As salaam alikum
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HISTORY OF THE SACRED CHAMBER
Introduction
Hujrat are those huts in which Prophet Muhammad used to reside with his wives. When the Prophet?s mosque was being built, two huts were also constructed for Prophet?s wives Aaisha and Sauda . More such huts were built as the number of wives of the Prophet increased. All these huts or rooms were adjacent to the mosque and their doors used to open in the mosque. Each hut consisted of a room. It?s walls were built by unbaked bricks of mud and the roof by the branches of palm tree. It has also a tiny yard.

As described in Bukhari, Dawud ibn Qays said, ?I saw these huts or hujrats. These were covered by the branches of the palm trees. The distance between the entrance door and the door of hujra was about three meters. Each hujr was roughly 5x5 meters.?

Hasan Basri said, ?I was a teenager and I could touch the ceiling of each hut as I stood in it. Each hujra consisted of only one room. The roof of each room was made of wooden pieces.? (Bukhari 581; Khilasatul Wifaa 278)

The wives of the Prophet spent their lives in such ordinary rooms. The hujra of Aaisha will be described below in more detail. Other hujrat are described in by the author?s separate book titled, ?Houses of the Companions of the Prophet .?

When Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz expanded the Prophet?s Mosque, he included in it all the hujrat except that of Aaisha . Sacred Chamber means that room in which the Prophet used to live with his wife Aaisha . Prophet passed away in this room and was buried in this very room. Later on Khalif Abu Bakr and Khalif Umar were also buried in this room. Isa will be buried in this room as well when Allah will send him down from the sky and when he will die like other human beings.

Dream of Aaisha
Aaisha said, ?I saw in a dream that three moons fell in my lap. I described this dream to my father Abu Bakr .? When Prophet Muhammad died and was buried in Aaisha?s room, Abu Bakr referring to Aaisha?s dream said to her, ?This is the one among your moons and it is better than the other two.?

Burial in Aaisha?s Chamber
Imaam Maalik said, ?Prophet Muhammad died on Monday and was buried on Tuesday. Some people suggested that he should be buried near the pulpit. Others suggested Baqee graveyard for his burial. Abu Bakr said, ?I have heard from Prophet Muhammad that a prophet is buried at that spot where he passes away.? Hence, Prophet Muhammad was buried in Aaisha?s hujra.?

When Prophet Muhammad was given a bath before his burial, a sound was heard calling for not removing the shirt of the Prophet . Hence, his shirt was not removed and he was given bath with his clothes on.

?People offered Salaatul Janaaza individually. No congregational Salaat was held with an Imaam.? (Muatta Imaam Maaliki)

Salaam ibn Ubayd was one of the residents of Suffah. He narrated that the companions asked Abu Bakr , ?Should we bury the prophet?? Abu Bakr replied, ?Yes?. They asked, ?Where?? Abu Bakr said, ?Where he died.? Hence, the prophet was buried in Aaisha?s chamber.? (Majmau`z-zawaaid)

As described in Bukhari, Aaisha said, ?Prophet Muhammad said during his illness before death, ?Where will I stay tonight? Where am I supposed to be tomorrow?? All his wives very willingly agreed to let him stay in my chamber during his final illness? He passed away when his head was in my lap. He was buried in my room.

Preparation for the Grave
Abdullah ibn Abbaas narrated that at the time of the bath of the Prophet , some companions gathered outside his house. Abbaas called two of them. He sent one to bring Abu Ubayd ibn Jarrah since he used to dig straight graves in Makkah. Abbas sent the other person to bring Abu Talha since he used to dig graves in Madina with a side trench in it. At that time, Abbaas also made this supplication, ?O Allah, choose one of them for your beloved Prophet.? By chance, the messengers could not find Abu Ubayd or Abu Talha . Hence, Abbaas made the grave for the prophet with a side trench at the bottom of the grave. (Bukhari; Muatta)

Burial of Abu Bakr
Khalif Abu Bakr left a will with Aaisha to bury him by the side of Prophet Muhammad . Hence, he was buried there in such a way that his head was in line with the shoulders of Prophet Muhammad . A grave with side trench was prepared for him.

Ibn Kathir wrote that Abu Bakr died in Jumaada II of 13H. He was sixty three years old just like Prophet Muhammad . He was, in his way, with the Prophet after death just like he was with him during his lifetime. During Abu Bakr?s fifteen days illness, Umar led the Salaat.

