Al-Sulaymani Mihrab

Al-Sulaymani Mihrab (Arabic: محراب سلیمانی) is one of mihrabs of al-Masjid al-Nabawi. This mihrab is on the right side of the the Prophet's Mihrab and the left side of the the Prophet's Pulpit. This mihrab was built in the mosque in the 9th/15th century and was the place of prayer for the followers of the Hanafi denomination. In 938/1531-2, by order of Sultan Suleiman I, this mihrab was rebuilt and since then it has been known as al-Sulaymani Mihrab.

Al-Sulaymani Mihrab

General Information
Other Names	Al-Hanfi Mihrab
Place	al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Place

Al-Sulaymani Mihrab, which is also called al-Hanafi Mihrab, is one of the mihrabs of al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. This mihrab is located within the area of the mosque in the time of the Prophet(a), outside the Rawda, at the southern area of the mosque (before the southern developments in the time of 'Umar and 'Uthman), in front and on the right side of the the Prophet's Mihrab and the left side of the Prophet's pulpit, in the place of the third column west of this pulpit and the seventh column of Bab al-Salam.

Construction

Al-Sulaymani Mihrab was built in 861/1456-7 during the era of Malik al-Ashraf Abu Nasr Inal, the Mamluk sultan (Ruled: 857/1453-4 - 865/1460-1) by the supervisor of the affairs of al-Masjid al-Haram, Tughan Sheikh al-Ahmadi al-Hanafi (881/1476-7) the manager of al-Masjid al-Haram. Before that, leaders of congregational prayer used to stand in the Prophet's Mihrab and in the al-'Uthmani Mihrab during the hajj season. Tughan Sheikh built a new mihrab in the mosque so that a separate congregational prayer could be held with a Hanafi leader.

After this date, the first congregational prayer was held following Shafi'i imam standing in the Prophet's Mihrab. Then a Hanafi imam led another congregational prayer in the new mihrab (which became known as the al-Hanafi mihrab and later the al-Sulaymani Mihrab). The Hanafi and Shafi'i imams performed the Tarawih prayer simultaneously on the nights of Ramadan. This arrangement was followed in Mecca as well.

Naming as al-Sulaymani Mihrab

The al-Hanafi Mihrab was rebuilt in 938/1531-2 by the order of Sultan Suleiman I, with the style of the Prophet's Mihrab, and was decorated with black and white marble, and from then on, it became known as the al-Sulaymani Mihrab Today, imam of congregational prayers of [[al-Masjid al-Nabawi do not stand in this mihrab rather they stand in al-'Uthmani Mihrab.

Mihrab inscriptions

Behind the building of the mihrab, there is an inscription in gold script on a shiny red oil background, about the construction of the mihrab by the order of Sultan Suleiman I in the year 938/1531-2.

Inside and around the mihrab is also decorated with inscriptions of verses of the Quran. The verses are: al-Baqara:162, Al 'Imran:95 and al-Tawba:112.

References

• Najafi, Sayyid Muhammad Baqir. Madina shinasi. Tehran: Mash'ar, 1387 sh.
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• Rafi'i sudani, Musṭafa b. Muhammad . Ittihaf al-Mu'minin bi tarikh masjid khatam al-nabyyin. Medina: Maktabat al- Maktabat al-'Ilmiyya, 1404 AH.
• Ṣabri Pasha, Ayyub. ‘'Mawsu'a mir'at al-haramayn. 1st edition. Cairo: Dar al-Āfaq al-'Arabiyya, 1424 AH.
• Sakhawi, Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Rahman. ‘'Al-Tuhfat al-laṭifa fi tarikh al-Madina al-sharifa. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, 1414 AH-1993.
• Samhudi, 'Ali b. 'Abd Allah. ‘'Wafa' al-wafa bi akhbar dar al-Muṣṭafa. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, 2006.
• Yusuf ,'Abd al-razzaq. M'alim dar al-hijra. Medina: Maktabat al-'Ilmiyya, 1401 AH.