the Masjid an-Nabawi.

Gallery

Notes

• Note 1 Kitab al-Qiblah (Hadith: 14.5.11): Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr from Abbad ibn Tamim from Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Mazini that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "What is between my house and my mimbar is one of the meadows of the Garden."
• Note 2 The part of the Hadith where the Minbar is said to be located over a cistern (Hawd) is an addition reported by Imam Bukhari.
• Note 3 Historically various scholars have interpreted the term riyadhul jannah with a number of meanings. According to Hafiz ibn Hajjar; concisely explains what the scholars have interpreted; means, that this section of the Prophet's mosque is a virtual part of the eternal paradise and it is just as blessed as that. And that this section will be taken to be a part of the concept of "Islamic Heaven" in the Qiyamah. According to ibn Hazzam; this is a figure of speech and it means that by offering prayers here a person will enter Jannah and this is exactly as we say about a pleasant day; what a heavenly day.
• Note 4 This statement led early generations of Muslims, especially the Tabiʿūn and later historians like Ibn Shabbah al-Numayrī (d. 262 AH / circa 876 CE), to venerate the area both symbolically and ritually. The space came to be considered a place where prayer and supplication are especially meritorious, although it is not formally part of Paradise in the physical sense. Early commentators interpreted the Prophet’s words to signify either a spiritual metaphor or a literal eschatological connection. Architecturally, the space known as Riyāḍ al-Jannah was part of the earliest configuration of the mosque built during the Prophet’s lifetime (622–632 CE). At that time, the minbar was a simple platform made of date-palm wood, and the ḥujrah was a small room of unbaked brick with a thatched palm roof, where the Prophet lived with his wife ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr. After his passing in 632 CE, he was buried in this chamber, followed later by Abū Bakr (d. 634 CE) and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (d. 644 CE). The physical boundaries of Riyāḍ al-Jannah have remained relatively consistent despite numerous expansions of the mosque over the centuries. The Abbasid caliph al-Mahdī (reigned 775–785 CE) initiated the first major architectural embellishments in Medina, followed by several Mamluk and Ottoman contributions. Sultan Sulaymān the Magnificent (reigned 1520–1566 CE) had the area tiled and enclosed as part of his larger project to renovate the mosque. During the Ottoman period, the area of the rawḍah was distinctively marked with green carpeting, and that practice continues today under the Saudi administration. The dimensions of Riyāḍ al-Jannah are traditionally understood to be approximately 22 meters in length (from the minbar to the burial chamber) and 15 meters in width. However, the exact demarcation is maintained through visual and symbolic cues rather than walls.

See Also

• Qibla Wall
• Ottoman Prayer Hall
• Tomb of Prophet Muhammad
• Bab as-Salam
• Bab al-Baqi'
• Interactive Map of Masjid Nabawi's Gates, Sections and Roads
• Bab Jibrael of Masjid Nabawi

References

• Malik ibn Anas. "Hadith: 14.5.11". Muwatta Imam Malik.
• Ariffin, Syed Ahmad Iskandar Syed (2005). Architectural Conservation in Islam : Case Study of the Prophet's Mosque. Penerbit UTM. pp. 88–89, 109. ISBN 978-983-52-0373-2.
• "Islamic Guidelines for Visitors to the Prophet's Mosque". Islam-QA. It is prescribed for the one who visits the Prophet's Mosque to pray two rakats in the Rawdah or whatever he wants of supplementary prayers, because it is proven that there is virtue in doing so. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said, "The area between my house and my mimbar is one of the gardens of Paradise, and my mimbar is on my cistern".
• Doris Behrens-Abouseif; Stephen Vernoit (2006). Islamic art in the 19th century: tradition, innovation, and eclecticism. BRILL. p. 22. ISBN 978-90-04-14442-2.

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