SECRETSOFTHEPROPHETSMASJIDTHEPILLARS

TherearecertainpillarsintheProphetsmasjidinMadinahwhichhaveaspecialsignificance.Alhamdulillaah,thelocationsofthesepillarshavebeenpreserved
tilltoday.SignswereplacedtoindicatethenamesofthesepillarsknownasUstuwaanahinArabic.
ManypeoplewhovisittheProphetsmasjidareoblivioustothesepillarsorareunawareofthehistorybehindthemsointhisarticle,Iwillillustratethelocationofeach
pillarandtellyouthestorybehindthemwhichtookplaceduringthetimeoftheProphet.IfyouarefortunateenoughtovisittheProphetsmasjid,tryto
visittheselocations.
MullaAlialQaari(rah)(Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari) the great Islamic Scholar writes:
ThosepillarsoftheMasjid,whichareofspecialvirtueandblessedshouldbevisitedbythevisitorofMadinah.Thereheshouldkeephimselfbusywithoptionalprayers
andsupplication.
UstuwaanahHannaanah:

ThispillarislocatedbehindthemihraboftheProphetonitsrighthandsideandisthemostblessedofthepillarsforthiswastheProphetsplaceofprayer.
DuringtheAbuBakrSiddique(r.a)khilafatperiod,togiverespectandsavetheSujoodplacenottosteponthisbyothers,heconstructedathickwall.LaterUmaribn
AbdulAziz(rah)thefamouspiousKhalifamadeaMihrabshapetothisthickwall.Onthatpillarspotthereonceusedtogrowadatepalm.TheProphetusedto
leanonitwhiledeliveringthekhutbah(sermon).Whenaminbarwasmade,theProphetbegandeliveringhissermonfromthere.Whenthishappened,thesound
ofcryingwasheardfromthetreeanditcouldbeheardaroundthewholemasjid.TheProphetthenwenttothetree,placedhishandonitandthecryingstopped.He
thensaid:
ThetreecriesbecausetheremembranceofAllaahwasnearit,andnowthattheminbarisbuiltithasbeendeprivedofthisremembranceinitsimmediatevicinity.
IfIdidnotplacemyhandonit,itwouldhavecriedtilltheDayofJudgement.
ThepillarwhichhasbeenplacedinitsplaceiscalledUstuwanahHannanahbecausethewordhannaanahisusedtodescribeacryingcamel.
UstuwaanahAishah(MayAllahbepleasedwithher).

ThisisalsocalledtheUstuwaanahMuhajireenbecausetheMuhajireen(emigrantsfromMakkahtoMadinah)usedtositnearthisspot.TheProphetusedtooffer
hisprayersatthisplacebeforehemovedtotheplaceatUstuwaanahHannanah.ItisalsocalledtheUstuwaanahQurah.ThereasonforthisisthatAaisha(mayAllaah
bepleasedwithher)reportedthatthemessengerofAllaahsaid:
In this Masjid is one such spot that if people knew the true blessed nature thereof, they would flock towards it in such that to pray there they would cast lots
(Qurah).
Peopleaskedhertopointouttheexactspotwhichsherefusedtodo.Lateron,afterAbdullaahIbnZubair(r.a)persisted,shepointedtothisspot.ItiscalledUstuwaanah
AaishabecausetheHadeethisreportedbyherandtheexactspotwasshownbyher.AlhamdLillaahIgotachancetoprayatthatspot.
UstuwaanahTawbah/AbuLubabah.

DuringthebattleofBanuQuraydhah,aftertheenemieshadbeensurroundedbytheMuslims,thebesiegedtribecalledonAbuLubabah(r.a)totellthemwhatthe
Muslimswereplanningtodowiththem.AbuLubabah(r.a)hadpreviouslyhaddealingswiththeBanuQuraydhahandafterseeingtheircryingandwailing,hetold
themwhattheMuslimswereplanningtodo.
Hewasntsupposedtorevealanythingtotheenemyandrealisinghismistake,hebecamegrievedandproceededtogototheMasjid.Hecametoadatetreeandtied
himselftoitsaying:AslongasmyrepentanceisnotacceptedbyAllaah,Ishallnotuntiemyselffromhere.AndtheProphethimselfmustundomybonds.
WhentheProphetheardthis,hesaid:IfhehadcometomeIwouldhavebeggedforgivenessonhisbehalf.Nowhehadactedonhisowninitiative,sohow
canIuntiehimuntilsuchatimethathisrepentancehasbeenaccepted.
UstuwaanahSareer:

Sareermeanssleepingplace.ItisreportedthattheProphetusedtomakeitikaafhere(secludehimselfintheMasjid)andusedtosleepherewhileinitikaaf.A
platformofwoodusedtobeputhereforhimtosleepon.
UstuwaanahHars/Ali(mayAllahbepleasedwithhim).
Harsmeanstowatchorprotect.Thisusedtobetheplacewheresomeofthecompanions(mayAllaahbepleasedwiththem)usedtositwhenkeepingwatchoracting
asgatekeepers.Ali(mayAllaahbepleasedwithhim)usedtobetheonewhowoulddothisoftenduetowhichitisalsoknownasUstuwaanahAli.
Whenthefollowingversewasrevealed,theProphettoldhiscompanionsthathenolongerneededpeopletokeepwatchasAllahhadpromisedtoprotecthim.
..AndAllahwillprotectyoufromthepeople...SurahAlMaidah,Verse67
UstuwaanahWufood:

Wufoodmeansdelegations,wheneveradelegationarrivedtomeettheProphetonbehalfoftheirtribes,theywouldbemetatthisplacewhereheusedtomeet
them,conversewiththemandteachthemaboutIslam. Left: Ustuwaanah Wufud, Middle: Ustuwanah Ali/Haras, Right: Ustuwanah Sareer
UstuwaanahTahajjud:

ItisreportedthatthiswasthespotwherelateatnightacarpetwasspreadfortheProphettoperformtahajjudprayerafterthepeoplehadleft.Thereusedto
beanicheatthisplacetoindicatetheProphetsplaceofperformingTahajjudbutithasnowbeenhiddenwithabookcaseasyoucanseeabove.
Thesehistoricalphotosbelow,showwhatishiddenbehindtheaboveHolyQuraanbookshelf:

Tahajjudarea.IntheleftsideMihrabeTahajjudisvisible.

MihrabeTahajjud
UstuwaanahJibraeel:
ThiswastheusualplacewheretheangelJibraeelusedtoentertovisittheProphet.TodayitcannotbeseenasitliesinsidethesacredroomoftheProphet.
TheseeightplacesarespecialbutsoistheentireMasjidandthecityofMadinah.YoucannottakeastepexceptimaginethattheProphetorhiscompanionsmust
havesteponthatexactspacemanyyearsago.
TherearealsopillarswhichindicatetheboundaryoftheoriginalmasjidasitwasatthetimeoftheProphet.WrittenonthetopofeachpillaristhisistheMasjid
oftheProphet
JazakhAllaahKhair.
Yours.
SNSSA