Rawdah Mubarak (Sacred Chamber)
The Rawdah Mubarak, or Sacred Chamber, is the area where the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and was buried. It also houses the graves of the first two Caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr and Umar (May Allah be pleased with them). A spot remains for a fourth grave, where Prophet Isa (Peace be upon him) [Jesus] will eventually be buried.
Regarding visiting Madinah and performing Ziyarah (visiting the Prophet’s grave), the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever visits me after my death is like one who visited me during my life.” [Tabraani] He also stated: “Whoever performs Hajj in Makkah and then comes to Madinah with the sole aim of visiting me in my mosque, for him will be written the rewards of two accepted Hajj.” [Daylami]
The viewing holes above the Rawdah are aligned with the faces of the inhabitants of the graves. The largest hole on the left faces the noble face of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), while the middle hole aligns with Abu Bakr’s (May Allah be pleased with him) face, and the right hole aligns with Umar’s (May Allah be pleased with him) face.
The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) was buried in Aisha’s (May Allah be pleased with her) house, where he stayed at the time of his death. The wives of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) lived in small, simple huts adjacent to the mosque. Each hut was approximately 5m x 4m with a small backyard, made of unbaked bricks of mud, and covered with palm branches.
