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CONSTRUCTION OF THE MOSQUE
AND SEALING OF THE DOORS

The Prophet (a.s), until after six months after his arrival in al-Madinah, stayed at the home of Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari. During this period neither there was any specific place for congregational prayers nor a permanent place of residence for him. He felt is necessary to construct the mosque along with a house for the family. There was a vacant piece of land near the house of Abū-Ayyūb al-Ansari where some animals used to be penned. The Prophet (a.s) liked this land for building the mosque. The land belonged to the people of Banū-al-Najjar from which family `Abd al-Muttalib’s mother came. The Prophet (a.s) wanted to buy away the land but the owners refused to accept any money for it and said that instead of material value they would prefer to get Reward from Allah. The Prophet (a.s) did not like to take the land without cost because it belonged to two orphans whose names were Sahl and Suhayl and were under the guardianship of Asad ibn Zurarah. The Prophet (a.s) bought the land through Asad, got it leveled and started the construction of the mosque on it, which was ready in the shape of a four walled enclosure in a few days. Then, putting on wooden pillars and thatch, one part of the enclosure was covered to provide shade from the sun. On one side of the mosque, rooms were built for the ladies, which were increased later on as the need arose. In the middle of these rooms the house of `Ali (a.s) was constructed. The Muhajirūn coming from Makkah too started building their quarters on the other periphery of the mosque. They had doors opening towards the mosque and they used to enter the precincts through these doors. The Prophet (a.s) thought that this arrangement was not proper for the sanctity of the mosque and ordered that the doors opening into the mosque be sealed and the houses to have doors at the back. He wanted them to enter the mosque only through the main door. He permitted only the door of `Ali’s house to open towards the mosque. Al-Tirmidhi writes:


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“The Prophet (a.s) ordered that except the door of `Ali’s house all other doors to be sealed.”[1]

Some persons did not like this arrangement. Certain brows frowned, some mouths opened and the gossip mill started working. The Prophet (a.s) heard about the feelings of the companions. He therefore gathered them and said:

“Neither have I neither sealed your door nor Have allowed `Ali’s door to Remain open. It is Allah Who has Ordered sealing of your doors and Leaving `Ali’s door open.”[2]

Certain relatives of the Prophet (a.s) too wished that the doors of their homes opened towards the mosque, therefore they complained that showing partiality towards `Ali (a.s) he had allowed him this privilege and refused them the facility. He said:

“Neither have I sent you out nor did I allow `Ali (a.s) to stay. It is Allah who has kept you out and `Ali (a.s) to stay in.”[3]

`Umar too considered this a singular privilege for `Ali (a.s) and used to say:

“`Ali ibn Abi-Talib enjoyed three such special privileges that if I got even one, it would have meant to me more than owning red haired camels.” When asked what these privileges were, He said: “The first was that he was married to Fatimah bint Muhammad (a.s); secondly, he had the honor of residing inside the mosque with the Prophet (a.s), and thus the matters that were legitimate for the Prophet (a.s) became legitimate for him, and Thirdly, He was given the Standard on The Day of Khaybar!”[4]

Ibrahim al-Hamawayni writes in Fara’id al-Simtayn that at least thirty companions have talked about the tradition of Fath al-Bab (The Opening of the Door) and termed it as a singular privilege for Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s). In the school of Ahl al-Sunnah, while this tradition is certainly quoted, they also mention that the Prophet (a.s) had said

“Barring the window of the house of Abū-Bakr, no other window was open towards the mosque.”

[1] Sahīh Al-Tirmidhī, Vol 2, Page 214
[2] Khasā’is al-Nassā’ī, Page 37
[3] Mustadrak Hakim, Vol 3, Page 117
[4] Mustadrak Hakim, Vol 3, Page 125

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When there was no chance of refuting the first narration, they tried to connect the two versions saying that the first event happened in the first year of Hegira and the second happened during the last days of the Prophet (a.s) This means that when the Prophet (a.s) ordered the sealing of the doors all openings were sealed except that of `Ali’s house. But when the time for the departure of the Prophet (a.s) was nigh, he ordered Abū-Bakr’s window to remain open towards the mosque and ordered all other windows sealed. This way they thought that a similarity had been established between the two events. But the effectiveness of the similarities of events will be in the event of their weight on the scale of dirayah. The second narration is weak according to dirayah because Abū-Bakr’s house was not on the periphery of the mosque since after migration he first lived with Banū-Abd `Awf and then he built his house outside al-Madinah in a village, Sakh, about a mile from the mosque. He used to visit the Prophet (a.s) during his illness from there only. Therefore, the historian al-tabari has written that on the day of the death of the Prophet, Abū-Bakr came to al-Madinah and inquired about his condition:

