Hilal Kazan, PhD

When the Prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina, one of the first things he did was to construct a mosque there. One of the first buildings ever constructed by the Prophet himself, the Mosque of the Prophet was always at the center of the Prophet’s all activities in Medina. At the same time, it has served as an example to most subsequent mosques and masjids built in Islamic architectural history. Though simple and sober, this first mosque was constructed so as to be extremely functional. Also, according to generally accepted view of Islamic scholars, the Mosque of the Prophet is one of the three holiest mosques in Islam.

The Islamic tradition of decorating different works of art, including first and foremost historical buildings, with verses from the Quran has an important place in Islamic culture. As in literary works, quotations from the Quran, hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) and from the sayings of wise men are included in works of art, with the idea that such quotations add to the value of a work of art by contributing to its artistic value.

What are the important features when quoting from the Quran in works of art, or decorating buildings and other objects with Quranic verses? This essay will address this question by examining only the cases of the al-Masjid al-Haram and the al-Masjid al-Nabawi¹.