Building of Masjid al-Nabawi

When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in central Madinah, his camel knelt on a piece of land used for drying dates. It belonged to two orphan brothers, Sahal and Suhayl, who had inherited it from their father. They offered it as a gift, but the Prophet ﷺ insisted on paying its due price. The date palms on the land were cut down and used to make the front and back walls of the masjid. The Companions made clay bricks for the other walls. The Prophet ﷺ worked alongside them, taking his place in the line that passed the bricks along.

According to al-Bayhaqi's Dala'il, the building took about two weeks, and the masjid measured roughly 100 by 130 feet. It had three public doors. Bab al-Rahma (the Door of Mercy) was on the south side and Bab Jibril (the Door of Gabriel) on the west. Bab al-Nisa' (the Door of Women) was on the east, set aside after Umar RA suggested that men and women should not share an entrance. There were also private entrances from the houses built against its walls, including the house of Abu Bakr RA and the Prophet ﷺ's own house, where Aisha RA lived.

At first the roof covered only the northern part, which then faced the qibla towards Jerusalem. When the qibla changed to face Makkah, that covered area became the back of the masjid, and it was known as al-Suffa. A roof over the whole masjid was added later, but it only kept out the sun. Sahih Bukhari records that it rained on the 22nd of Ramadan, probably in 8 AH, and the Prophet ﷺ prostrated on the muddy ground. This shows that the roof leaked.

The caliphs after him changed the building in turn. Abu Bakr RA left it as it was. Umar RA strengthened it with wooden pillars and a waterproof roof, and enlarged it by 10 to 15 rows. Uthman RA then enlarged it by about half again.