Mecca was the home of the Ka‘bah, the first mosque on earth, whose foundations were laid by Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Prophet Ismail. Despite the diverse customs and practices of the idolatrous Arabs during the Age of Ignorance, the Ka‘bah retained its special significance in the hearts of those who embraced Islam. In Madinah, there was no designated place where Muslims could gather for worship. As soon as the Prophet (saw) arrived in Madinah, he and his companions decided to build a mosque in a suitable location. In order to not offend those who invited him to be their guest in Madinah, the Prophet sent his camel Qaswa with the words, “My Lord! Grant me a blessed landing, for You are the best of hosts”. He became a guest of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, who owned the house closest to where Qaswa sat down. According to the narration, the land where Qaswa sat down and where dates were dried was bought from two orphan boys, Sahl and Suhayl, for 10 dinars to build a mosque. Thus, the foundation of the “mosque founded on righteousness from the first day” (Tawbah, 9:108) was established on that land. The Masjid al-Nabawi, in which Prophet Muhammad (saw) himself participated in its construction, was built in a simple and modest manner, with its pillars made of date palm stumps, its roof made of date palm branches, and its walls made of stones. Initially, this simple mosque did not have a pulpit (minbar) or a niche (mihrab), and the Prophet delivered his sermons while standing on a tree stump. As the number of Muslims increased in the following years, the mosque underwent its first expansion upon their return from Khaybar. In the 7th year of the Hijrah, the first minbar with three steps was built since the congregation could not see the Prophet and hear his voice. During the reign of Uthman, the mosque was expanded on three sides, except for the qiblah side, and it was transformed into a square plan measuring approximately 2500 square meters. The largest expansion and reconstruction in the history of the mosque, which continued in various periods of history, was carried out between 1984 and 1994.

In the mosque, whose qiblah was oriented towards Al-Quds by the Prophet and which had three gates, two rooms were initially built on the southern part of the eastern wall. Later, the number of rooms in this area increased to nine. The room where the Prophet passed on in his wife Aisha’s quarter and was subsequently buried became known as the hujra al-saadah. During the expansion projects carried out during the reigns of Umar and Uthman, the hujra al-saadah and the other rooms were preserved as they had been at the time of the Prophet. In the expansion during the reign of al-Walid, further rooms besides the hujra al-saadah were added to the mosque. The dome built over the hujra al-saadah during the reign of Sultan Qaitbay was called “qubbat al-hujra”, and during the reign of Mahmud II, this dome was renovated, covered with lead, and painted green. The current dome, which has become the symbol of Masjid al-Nabawi, is known as “Qubbat al-Khadra” due to its color.

When the construction of Masjid al-Nabawi was underway, a shade was built at the entrance on the south side of the mosque to provide shelter for the destitute and poor companions. When the Ka‘bah became the qiblah, this shade was moved to the north of the mosque and subsequently incorporated into Masjid al-Nabawi. The community of scholars who stayed in this area, most of whom were immigrants, is known as “Ashab al-Suffah” in Islamic history. The fact that the Ashab al-Suffah spent most of their time listening to the Messenger of Allah, memorizing the verses that were revealed, learning the principles of Islam, and making scholarly discussions led them to hold a distinguished place among the Ansar and Muhajir. Additionally, the companions who grew up in the suffah went to the regions where they were needed and carried out the task of spreading Islam.

During the time of the Prophet, the Mosque of the Prophet garnered attention for its simplicity. However, equally important to its simplicity was its administrative, military, judicial, and scholarly identity. While in Mecca, the Prophet’s relationship with Muslims was primarily shaped within the framework of his prophethood. However, with the Hijrah, the Prophet’s relationship with both Muslims and other residents of Madinah took on a different dimension. In addition to his role as a prophet, the Prophet Muhammad also played a prominent role in society as a head of state, army commander, and judge. As the Prophet Muhammad spent most of his time in the mosque, it became not only a place of worship where preaching and guidance activities were carried out but also an assembly where ambassadors from other tribes were hosted, a headquarter where expeditions were planned, and a madrasah where scholarly discussions were held. In this respect, the mosque has been the center of science and culture of Madinah, that is, the State of Islam, since the day it was built, and it has maintained this characteristic throughout history.

In the city planning of Madinah, the mosque was placed at the center, and other Muslim cities established over time were built following the example of Madinah. It should not be forgotten that the civilizational visions of societies are hidden in the silhouette of the city they inhabit. In this regard, the placement of the mosque at the heart of the city symbolizes the commitment of Muslim cities to the concept of tawhid.