Question:
In a video, the speaker says, “Keep only the door of Abu Bakr open,” referring to the mosque door. He explains that the door was kept open only for Abu Bakr so that he could lead the prayer. However, you mentioned in your lecture that the meaning was “allow Abu Bakr to see (or meet) the Prophet.” According to your explanation, the meaning of “door” seems to refer to granting permission to see the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ. But according to the explanation in the video, “door” refers to the physical door of the mosque being kept open so that Abu Bakr could come and lead the prayer. He (the questioner) asks how this should be understood?
Answer:
To understand this question, some background details are necessary.
When the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ fell ill, it is reported that he instructed that all doors should be closed except the door of Abu Bakr. When explaining this, I mentioned that keeping Abu Bakr’s door open could also symbolically mean granting him special permission to see the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ. Another scholar, however, explains this hadith differently. He states that the word “door” should be taken literally, meaning an actual physical door of the mosque. To understand this, we must look at the structure of Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque).
If you consider the layout of the mosque, there is the direction of prayer where the Imam stands. Along that direction, there was a wall, and adjoining that wall were living quarters. Several people lived there. For example, the wives of the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ had rooms there. Similarly, Ali (رضي الله عنه) and Fatimah (رضي الله عنها) also had a designated residence there. From these rooms, they could directly enter the mosque.
The general public would enter the mosque from the front entrance. But those who lived inside these adjoining rooms could directly enter the mosque through doors connected to their homes. Likewise, the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ himself would enter the mosque directly from his house, which was located beside the mosque and near the pulpit area. The homes of his wives were also nearby. Similarly, Ali (رضي الله عنه) had a house there, where Fatimah (رضي الله عنها) lived, and he could enter the mosque directly from there.
Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) also had a residence connected in this manner. Even if he had another residence elsewhere, he had a place there as well, possibly staying with another wife inside Madinah.
Therefore, when it was said, “Close all the doors except the door of Abu Bakr,” one interpretation is that all the private entrances connected to the mosque from other houses should be closed, while Abu Bakr’s entrance alone should remain open. Everyone else would then have to enter the mosque through the public entrance by walking around from outside, whereas Abu Bakr alone would retain direct access.
This interpretation is accepted by many scholars. According to them, the statement can be understood in a literal sense, meaning an actual physical door.
At the same time, it is also possible to understand the statement in a figurative or literary sense. In that interpretation, “keeping the door open” symbolizes granting closeness, special permission, or exclusive access to meet the Messenger of Allahﷻﷺ. Just as in language people say, “I have closed the door on him,” meaning they have cut off relations, or “I have opened the door,” meaning they have allowed closeness or access.
However, the majority of scholars prefer the literal interpretation. They explain that Masjid an-Nabawi had several such internal doors because many residences were built along the mosque walls. When the Prophetﷺ realized that his passing was approaching, he instructed that all such entrances be closed except Abu Bakr’s. One wisdom behind this was that Abu Bakr would be responsible for leading the prayer after the Prophetﷺ. Since the Imam needs quick and direct access to the mosque, his door alone was kept open. Others, including Ali (رضي الله عنه), would have to enter through the main external entrance thereafter.
Therefore, both interpretations exist. The figurative meaning can be taken as indicating special closeness and permission, but the literal meaning—that Abu Bakr’s physical door alone remained open for practical and leadership reasons—is the interpretation accepted by most scholars.