While at Madinah father and my self went towards Jannat-ul-Baqi (Baqi Graveyard) to offer prayers for the Muslims buried there. This graveyard holds equal importance for all sects of Islam therefore it is always crowded by pilgrims but the Saudi government has imposed timings for visiting the graveyard. The timings for the visit are from Fajar prayers till 10 AM and then from Asar prayers till half an hour before Maghrib prayers and women are not allowed to visit the graveyard. In the graveyard once we entered from the main gate we found that on right side the area was blocked with the help of iron grill and pilgrims were standing with the grill and praying, most of the pilgrims were of Iranian origin. We found out that beyond this grill there were the graves of Imam Hassan, Imam Zain ul Abideen, Imam Jaffer, Imam Baqir, Hazarat Abbass and Bibi Fatima (Daughter of Holy Prophet). We both prayed there and then moved to other parts of the graveyard. We there found graves of Wives, Daughters and son Ibrahim of Holy Prophet and then visited the grave of his aunts Safia and Atiqa.

We also visited graves of third Caliph Usman Bin Affan (RA) and Bibi Halima who was Holy Prophet's maid in the childhood. In Baqi graveyard policemen were also present both inside and outside the graveyard and were having a very keen eye on pilgrims. They did not allow people to take cameras inside the graveyard nor allowed any one to morn at the graves of Imams, still I saw people taking photographs of graves with mobile phones having cameras installed in them. Women normally stand with the wall of the graveyard and look through the holes in the wall; they are only permitted to stand with the wall and are strictly prohibited to enter the graveyard. There is no information available regarding graves or people who are buried there neither any Arabic speaking official would tell, if asked. Whatever information is available, it has been communicated through other pilgrims especially Iranians who have mostly fairly good knowledge about the graves of important people buried there.

Riaz-ul-Jannah

It is a saying of Holy Prophet (PBUH) that “There is garden of paradise in area between my house and my sermon giving place (Mimber) in the Mosque”. Most of the Islamic scholars agree that this place is a gift from All Mighty Allah to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) the way he gifted Prophet Ibrahim with two stones from Paradise and those stones were Hijra-e-Aswad (Black Stone) and Muqam-e-Ibrahim (Station of Ibrahim). It is important that one should strive to offer Nawafils at Riaz-ul-Jannah and if possible should offer regular prayers there. One should feel him-self lucky if he gets a chance to offer regular prayers there as the area is quite small and is always full with pilgrims and locals offering Nawafils there. By the grace of All Mighty Allah my father and myself offered Nawafils there twice. I there saw people pushing each other to get a place there during regular prayers, but in Prophet's Mosque one should avoid doing such things, which are equivalent to disrespecting Holy Prophet (PBUH) or his teachings.

Important Pillars of The Mosque.

Although the complete Mosque is holy but few pillars are important and have historical significance and these are as following :

1. Pillar of Hannana (Astawana Hannana).
2. Pillar of Ayesha (Astawana Ayesha).
3. Pillar of Mercy (Astawana Tooba)
4. Pillar of Sarrer (Astawana Sarrer)
5. Pillar of Ali (Astawana Ali)
6. Pillar of Delegations (Astawana Wafood)
7. Pillar of Morning rayers (Astawana Tahajad)
8. Station of Angel Jibrael (Gabriel) *
9. Station of the Companions (Sufha-e-Sahaba)*

*Both these places are important, but are not pillars.

Masjid-e-Nabvi has an engineering marvel incorporated in its construction and that is the use of Floating Domes technique in the ceiling. A total of twenty-seven courtyards have been made in the mosque building and each has been covered with a floating dome. These domes have been specifically designed to evade suffocation by the pilgrims once the mosque is overcrowded. These domes can be moved from their places to let fresh air come in. This concept of floating domes was given during reconstruction of the mosque by Chief Architect of the project Doctor Kamal Ismael and were designed by a German Muslim engineer Mr Mehmood and the design was approved by than King Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz. For the benefit and comfort of pilgrims offering prayers in the courtyard of the mosque or out side the main building huge electronic umbrellas have been installed. When the sun is shinning at its peak these electronic umbrellas provide cool shade to the pilgrims sitting under them.

Masjid-e-Nabvi is centrally air-conditioned and the chilling unit for the mosque has been constructed outside the city and from there chilled air is pumped to the mosque through pipes. This whole cooling system is based upon cooling the air through chilled water. A comprehensive supply system for provision of Zamzam water has been established in the mosque and all pilgrims can take Zamzam water for personal usage from the supply point established. Zamzam water is provided within the premises of the mosque and is shipped from Makkah to Medina Munawarra through huge water tankers. Zamzam water is also available inside the mosque building in plastic water coolers. Big underground ablution / bath areas have been constructed around the main mosque and people can go to the areas by using stairs or escalators. Ablution / bath areas for men and women are separate.