Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي التَّيَّاحِ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ كَانَ مَوْضِعُ مَسْجِدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِبَنِي النَّجَّارِ وَكَانَ فِيهِ نَخْلُ وَقُبُورُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَامِنُونِي بِهِ فَقَالُوا لَا نَأْخُذُ لَهُ ثَمَنًا وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَبْنِيهِ وَهُمْ يُنَاوِلُونَهُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ أَلَا إِنَّ الْعَيْشَ عَيْشُ الْآخِرَهْ فَاغْفِرْ لِلْأَنْصَارِ وَالْمُهَاجِرَهْ قَالَ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي قَبْلَ أَنْ يُبْنَى الْمَسْجِدُ حَيْثُ أَدْرَكَتْهُ الصَّلَاةُ.
English Translation
Waki' narrated to us: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Abu al-Tayyah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The site of the Prophet's mosque, peace and blessings be upon him, belonged to Banu al-Najjar, and it had palm trees and graves of polytheists in it. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to them: "Set a price for it for me." They said, "We will not take any payment for it." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, built it, while they handed him materials, and he was saying: "Indeed, true life is the life of the Hereafter, so forgive the Helpers and the Emigrants." And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pray, before the mosque was built, wherever the time of prayer found him.