Some Facts about the Masjid-e-Nabvi – The Prophet’s Mosque

Masjid-e-Nabvi has a special place in the hearts of Muslims. Being one of the holiest places in Islam, Muslims congregate to it in the millions. Masjid-e-Nabvi has its own charm that’s why every Muslim dream to visit this beautiful Mosque. Masjid-e-Nabvi is also known as the Prophet’s Mosque which has some interesting facts that we all should know about.

  • Masjid-e-Nabvi was the first place in Arabia to have electricity: When electricity was first announced in the Arabian Peninsula the Prophet’s Mosque was the first place to be lit up.
  • The current mosque is more than 100 times the size of the original structure: The present mosque is 100 times bigger than the old Masjid-e-Nabvi. Now the Prophet’s mosque carries a total capacity of close to 1 million people. In old days Jannat ul Baqi was not included in the Prophet’s mosque but now it is in the Masjid-e-Nabvi.
  • Masjid-e-Nabvi is the second largest Mosque on Earth: Masjid-e-Nabvi is the second holiest place on earth after Masjid-al-Haram. It is the second largest mosque on the earth with further expansion plans underway.
  • Masjid-e-Nabvi contains an older section within it: This is the part that has been built by the Ottomans and is on the southern end of the mosque. It is characterized by its unique pillars and heavy elements of Ottoman architecture in its design.
  • There is an empty grave in Prophet’s room: It is the belief of some people who went to change the Hujra in 1970 that there is an empty grave next to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) and Hazrat Umer Farooq (RA).
  • The initial mosque built by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took 8 months to build: The Prophet (SAW) himself contributed to the heavy work of the construction of Masjid-e-Nabvi. It took almost 8 months to build.
  • Two Domes of Masjid-e-Nabvi: At present, there are two domes of Prophet’s Mosque as for more than 600 years there was no dome on Prophet’s (SAW) grave.
  • Purple Dome: The dome was white in color then it has changed to purple-blue because the Hijaz was very fond of the purple color.
  • Much of it was roofless at that time: The Prophet’s mosque faced Jerusalem, as that was the Qibla during the early years of Islam.
  • Three Mehrabs: Usually mosques have one Mehrab but Masjid-e-Nabvi has three Mehrabs. The one used now a day is used by the Imam to lead prayers.
  • The room of Hazrat Fatima (RA) is still inside the mosque: Items belonging to the Prophet (SAW) were housed in the room. However, when Medina was under siege during World War 1, the Ottoman Commander had many artifacts transported to Istanbul. Many of these artifacts can be seen in the Topkapi Palace today.