Ayman Al-Saydalani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — "Mukabbariyah" is the place the azan (call to prayers) takes place.



The first Mukabbariyah was constructed in the Prophet’s Mosque in 886 AH at the same location where Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) called for prayers in the presence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on Fridays.



The Mukabbariyah is on the northern side of Al-Rawdah. It is a square-shaped platform, raised on eight pillars, to relay the imam’s calls to worshipers before loud speakers were introduced.



During the era of King Fahd, the Mukabbariyah was expanded and revamped in white Italian marble.



A researcher of Madinah’s history and a member of Madinah Research Center, Tenaidheb Al-Faydi, said the Mukabbariyah and the minarets did not exist during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). It was first constructed during the era of the Umayyad Caliph Omar Bin Abdulaziz and has evolved into its present shape.



Al-Faydi said there were two Mukabbariyahs in the Prophet’s Mosque, and one was removed to make place for worshipers. He said 40 years go, some Qur’an reciters used to sit in the Mukabbariyah after prayers to recite the Qur’an. Of such reciters were Sheikh Abdulbasit Abdulsamad and Sheikh Mahmoud Alhosari.



Al-Faydi pointed out that on Ramadan 13, 886 AH (1481 CE), lightning struck the main minaret and the eastern side of the mosque collapsed. The mosque ceiling caught fire, and it burned the doors and books that were kept in the mosque. He said the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Saifuddin Qa’itbay undertook reconstruction of the mosque, and sent money and equipment for that purpose from Egypt.



An 11-meter-high roof was constructed for the mosque, and the blue dome above the Prophet’s room, was replaced by the green dome. The Prophet’s room and its surroundings were also revamped with marble. The revamping of the Prophet’s Mosque was completed in Ramadan 888 AH (1483).