7 facts about Riaz ul Jannah in Masjid Nabawi

What is Riaz ul Jannah?

The area between the Minbar and the sacred chamber of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in Masjid al Nabawi is called Radwah or Riaz ul Jannah. In this article, we have emphasized on the importance of Riaz ul Jannah and its pillars, guided about the best timings to enter for ladies and men.

Riaz ul Jannah is one of the gardens of Jannah

• Riaz ul Jannah is one of the gardens of Jannah
• Praying at Riaz ul Jannah – 1,000 times Hasanat
• Riaz ul Jannah Dua
• Rawdah green carpet area
• How to enter Riaz ul Jannah?
• Riaz ul Jannah Timing for ladies
• The Pillars of Riaz ul Jannah
• Video

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Between my house and my pulpit there is a garden of the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is on the fountain tank (i.e. Al-Kauthar).” Sahih al-Bukhari 1196

Praying at Riaz ul Jannah – 1,000 times Hasanat

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “One Salat in Riyadhul Jannah is better than one thousand prayers in any other Masjid, except for Al-Masjid Al-Haram.” – Jami` at-Tirmidhi Hadith 3916

Riaz ul Jannah Dua

People often ask if there is a special Riaz ul Jannah dua, I think you should read the following two hadith;

• Anas bin Malik R.A narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: “When you pass by Riaz ul Jannah, feast.” – Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3510
• Abu Hurairah R.A. asked Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), what is feasting? He said, سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ – Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3509

Rawdah green carpet area

In order to segregate Riaz ul Jannah from the rest of the Masjid al Nabawi, Rawdah is carpeted with green carpet while the entire Masjid al Nabawi has a red carpet.

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How to enter Riaz ul Jannah?

Men can enter Masjid al Nabawi through any gate and go to Riaz ul Jannah from inside. Here are some tips for men who want to enter Rawdah; 

• Don’t go alone

Make sure you are healthy and fit to bear the pressure of the crowd or at least have someone with you who can accompany you through the crowd while entering Riaz ul Jannah.

• Enter from the Gate 2

Enter the mosque from the Gate no.2 (the gate commonly known as the Abu Bakr Siddique’s Gate). The gate no.2 gets closes down about 1 hour prior to Adhan. So, go early, sit and wait for the doors to be opened.

The ideal place for sitting at that time is near the golden Stairs/Mimbre. As soon as the officials come to open it, be with the crowd to enter the Riaz ul Jannah.

If you enter through Gate 1 i.e. Bab Salam, you can go to Roda Rasool but the security will not let you go inside the garden of Jannah unless you are a very old man.

• Timing

Men can enter Riaz ul Jannah at any time (opened for them for 24 hours usually after mandatory prayers).

Riaz ul Jannah Timing for ladies

Ladies can only enter to Riaz ul Jannah from Gate 25 of Masjid al Nabawi. It is better to book your hotel near gate 25 of Masjid al Nabawi as the timings for women to visit Roda Rasool (ﷺ) is limited.

Riaz ul Jannah and Roda Rasool are open for limited timings three times in a whole day for ladies.

• From Fajr prayer till 10 am.
• For a very short time after the Duhr prayer.
• After Isha prayer or 9 pm (whichever is later) till midnight i.e. 12 am.

Fajr is the best time for ladies to visit Riaz ul Jannah because at that time it opens for the longest time, so it is better for you to offer your Fajr prayers and wait there for the doors to open.

Although the timings written on the pillars of King Saud Gate in Masjid al Nabawi state that the Roda Rasool remains open from sunrise until Duhr prayer for ladies, but in my practical experience it is not true. 

Useful Tips for Women

• Do not carry anything in your hand like clothes or edibles. The guard may stop you at the gate.
• During the days of Hajj and before Eid-ul Adha there is less crowd and at this time you can easily visit Masjid-al-Nabawi without any hurdles.

The Pillars of Riaz ul Jannah

There are 6 pillars in Riaz ul Jannah inside Masjid al Nabawi which have a very special significance. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah, it is referring to the exact location of each pillar of Masjid al Nabawi. We have given details about each one of them below;

Ustuwaanah Hannaanah – اسطوانة حنانة

Ustwaanah Hannaanah is the pillar which is located behind the mihrab of the Holy Prophet Mosque inside Riaz ul Jannah.