Supplication of Umar and his Martyrdom
Prophet Muhammad migrated to Madina and spent rest of his life there and finally died in Madina. As described by ibn Majah and narrated by ibn Umar , Prophet Muhammad used to say, ?You should wish to die in Madina. I shall be a witness for the person who dies in Madina.?

Hence, Umar used to make the following du?aa as mentioned in Bukhari, ?O Allah, please grant me martyrdom and make me die in the city of your beloved prophet .?

Ibn Kathir wrote that Allah granted the du?aa of Umar and combined his both wishes. Umar was leading Salaatul Fajr on 26 Dhul-Hijjah in the year of 23H. A person attacked him with a double edged sharp dagger causing a fatal wound. This was done by a slave of al-Mughyrah ibn Shaba. This slaves was known as Abu Lu-lu who was a worshipper of fire and not a Muslim by faith.

Lot of blood was gushing out of the wound of Umar . He was immediately brought to his home. At times, he passed out and at times he regained his senses. When he was reminded of the Salaat, he completed his Salaat and said, ?Those who do not establish Salaat have nothing to do with Islam.? Umar enquired, ?Who was the attacker?? He was told about Abu Lu-lu, the non-Muslim. Umar said, ?All praise is for Allah who did not cause my death by the hands of a person who is Muslim by faith.? Soon after this he died and was buried by the side of Abu Bakr on the first of Muharram in the year 24H. Umar was the third moon which Aaisha saw in her dream.

Umar?s Permission for Burial
As mentioned in Bukhari and narrated by Amar ibn Maymoon , ?I saw that Umar was instructing his son, Abdullah ibn Umar to visit Aaisha and after conveying his salaam to her, to make the following request. ?Umar requests you to grant him permission to be buried along with his companions in her chamber.? Ibn Umar went to Aaisha and requested her accordingly. She said, ?I had reserved this spot for myself. I however, grant you the permission out of sympathy.? When ibn Umar returned he informed Umar about the permission of Aaisha . Umar said, ?After my death again convey my salaams to Aaisha and request her once again to grant the permission for burial in her chamber. If she does not grant the permission, bury me in Baqee cemetery.? Aaisha again granted the permission.?

Ali?s Du?aa
As mentioned in Bukhari, ibn Abbaas narrated, ?Umar was put on a cot or a bed after his death. Many people surrounded the cot and were making supplications for Umar . I was among these people. One person put his hand on my shoulder. I turned around and noticed that it was Ali . Ali made the following supplication, ?O Umar, may Allah?s mercy be showered on you. I wish when I face Allah, I go there with wonderful deeds like yours. I swear I have full faith in the fact that Allah will make you join your companions. I often heard this from Prophet , ?I, Abu Bakr and Umar went. I, Abu Bakr and Umar entered. I, Abu Bakr and Umar came out.?

Veil of Aaisha
After the burial of Umar in the Sacred Chamber, Aaisha put a partition between the area occupied by the graves and rest of the room. It was because Umar was not Mahram to her. Hence, she continued keeping her veil from him even after his death.

It is mentioned in Tabaqatul Kubra and narrated by Maalik ibn Anas , ?After burial of Umar in the Sacred Chamber, Aaisha divided her room into two parts by building a wall between the graves and rest of her tiny living area. Whenever she went to the area occupied by the graves, she wore Islamic veil.?

It is mentioned in Wifa-ul-Wifaa, Aaisha said, ?When no wall was built between the graves and my living area, I never took my veil off and used to stay wrapped up in clothes.?

These steps of Aaisha are a guiding light for the Muslim women to observe the Islamic veil. Every Muslim woman should ask herself how close she is to this Islamic practice.

Order of the Three Graves
There are different narrations regarding the order and lay out of the graves of Prophet Muhammad and his two companions resting in the Sacred Chamber. Most of the scholars have described it as follows: First Prophet Muhammad , Abu Bakr?s grave is a bit north of the Prophet?s grave in such a way that the head of Abu Bakr is in line with the shoulders of the Prophet . Slightly north of it is the grave of Umar and his head is in line with the shoulders of Abu Bakr .

Samhoudi and other scholars preferred this description over other versions. Nawawi and many other scholars have used this lay out to guide visitors for salutation to Prophet and his companions. Nawawi said, ?The visitor should face towards the grave with his back toward Qiblah and respectfully offer salutations to the prophet . Then move about half a meter to his right and offer salutation to Abu Bakr . Finally, move about half meter more to his right and offer salutation to Umar .

