Hannana pillar

Ḥannana pillar (the weeping pillar) was the trunk of a date palm tree that was present in the Prophet's Mosque during the life of the Prophet (s). The Prophet used to lean on it while delivering sermons to the worshippers. It is narrated that after a pulpit was made for the prophet(s), a sound similar to crying and lamenting came from the trunk of the palm tree. For this reason, it was called the Hannana pillar. According to some reports, people thought the Hannana pillar was one of the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque; however, this has been refuted by some historians. It is said that the trunk of that tree was buried in the Prophet's Mosque somewhere next to the pulpit of the prophet and the Mukhallaqa pillar.

Hannana pillar

General Information
Place	Medina, Masjid al-Nabi
Usage	The backest of the Prophet of Islam during his speech in the mosque
History
Events	The weeping of the trunk of the Prophet's backrest tree
Current State
Status	no longer existing

History

The Prophet of Islam (s) used to lean against the trunk of a date palm tree and speak before a pulpit was made. After the pulpit was made in the sixth or seventh year)1) or the eighth year of Hijra the first time he used the pulpit for a speech and sermon, a moaning sound came from that tree trunk, similar to the moaning of a female camel separated from its baby or like the sound of a cowwas heard. At this moment, Prophet Muhammad (s) descended from the pulpit and embraced the tree trunk or placed his hand on it until its moaning stopped. According to the book "Muntaha al-Amal," this incident was one of the miracles of the Prophet of Islam (s). According to a narration, the Prophet said that if he had not embraced the tree trunk, it would have continued moaning until the Day of Judgment.(5) Qummī, Muntahā al-āmāl, vol. 1, p. 84.

name

They named this tree trunk "Hannana." Hannana is derived from the root "Ḥannā," which means a melodious or sorrowful sound. Additionally, in Arabic hadith and geographical sources, it is known as "al-Jidh‘," which means the tree trunk.

The fate of the tree trunk

Most reports indicate that this tree trunk was buried in the mosque, near the pulpit of the Prophet, at that very time. Some have said it was buried beneath the pulpit, some have said at the bottom left of the pulpit, and others have said it was buried to the east of the pulpit. According to one narration, the Prophet spoke to the tree trunk and asked if it wished to be a fruit-bearing tree in Paradise, from which the friends of God would eat its fruits, or if it preferred to be returned to the garden it once belonged to. It chose Paradise and eternal life. According to reports, the location where the trunk of Hannana was placed was near the Mukhallaqa pillar.

Common beliefs

Reports from certain historical periods suggest that people believed one of the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque was the same pillar as Hannana. Ibn Jubayr (who traveled to Medina between 578-588 AH/1182-3) reports that people would touch and kiss a piece of wood protruding from under the column's covering for blessing. Ibn Battuta also mentions this report in his travelogue. Matari, an eighth-century historian, also reported a similar account and emphasized the inaccuracy of this belief Maraghi mentions in "Tahqiq al-Nasra" that, by the order of the judge of Medina in 755 AH/1373-4, this part of the wood was covered.

The virtues of the Hannana pillar

According to some Shia narrations, praying beside Hannana has been recommended. It is said that in these narrations, Hannana likely refers to its location in the Prophet's Mosque.

In mystical literature

The story of the tree trunk weeping in the absence of the Prophet of Islam has been a focal point in the mystical literature of Muslims. It has been narrated from Hasan al-Basri that when he was narrating the Hadith of the Trunk, he would cry and say, "A piece of wood weeps out of longing for the Messenger of Allah. O servants of God, your longing should be even greater.

References

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