The Sacred Pillars of Masjid Nabawi: Historical and Spiritual Significance
Masjid Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque (sws), is located in the heart of Medina, Saudi Arabia. It is considered the second holiest mosque in Islam after the Grand Mosque in Mecca. It served as the home of Prophet Muhammad (sws) during his time in Medina. Today, it is the largest mosque in the world by surface area and is also the resting place of Prophet Muhammad (sws) and his close companions, Abu Bakr and Umar.
Spiritual Importance
Praying in Masjid Nabawi is equivalent to 1,000 prayers elsewhere.
The Prophet (sws) said,
“A prayer in my mosque is better than a thousand prayers in any other mosque, except for the Sacred Mosque.”
(Reported by Ahmad and authenticated by Sheikh Albani in Sahih Al Jami №3841).
The Pillars of Rawdah
Six pillars in the Rawdah area of Masjid Nabawi hold profound historical and spiritual significance, with two more located inside the Sacred Chamber. These blessed pillars are precisely positioned where the original palm trunk pillars stood following the mosque’s construction during the Prophet’s (sws) lifetime. Each subsequent expansion or reconstruction of the mosque has carefully maintained the original locations of these pillars.
Weeping Pillar (Ustuwanah al-Hannana) / Perfumed Pillar (Ustuwanah al-Mukhallaqah)
Every Friday sermon, the Prophet (sws) would stand near a palm trunk, now known as the Weeping Pillar (al-Hannana) or the Perfumed Pillar (al-Mukhallaqah). One day, a woman suggested to the Prophet to build a pulpit for him to sit comfortably. When the pulpit replaced the trunk, the trunk began to moan and tremble.
Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:
An Ansari woman said to Allah’s Messenger (sws), “O Allah’s Messenger (sws)! Shall I make something for you to sit on, as I have a slave who is a carpenter?” He replied, “If you wish.” So, she got a pulpit made for him. When it was Friday, the Prophet (sws) sat on that pulpit. The date-palm stem near which the Prophet (sws) used to deliver his sermons cried so much that it was about to burst. The Prophet (sws) came down from the pulpit to the stem and embraced it, and it started groaning like a child being persuaded to stop crying, and then it stopped crying. The Prophet (sws) said, “It has cried because of (missing) what it used to hear of the religious knowledge.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2095)
The pillar is also known as the Perfumed Pillar (Ustuwanah al-Mukhallaqah) due to the application of perfume on the pillar.
One day, while the Prophet (sws) was praying, he noticed some spit on the wall of the qibla. He pointed out to his companions that spitting was not permissible in the holy mosque. The spit was then scraped off, and perfume was applied to the spot.
He reminded his companions:
“The Prophet saw expectoration in the direction of the Qibla of the mosque while he was leading the prayer, and scratched it off. After finishing the prayer, he said, ‘Whenever any of you is in prayer he should know that Allah is in front of him. So none should spit in front of him in the prayer.’”
(Sahih Bukhari)
In conclusion, this pillar is highly recommended for prayer, as the Prophet (sws) himself frequently prayed there. According to Imam Malik (ra), it is the best place to pray in Masjid Nabawi.
Repentance Pillar (Ustuwanah al-Tawbah) / Abu Lubabah’s Pillar (Ustuwanah Abu Lubabah)
Abu Lubabah (ra), a close companion of the Prophet (sws), felt guilty for betraying the Prophet’s and Allah’s (swt) trust and tied himself to a trunk in Masjid Nabawi. He remained tied until the Prophet (sws) forgave him.
Allah (swt) then revealed the following verses:
“O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence].” (Surah al-Anfal, 8:27)
“And know that your properties and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a great reward.” (Surah al-Anfal, 8:28)
The Prophet (sws) did not untie it immediately as he was waiting for Allah (swt) to forgive Abu Lubabah (ra). A week passed and the angel Jibril AS came and announced the following verse to the prophet:
“And there are others who have acknowledged their sins. They had mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad. Perhaps Allah will turn to them in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah al-Tawbah, 9:102)
Abu Lubabah (ra) was then released by the Prophet (sws).
Aisha’s Pillar (Ustuwanah Aisha) / Pillar of Drawing Lots (Ustuwanah al-Qur’ah) / Emigrants’ Pillar (Ustuwanah al-Muhajirin)
This pillar is named after Aisha (ra), who revealed the virtues of praying in this area.
Aisha is reported to have said: ‘In the mosque, there is a place near this pillar, if people knew it, they should draw lots to be able to pray there’. They asked: ‘O Mother of believers, where is it?’ She remained silent.
When they left, her nephew, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr I, stayed behind to ask her about it. He left his aunt’s house and went straight to this pillar while his companions looked on.
They understood that she had informed him of the place, thus determining the pillar in question.
It has also been reported that Abu Bakr, Umar and Zubayr (ra) used to pray there frequently, which means that they were all aware of its significance. People have been praying there ever since.
The pillar is also known as the Pillar of the Emigrants because the emigrants from Mecca would regularly sit in this area.
PART 2 : CLICK HERE
FOLLOW US ON INTAGRAM : @The.Seera
