Revisiting Masjid Abu Bakr and Masjid Umar in the Al-Musalla area to the south west of Masjid Nabawi.
Amr ibn al-As RadhiAllahu anhu said that he asked: “O Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam who from the people is most beloved to you?” He said “Aishah.” I asked “O Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam who amongst the men?” He said: “Her father.” I then asked: “Then who?” he said: “The Umar ibn al-Khattab.” Then he named some other men.
It was narrated that Abu Musa al-Ash’ari RadhiAllahu anhu said: “I was with the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam in one of the gardens of Madinah, when a man came and asked for the gate to be opened. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: ‘Open the gate for him, and give him the glad tidings of Paradise.’ I opened the gate for him and it was Abu Bakr. I gave him the glad tidings of what the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam had said, and he praised Allah. Then another man came and asked for the gate to be opened. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: ‘Open the gate for him, and give him the glad tidings of Paradise.’ I opened the gate for him and it was Umar. I told him what the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said and he praised Allah. Then another man asked for the gate to be opened. The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: ‘Open the gate for him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise for a calamity will befall him.’ And it was Uthman. I told him what the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said and he praised Allah, and then he said: ‘Allah is the One Whose help I seek.’”
As in life and so in death are Abu Bakr as-Saddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab beside each other as are the two masjids named in honour of their presence at the places they have been constructed. Scholars say that during the respective Caliphates of Abu Bakr as-Saddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab that they conducted Eid Salat where the current masjids stand. And Allah Ta’ala knows best.
Narrations say that our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam prayed many times in this vicinity, where several house of the Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum were positioned. He SallAllahu alaihi wasallam prayed numerous Eids there, on other occasions for rain, upon the death of AnNajashi, the King of Abyssinia and it was here that he would make special supplication for the joy of once more entering Madinah after returning from the south.
Masjid Abu Bakr was first built during the time Umar ibn Abdul Aziz was governor of Madinah (87-93 AH) while the current Ottoman construction is ascribed to Sultan Mahmoud the Second in 1254 AH. It is quaint square black basalt stone building with a 12 m high dome and a 15 m minaret beginning with a bulbous base with a simply decorated pillar fanning out to a small balustrade, topped by a cylindrical section capped with a green metal cone. The proximity to Masjid Nabawi can be seen.
Both Masjids are permanently locked, opened for special dignatories, and both are currently undergoing much needed renovations. This layer of stucco has now been removed revealing the original stone and erasing the ugly remains of autographs. Intriguing how people must have visited being equiped with markers and the blatnat intention of defacing such places.
…whatever you are doing, We witness you when you are negaged in it. Not even the weight of a speck of dust in the earth or sky escapes your Lord, nor anything lesser or greater: it is written in a clear record. (10:61)
Amr ibn Dinar heard Abu Bakr RadhiAllahu anhu say: “O people! I exhort you to beware of the day when you become poor and needy, to fear your Lord, to hail His Holy Name with priaes that befit His Majesty and Glory, and to pray for forgiveness, for He is most forgiving.”
Masjid Umar was built in 850AH by Shamsuddin Muhammad ibn Ahmad as-Salawi with Sultan Mahmoud in 1254 AH and his son Abdul Majeed in 1266 AH renovating it to how we see it today. Within the walled area is a small rectangular courtyard. The minaret is an austere cylindrical shape also capped with a green metal cone.
Umar RadhiAllahu anhu said in one of his sermons: “You must know that greed means poverty, and despair means wealth. When a man gives up hope in having something, it means that he no longer needs it, and hence, abundance connotes absence of need.”
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
