1872 — Ibn Makhlad narrated to us, saying: Abū Jafar Muhammad ibn Yūsuf ibn Abī Mamar narrated to us, saying: Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Mughīra al-Makhzūmī narrated to us, saying: Mālik ibn Mighwal narrated to us, saying: Rajā ibn Haywa narrated to me, saying: Al-Walīd ibn Abd al-Malik wrote to Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz (may Allah have mercy on him), ordering him to demolish the Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) and his chambers and to rebuild the Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him). The chambers had already been purchased from their owners, who had been offered a generous price for them. Al-Walīd was the one responsible for building the Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him), the mosque of Mecca, the mosque of Damascus, and the mosque of Egypt.

Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz came and sat in one corner of the mosque, and I sat with him. He then ordered the chambers to be demolished. Never have I seen as many men and women weeping in anguish as I did that day, when the chambers of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were demolished. He then rebuilt the mosque.

When he wished to construct the chamber over the graves, he demolished ⦗2391⦘ the original chamber that had stood over them, and the three graves became visible. The sand above them had collapsed onto them. Umar intended to rise, level them, and have the masonry laid. Rajā said: I told him, “May Allah preserve the emir! If you rise, the people will rise with you and tread upon the graves. If only you would order a man to set them right.” I hoped that he would appoint me to do so, but he said, “Muzāhim, rise and set them right.”

Rajā ibn Haywa said: “The grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the foremost. Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was buried behind his head, with Abū Bakr’s head level with the middle of the Prophet’s body (peace and blessings be upon him). Umar was behind Abū Bakr, with his head level with the middle of Abū Bakr’s body—may Allah be pleased with them both.”