Life of Ahmad — Page 118
118 CHAPTER 9 MASJID MUB A RAK Ahmad’s as appearance in public through the press soon made felt the necessity of a mosque. Though the mosque is primarily meant to be a place for devotions yet it has always been more than that. It serves, says Hitti, as a general assembly hall and as a political and educational forum. The Holy Prophet sa used to sit in the mosque and strangers came to vistit him there; he talked and they discussed religious and other matters with him. The foundation of Masjid Mub a rak was laid adjoining Ahmad’s as house about the middle of 1883. It was a very small building at that time. One or two rooms were constructed over a roofed lane. By August 30th, 1883 (26th Shaww a l, 1300 A. H. ) the steps leading from the lane to the mosque were completed. The whitewashing of the interior was not done till October 9th, 1883 (7th Dhil h ij, 1300). In Mecca the early Muslims had no special place of worship. It is said that the Holy Prophet sa used to perform the S al a t in secret in the narrow alleys of