Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي التَّيَّاحِ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ كَانَ مَوْضِعُ مَسْجِدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِبَنِي النَّجَّارِ وَكَانَ فِيهِ نَخْلٌ وَخِرَبٌ وَقُبُورٌ مِنْ قُبُورِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَامِنُونِي فَقَالُوا لَا نَبْغِي بِهِ ثَمَنًا إِلَّا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالنَّخْلِ فَقُطِعَ وَبِالْحَرْثِ فَأُفْسِدَ وَبِالْقُبُورِ فَنُبِشَتْ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ يُصَلِّي فِي مَرَابِضِ الْغَنَمِ حَيْثُ أَدْرَكَتْهُ الصَّلَاةُ.
English Translation
Anas ibn Malik said: The site of the Prophet's mosque belonged to the Banu al-Najjar and had palm trees, ruins, and graves from the pre-Islamic period. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to them: "Name your price for it." They said: "We do not seek any price for it except from Allah." So the Messenger of Allah ordered the palm trees to be cut down, the cultivated land to be cleared, and the graves to be exhumed. Before that, the Messenger of Allah used to pray in sheep pens wherever the prayer time reached him.