The Outer Appearance of the Graves
It will be pertinent to mention here that the companions never put bricks or other similar materials on these three graves. Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr narrated as mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawud, ?I visited Aaisha and requested her to show me these three graves. I observed that the graves were neither very high above the ground nor totally in level with the ground. I saw these covered with reddish color earth.?

It is mentioned in Tabaqatul Kubraa by ibn Sa?ad as narrated by Qaasim, ?I was only a child when I visited these graves which were covered with reddish colour earth.?

It is mentioned in Fath al-Baari as narrated by Abu Bakr Ajari , ?I saw these graves during the period of Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz . These were about four inches above the ground level.? It is also mentioned in Fath al-Baari as narrated by Rija ibn Haiwah, ?Waleed ibn Abdul-Malik wrote to Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz to purchase the hujrat of the wives of Prophet Muhammad and include this area in the mosque as well. When the walls of the hujrats were removed, these graves became visible. The sandy soil on the graves had somewhat levelled off. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz rebuilt the walls of Aaisha?s chamber during the expansion of the Prophet?s mosque.?

A renowned scholar, Samhoudi, mentioned in Wifa-ul-Wifaa that the walls of the sacred chamber were remodelled in 878H. He had the privilege and honour of entering the Sacred Chamber during these repairs. Samhoudi said, ?As I entered the Sacred Chamber, I found very delicate fragrance there which I had never experienced in my life before. I offered salutation to the Prophet and his both companions. Then I focussed my attention to condition of the graves so that I could describe it fully to others. All three graves were almost even to the ground level. At one place, there was a slight rise above the ground level. It was probably, Umar?s grave. The graves were definitely covered by ordinary earth.?

After this occasion, nobody has been able to se these graves since all the four walls of the Sacred Chamber have been fully built upto the roof level and closed for any view.

I may add that some people are carrying pictures of these graves indicating that the graves are built of bricks or stones and are quite high from the ground level. It is total fabrication. This approach is like following the footsteps of the Jews. When Jews wanted to make something permissible for them, they would ascribe it to Prophet Moosa to justify their actions.

Spot for the Fourth Grave
As mentioned some Hadith and other authentic books there is a spot for a fourth grave in the Sacred Chamber. This is the same spot which Aaisha offered to Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Auf . Hafs ibn Umar ibn Abdur-Rahmaan narrated, ?When Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Auf was on his death bed, Aaisha sent him a message that I have kept a spot for you near the Prophet . Accept it, if you like.? Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Auf said, ?I have heard that you have removed your veil since Umar was buried in your room. Furthermore, I do not like to convert the house of the Prophet into a cemetery. I have promised Uthmaan ibn Ma?zoon that our graves will be situated close to each other.? (History of Madina ? ibn Shabah)

Hence, there is a spot for a fourth grave in the Sacred Chamber. It is also mentioned in Bukhari that Aaisha left this will with her nephew Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr , instructing him not to bury her in the Sacred Chamber. Rather bury her with rest of the wives of the Prophet in Baqee cemerety since she does not wish to distinguish herself from his other wives.

Imaam Maalik said, ?there was some space in the Sacred Chamber. Hence, Aaisha was told that, if it pleased her, she would be buried there after her death.? Aaisha replied, ?I would then become one who invents an innovation.?

Many scholars have written that there is a spot for a grave near the eastern part of the Sacred Chamber. Sa?eed ibn al-Musayyab said, ?This is the spot for Eesa .? Furthermore, it is obvious that there was a tiny living area for Aaisha in her humble hut after the partition was built to separate her from the graves. In other words, there is a spot for the fourth grave in the Sacred Chamber, where Eesa will be buried.

Burial of Eesa
Tirmidhi has mentioned as narrated by Abdullah ibn Salaam , ?The characteristics of Prophet Muhammad are described in Old Testament and it is also mentioned there that Eesa will be buried with him.?

Abdullah ibn Umar has narrated that Prophet Muhammad said, ?Eesa will descend to the earth. He will marry and will have children. In this way, he will spend forty five years and finally he will die and will be buried with me. On the day of judgment, I, Eesa , Abu Bakr and Umar will rise from the same site.? (al-Wifa)

Historical Stages in Construction of the Sacred Chamber
Original hujra or hut of Aaisha was built of branches of palm trees covered with blanket of hair. The frame of the door was made of wood. The branches of trees were replaced by bricks by Umar .

