A Visual Guide to Madinah Al Munawwarah: The Second Holiest City in Islam

How do you begin to describe the city of Madinah? It's full name is Madinah al Munawwarah. It was the adopted home of the Prophet, sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam. And its two main tribes adopted the Prophet, defending him and his faith, on the basis of a most blessed bargain: All they were promised was that their reward would be Paradise, and that the Prophet would not forsake them when Allah would one day liberate his original home, Makkah, from the idolators who hated Islam. The tribes of Yathrib, as Madinah was once called, used to fight decimating wars against each other. Islam was literally a path to peace for them. These tribes had no great renown in Arabia, and the Prophet sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam had never given them a lot of attention in his quest to find support among the tribes that came to Makkah for Hajj. But when the people of Yathrib showed their interest in Islam, the Prophet sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam, sent them a sahaba who devoted himself to their education. In a short time, there were Muslims in every home in Madinah. And it was not long after that time that Madinah became a refuge for Muslims that rivaled the previous emigrations to Abyssinia. And when the Prophet sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam arrived in Yathrib, it was the start of the first Islamic nation state. Alhamdolillah. And Madinah has been blessed ever since. There are only three masjids that Muslims have ever been permitted to visit on religious pilgrimmage. They are the holy mosques in Makkah, Madinah, and Jerusalem. Madinah's proximity to Makkah, and Jerusalem's occupation by the Israelis, means that Muslims who travel for Hajj or Umrah will usually also visit Madinah. May Allah subhanahu wata ala bless the pilgrims, the Hujjaj, keep them safe, and accept their Hajj, in sha Allah. This Google Video was produced in Toronto. It is a few years out of date. Most notably, the area of Khandaq, the Trench, which was also known as the "seven mosques" has changed considerably. Today, one mosque stands where the multiple structures stood. Also, the video perpetuates what is a small confusion about the masjid of the Prophet, sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam. The following information was provided by scholars who studied at Madinah University. Poor single men did live inside the masjid, but that area was all along the back wall of the masjid. The area was not limited to the two raised platforms that can be found today near where the Prophet sull Allahi alayhi wa sallam is buried, in the home of his wife Aisha, radi Allah anha. Here is the Google Video description: "Learn about the holiest city in Islam second only to Mecca (Makkah.) This includes the The Mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him.)"