The pillar is located towards the righter side and is considered as one of the most blessed pillars as it used to be the place of prayer of the Holy Prophet. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 1.

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree (while delivering a sermon). When the pulpit was placed for him we heard that stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet (ﷺ) got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it. – Sahih al-Bukhari 918

Ustuwaanah Sareer – اسطوانة سرير

The word Sareer means the sleeping place. The reason this pillar in Riaz ul Jannah is called Sareer is that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to sleep here while making an Itikaf.

During that time, a wooden platform used to be kept at this spot in Masjid al Nabawi where we have Ustuwanah Sareer. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 2.

Ustuwaanah Tawbah – اسطوانة التوبة

The pillar of Tawbah in Riazul Jannah is also called Ustuwana Abu Lababah. Actually, there is a great story associated with this pillar of Masjid al Nabawi.

During 5 Hijri, Muslims sieged Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe. Banu Qurayza had very good relations with Abu Lubaba ibn Abd al-Mundhir, R.A so they contacted him to know what Muslims are planning to do with them. Abu Lababah disclosed the plans of Muslims to Banu Qurayza.

After realizing his mistake, he became saddened and went to the Masjid al Nabawi and tied himself to a date tree saying that he shall not untie himself until his repentance is accepted by Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) should himself untie him.

When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) came to know this, he said: “If he had come to me, I would have begged on his behalf for his forgiveness but now he had acted on his own initiative so how can I untie him until his repentance is accepted.”

It is said that he remained tied for 6 nights without food and water until the day his Tawbah was accepted by Allah. Later Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) untied him. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 3.

Ustuwaanah Aisha – اسطوانة عائشة

Ustuwaanah Aisha is also known as the Muhajireen pillar because the immigrants from Makkah to Madina used to sit near this spot in Riaz ul Jannah. There is a reason this pillar is called Ustuwaanah Aisha.

Narrated Aisha R.A.: Once Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “In this Masjid is one such spot that if people knew the true blessed nature thereof, they would flock towards it in such that to pray there they would cast lots (Qur’ah).”

People asked for this spot but the mother of believers refused to tell it. Later, Abdullah Ibn Zubair R.A insisted and she pointed out the location and since then, it is called Ustuwaanah Aisha. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 4.

Ustuwaanah Hars – اسطوانة الحرس

Hars literally means to watch or to protect. Once again there is a beautiful story behind the reason this pillar in Riaz ul Jannah is called Ustuwaanah Hars or Ustuwaanah Ali.

This is the place where companions of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and especially Ali R.A used to sit as a gatekeeper and guard Masjid al Nabawi and the house of Prophet. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 5.

Ustuwaanah Wufood – اسطوانة وفود

The reason this pillar in Riaz ul Jannah is called Ustuwana Wufood is that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to meet foreign delegations at this place. The literal meaning of Wufood is delegation.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to talk to foreign delegates for long hours around this pillar of Masjid al Nabawi in which he would often teach them about Islam. If you look at the map of Riaz ul Jannah given above, the pillar is spotted with the number 6.

Ustuwaanah Tahajjud – اسطوانة تهجد

Although Ustuwaanah Tahajjud is not part of Riaz ul Jannah, it is an important pillar of Masjid al Nabawi. This was the exact spot where Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to perform his Tahajjud prayers.

An indication was present in this place to pinpoint the exact location of the place where the Holy Prophet used to perform his Tahajjud, however, it has now been hidden with a bookcase or shelf.

Ustuwaanah Jibraeel – اسطوانة جبريل

Ustuwaanah Jibraeel is the place from where the angel Jibraeel (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) used to enter Masjid al Nabawi and therefore, it is called the pillar of Jibraeel. Today, we cannot see this place as it is hidden inside the sacred chamber or Roda Rasool of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

There are even some pillars inside Masjid al Nabawi which indicate the original boundary of the Mosque when it was first built. The mosque was much smaller when it had been built initially and over time and through various expansion projects the Mosque has reached the size it is today.

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