Stories Evolving Souls; Prophets, Shufis & Shalih People
Muhammad Kamal Isma’eel; The Architect of Masjidil Harom & Masjid An-Nabawi
Muhammad Kamal Isma’eel
This post is a story “DIBALIK STORY OF HEAT ABSORBING MARBLE IN MOSQUES NABAWI”
He was an Egyptian engineer and architect who preferred to stay away from the public limelight, unknown to many, he was Muhammad Kamal Isma’eel (1908-2008). This man designed the Harom Mecca Mosque and the An-Nabawi Mosque of Medina
He is: he is:
Youngest person in Egyptian history to earn a high school diploma,
The youngest person to enroll in the Royal School of Engineering and the youngest graduate,
Youngest man sent to Europe to get 3 doctorate in Islamic Architecture,
Youngest person to receive Nile Scarf and Iron Rank from Saudi Arabia's King.
He was the first engineer to plan and implement the expansion project of the Haramain Mosque (Mecca and Medina).
He refused to accept payment for his engineering design and architectural oversight, despite efforts from King Fahd and the Bin Laden company to pay for whatever he wrote in a check.
When he returned his blank check, he told Bakar Bin Ladan:
“Why should I receive money (for my work) at 2 Holy Mosques (Mecca & Medina), how will I face God (on the Day of Judgment later?).”
He married at the age of 44, his wife gave birth to a son, but later died, and after that he remained single and devoted all his time to worshiping God until he died.
He exceeded the 100 years he spent serving the 2 Holy Mosques and was far from the limelight of the mass media, fame and money.
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This genius has a remarkable story about the marble (works) of the Harom Mosque, because he wants to cover the floors of the Harom Mosque for those who do thowaf, and special marble to absorb heat, he said, and this marble only exists on a small mountain in Greece.
He traveled to Greece and signed a contract to buy a large amount of marble for the Harom Mosque (marbling), which is almost half of the marble mountain.
After 15 years, the Saudi government asked him to return to use a similar type of marble to be installed at the An-Nabawi Mosque in Medina.
Engineer Muhammad Kamal said,
“When the King asked to use the same type of marble for the Nabawi Mosque, I was very confused, because there is only 1 place on this earth that there is this type of marble, namely Greece, which is the same, and I have bought 1/2 of the marble deposit in the mountain.”
Kamal then went to the same company in Greece and met the CEO, and asked him about the remaining marble deposits. The CEO said that half the marble deposit had been sold as soon as Kamal left 15 years ago.
Kamal became very sad. Kamal left the meeting, and while leaving their office, he met with the Office Secretary and asked her to find information on the whereabouts of the person who had purchased the remaining marble deposit.
The Office Secretary said that it would be difficult to know if it did not open the archives because the business process had passed for so long. At Kamal's request, he promised to search his data in the archives. Kamal gave his address and hotel room number, and promised to revisit the next day.
The next day, a few hours before leaving for the airport, Kamal received a phone call from the secretary who said he had found the buyer's address, and then headed to the office in question, it turns out that the buyer is a company in Saudi Arabia.
Kamal then flew to Saudi Arabia the same day and on arrival, he went straight to the company's office and met with its Director, and asked him what he had done with the marble he had bought years ago from Greece.
The director said, he doesn't remember. He contacted the stock section (company) and asked them about the white marble from Greece and they told him that all the marble was still there, never used.
Kamal started crying like a baby, and next told his full story to the company owner.
Kamal presented a blank check (without writing the amount of the transaction) to the marble owner, and asked him to write down the amount he wanted, regardless of the amount.
When the owner of the marble learned that the marble was for the construction of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, he said:
“I won't accept 1 Riyal either. God made me buy this marble and forget it, it means that this marble is already destined by God to be used for Masjid An-Nabawi.”
May Allah bless Kamal the highest place in Jannah, aamiin.
Written by:
Dr. Zaglool Al Najjar, an Earth Scientist.
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Remembering the Dawuh KH. Moh's. Zuhri Zaini Guru and my Soul Instructor at Pondok Pesantren Nurul Jadid Paiton Probolinggo at one time in the mosque
“We know that the journey of the afterlife is very long and unlimited. But why are we so relaxed about preparing supplies.?”
The above is a clear example for us of the servant of God who always precedes the Hereafter over the world. They realize that this world is only temporary and meaningless compared to the eternal afterlife. They really make the world a field of the hereafter, as a place to continue to plant charity for the harvest in the hereafter. They never relax to prepare the food.
May we belong to the group of righteous people who always plant charity for the provision of our hereafter. Amens