“When he was assured that There was some diminution in the pain suffered by the Prophet (a.s), He (Abū-Bakr) went satisfied to his home in Sakh.”[1]

It is surprising that Abū-Bakr used to live in Sakh and was not in al-Madinah at the time of the demise of the Prophet (a.s), nor did he have any house adjacent to the mosque, then from where and how that ‘window’ was installed to remain installed and all other windows were ordered shut! Remember, these were the last days of the Prophet (a.s) and in his extreme illness, according to Al-Tirmidhi, three days before his death he orders all windows opening towards al-Masjid al-Nabawi sealed and Abū-Bakr’s window to remain in its place! If we analyze this narration, the order was issued on Friday or Saturday and the Prophet (a.s) demised on Monday. This means that this event happened after the Event of Qirtas, that took place on the Friday before the Prophet’s demise when the COMPANIONS raised hue and cry that he was seriously ill and pen and paper must not be brought to him that he was not in full control of his senses! But the later, ostensible, order about the WINDOW they sheepishly accept, if ever it was issued, and implemented!

This narrative, being against all norms of dirayah, is constructively wrong that in one version it talks about khawkhah (window) and in others as bab (door). The meaning of the narrative becomes different with the use of these


[1] Vol 2, Page 420

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two different words and thus the narrative is unreliable. If instead of window, we accept the word door, the two events cannot be coordinated. Because in the earlier event all the doors opening towards the mosque were ordered closed excepting that of the house of `Ali (a.s) that continued to remain open. In the second, ostensible, event, when there was no other door opening towards the mosque, then how could they be sealed and the door of Abū-Bakr’s (nonexistent) house to continue to have the door opening towards the Mosque! The purpose for the concoction of this story seems that when, even `Umar recognized the opening of `Ali’s door towards the Mosque as a singular privilege, they made a weak attempt to devise a story to establish the same privilege for Abū-Bakr!

It is imperative to consider that what was the reason for leaving the door of `Ali (a.s) open towards the mosque and ordering all others sealed. It is apparent that the main purpose must have been to preserve the sanctity of the precincts. The doors of the Companions were opening towards the mosque and they used to enter through those doors in all conditions of cleanliness or otherwise. This was ultra vires the sanctity of the place. The Prophet (a.s) therefore ordered all the doors opening into the mosque to be sealed excepting that of `Ali’s house. The reason for this exception was that `Ali (a.s) was chaste, pure, and was free of all apparent impurities. Therefore, no conditions were imposed on his entry to the mosque, as was the case of the Prophet (a.s). Therefore, the Prophet (a.s) said:

“O `Ali! None other than you and me is permitted to enter his mosque in the state of apparent impurity”[1]

On account of this purity and chastity, `Ali’s door was kept open towards the mosque and all others were ordered sealed. As the homes of Mūsa (a.s) and Harūn (a.s) were accepted as mosques, the house of the prophet (a.s) and his Vicegerent (a.s) too had the same sanctity. Therefore, the Prophet (a.s) said:

“Allah ordered Mūsa (a.s) that he build a pure and clean Mosque and none else, other than Mūsa (a.s) and Harūn (a.s), should reside in that. Allah ordered me to build a pure and clean mosque wherein only me, `Ali (a.s) and his two sons, And none else, should reside.”[2]

[1] Mishkāt, Page 564
[2] Khasā’is, Suyūtī, Page 243

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When this privilege was reserved only for the Prophet (a.s), `Ali (a.s) and his Chaste sons (a.s), no question arises of allowing the door or window of any other person opening into the mosque. If it was the Divine will to give the same status to Abū-Bakr, he would have been allowed to keep the door open in the first instance only! When he was not eligible for such a privilege, what was the question of his having a door or window opening in that direction! Another question about the narrative is that the word khawkhah does not mean a window. At best, it can be translated as ‘a ventilator’. It is written in the al-Fayrūzabadi’s Arabic-Arabic Dictionary, “a hole that allows light into a house.” The ventilators cannot be used for entering or leaving a house and they are located on the walls almost at the roof level! When it is impossible to enter or exit the house through the khawkhah, then what privilege ouch a contraption would provide to Abū-Bakr!