This gold grill is the front part of the Rawdah Mubarak, the Sacred Chamber in which the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) passed away and where he is buried. It also houses the graves of the first two Caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
With regards visiting Madinah and performing the Ziyarah (visiting the grave of the Holy Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)), the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said: “Whoever visits me after my death is like he who had visited me during my life.” [Tabraani] “Whoever performs his Hajj in Makkah, then comes to Madinah with the sole aim of visiting me in my Masjid, for him shall be written (the rewards of) two accepted Hajj.” [Daylami] “When a person stands at my grave reciting blessings on me, I hear it; and whoever calls for blessings on me in any other place, his every need in this world and in the hereafter is fulfilled and on the day of Qiyamah I shall be his witness and intercessor.” [Bayhaqi]
The viewing holes above are aligned to the faces of the inhabitants of the graves. The largest hole on the left directly faces the noble face of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). The one in the middle is aligned to the face of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and likewise the one on the right is aligned to the face of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
The Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) was buried in the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in whose house he was staying at the time of his death. The wives of the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) lived in small, simple huts adjacent to the masjid. Each hut consisted of a room which was approximately 5m x 4m with a small backyard and were made of unbaked bricks of mud with branches of palm tree as a roof covering.
On the left side of the hut of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was the hut of Sauda (may Allah be pleased with her), the second wife of the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). The hut of Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her), another wife of the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) and the daughter of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was on the opposite side. There used to be a very narrow street between their houses, just enough for one person to walk through. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) used to converse with each other while sitting in their own huts. Part of the hut of Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) was located inside the present Sacred Chamber and part of it is where visitors stand for salutation to the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ).
In 91 AH Umar bin Abdul Aziz (Allah show mercy on him) built five cornered walls so that nobody may enter inside the Sacred Chamber. After several plots were uncovered to steal the body of the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) by digging underneath the graves, the Sultan Nurruddin Zengi had a trench built around the chamber which was filled with molten lead.
Death and burial of the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)
In Muharram 11 AH the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) developed a temperature which kept getting higher and he became increasingly ill day by day. He sought permission from his wives to stay in the room of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) which they readily acceded to. On Monday, 12 Rabi al-Awwal, he came out with a bandage tied around his head. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading the salah and moved backwards but the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) motioned him to complete the prayer.
Among the last advice the Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) gave out was the importance of prayer and the just treatment of slaves and servants. In closing he said: “I leave with you two things. As long as you hold them tightly, you will never go astray; they are the Book of Allah (the Quran) and my sunnah.”
The Prophet (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) grew weaker and eventually passed away on the afternoon of Monday, 12 Rabiul-Awwal, 11 AH (633 CE).