Building of Masjid al-Nabawi

The Prophet ﷺ's camel knelt on a plantation-drying ground owned by two orphan brothers, Sahal and Suhayl, who had inherited it from their father. The Prophet ﷺ insisted on paying its due price rather than accepting it as a gift. The date palms on the land were cut down and used for the masjid's front and back walls, with the sahaba building the other walls from clay brick; the Prophet ﷺ personally took part in the construction, carrying bricks alongside the sahaba. It took about two weeks to build (reported in al-Bayhaqi's Dala'il), and was roughly 100x130 feet. It had three public doors: Bab al-Rahma (south), Bab Jibril (west), and Bab al-Nisa' (east, assigned after Umar RA suggested men and women not share an entrance), plus private entrances from adjoining houses, including Abu Bakr RA's and the Prophet ﷺ's own house (Aisha RA's). The roof at first covered only the northern portion (then facing the Jerusalem qibla); after the qibla changed to Makkah that area became the back of the masjid and was known as al-Suffa. A full roof was later added, though only to block the sun; Sahih Bukhari records that it still leaked, since the Prophet ﷺ prayed on the rain-muddied ground on the 22nd of Ramadan, likely 8 AH. Of the later Rashidun, Abu Bakr RA made no changes; Umar RA solidified the structure with wooden pillars, a waterproof roof, and expanded it by 10-15 rows; Uthman RA expanded it by about 50% more.