It is narrated by Ubaydullah ibn Abu Yazeed that the walls of the house of Prophet were not made of bricks, stones or any other such materials. Umar rebuilt these walls by bricks during his Caliphate. These walls were, however, small. Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr raised these higher. (Tabaqatul Kubraa). Near the end of the first century of Hijra, Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz constructed the walls of the Sacred Chamber with black stone.

The Event of a Visible Foot
Urwa ibn al-Zubayr narrated that hujrat were removed during the period of Waleed ibn Abdul-Malik in order to include them in the expansion of the Prophet?s Mosque. At that time, the eastern wall of the Sacred Chamber collapsed. It was necessary to dig its foundation to rebuild it. In this process a foot appeared.

Someone said that it was perhaps the Prophet?s foot. Urwa saw it and said, ?I swear it is not the Prophet?s foot, it is Umar?s foot.?

More detail of this event is given by Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Aqeel. He said, ?I used to come to the Prophet?s Mosque in the late part of the night. I used to salute Prophet and then used to stay in the mosque till Salaatul Fajr. One night it was raining. When I reached near the house of al-Mughyrah ibn Sha?aba, I came across some fragrance which I had never experienced before. I entered the mosque and saluted the Prophet . I was surprised to see that one wall of the Sacred Chamber had collapsed. I went inside the chamber and saluted the Prophet again. Shortly after this, Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, the governor of Madina, arrived there since he had been informed about the fall of the wall. He ordered to cover the Sacred Chamber with a large piece of cloth. In the morning a builder was brought and was told to go inside the chamber. He requested that another person should also accompany him. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz became ready for it. Qaasim ibn Abu-Bakr volunteered for it also. Similarly, Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar volunteered too and insisted to accompany them as well. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz said, ?We should not bother the residents of the graves by crowding there.? Umar then said to his freed slave, Mazaham, ?Please go inside all alone.? Mazaham said, ?The first grave is slightly lower in height than the other two graves.? After the completion of the renovation, Umar said to Mazaham, ?Go inside again and clean the Sacred Chamber.? Mazaham went in again and did the general cleaning there after the renovation activities. Later on, Umar remarked, ?I wish I had done this cleaning in place of Mazaham. This cleaning activity would have been better for me than all of the worldly assets?.?

Five Cornered Walls
In 91H, Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz built these five cornered walls around the inner four walls of the Sacred Chamber so that nobody may enter the Sacred Chamber. These outer walls are about seven meters high and are covered by a cloth. These days this outer structure is called Sacred Chamber. Samhoudi said, ?The outer walls were made with five corners instead of four, so that the Sacred Chamber does not resemble the Ka?abah. This was to avoid any possibility of people making prostration to the Sacred Chamber.?

In 1296H, a screen of a window fell inside the Sacred Chamber. Burzanji went, with the Imaam of Prophet?s Mosque, on the roof of the mosque. They saw that there was an inner smaller dome. The inner Sacred Chamber was a square structure and covered with a cloth. Hence, it was not possible to se inside the Sacred Chamber enclosed by the four walls.

Renovation of Walls of the Sacred Chamber
During the period of Qaitabai, the walls of the Sacred Chamber were renovated again. Samhoudi described it as follows:

?The eastern wall of Sacred Chamber developed some cracks. The cracks were filled and white washing was done on top of it. In due course of time, these fillings wore off and cracks appeared in the five cornered walls of the Sacred Chamber. Hence, on the 14th of Sha?baan 881H, the outer five walls of the Sacred Chamber were removed for reconstruction. The cracks were also visible in the inner four walls of the Sacred Chamber. Hence, these innermost walls were also removed. This made the Sacred Chamber open and visible.? Samhoudi stated, ?I had the privilege and honour to enter the Sacred Chamber. I entered from the backside, i.e. North. I experienced a unique fragrance there which I never came across in my life. I humbly saluted the Prophet and his two companions. I then took part in reconstruction of the Sacred Chamber voluntarily and this construction work was completed on the seventh of Shawaal.?

Samhoudi added, ?We saw that the inner structure of the Sacred Chamber was a square and built of black stones similar to the stone of the Ka?abah. There was no door in it. The visitor automatically develops very lovely feelings there.?