Al-Masjid an-Nabawi is the second mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Medina after that of Quba, as well as the second largest mosque and the holiest site in Islam, after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Muhammad himself was involved in the construction of the mosque, and the mosque, is located at the heart of Medina.
When the Prophet (PBUH) migrated to Madinah Everyone was hoping he would stop by their house. The Prophet (PBUH) would answer everyone politely and kindly, “[This camel] is commanded by Allah; wherever it stops, that will be my home.” The camel moved on with slackened reins, reaching the site of the present masjid, and knelt down. The Prophet (PBUH) alighted and said, “This is the home” and inquired as to who owned the land. At the time, the mosque’s land belonged to two young orphans, Sahl and Suhayl, and when they learned that Muhammad wished to acquire their land to erect a mosque, they went to Muhammad and offered the land to him as a gift, Muhammad insisted on paying a price for the land because they were orphaned children The land contained a few date trees, graves of polytheists, a resting spot for herds of cattle The Prophet (PBUH) purchased the land, had the trees cleared and the polytheists’ graves dug up He then gave orders that his newly acquired courtyard should be made into a masjid and work began immediately. Most of the building was done with bricks made of stones and kneaded clay but in the middle of the northern wall, (which faced the original Qibla in Jerusalem) stones were put on either side of the prayer niche. The palms in the courtyard were cut down and their trunks were used as pillars to support the roof of palm branches, but the greater part of the courtyard was left open. Small stones were laid on the floor to prevent it from becoming too muddy, at the rear of the masjid, The Prophet (PBUH) built a shaded area called as-Suffah in which the poor companions would spend the night. Two small huts were also constructed on the eastern side of the masjid to accommodate his two wives at the time, Aisha and Sauda, and it took seven months to complete the construction of the mosque.
The Prophet (PBUH) gave the Muslims of Madinah the title of ‘Ansar’, All took part in the work, including the Prophet himself, and as they worked they chanted two verses which one of them had made up for the occasion: “O Allah, no good is but the good Hereafter, So help the Helpers and the Emigrants.” And sometimes they chanted: “No life there is but the life of the Hereafter.
This mosque is called al-Masjid al-Nabawi, Masjid Rasul Allah, or the Grand Mosque of Medina, The most famous name of the mosque is “al-Masjid al-Nabawi”.Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to say daily congregational prayers in this mosque to promote political and social frameworks in this mosque.
The Masjid was built twice during the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH) The first time was shortly after he had made the Hijra to Madinah, It was rebuilt seven years later after the Fath (opening) of Khaibar, the increasing number of Muslims by then necessitated an increase in the area of the mosque to accommodate more worshippers.
When the revelation came down to change the Qibla to Makkah, the whole masjid was re-orientated to the south. The Masjid also served as a religious school and community center.
Masjid al-Nabawi has great benefits for all Muslims:-
It is the second–biggest masjid in the world after the al-Haram mosque. At the mosque, the companions learn the holy Quran and gain complete knowledge of Quranic teachings. They worked to spread the message of Allah and help each other.
The virtue of praying in the Prophet’s Mosque, Anas reports that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever performs forty salah in my masjid, not missing one salah in the masjid, for him is granted exemption from the fire of Hell and exemption from punishment and he shall”
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “One salah offered in my masjid is superior to one thousand salah offered in other masjids except for Masjid al-Haram (Makkah al-Mukarramah).”