I was not commanded to build high mosques. Ibn Abbas said: You will certainly adorn them as the Jews and Christians did.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أُمِرْتُ بِتَشْيِيدِ الْمَسَاجِدِ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لَتُزَخْرِفُنَّهَا كَمَا زَخْرَفَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى  

The Prophet ﷺ said: The Last Hour will not come until people vie with one another about mosques.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَتَبَاهَى النَّاسُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ  

The Prophet (nay peace be upon him) commanded him to build a mosque at Ta'if where the idols were placed.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ مَسْجِدَ الطَّائِفِ حَيْثُ كَانَ طَوَاغِيتُهُمْ  

The mosque (of the Prophet) during his lifetime was built with bricks, its roof with branches of the palm-tree, and its pillars with palm-wood, as Mujahid said: Abu Bakr did not add anything to it. But 'Umar added to it; he built as it was built during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with bricks and branches, and he changed its pillars. Mujahid said: Its pillars were made of wood. 'Uthman changed it altogether with increasing addition. He built its walls with decorated stone and lime. And he built the pillars with decorated stone and its roof with teak. Mujahid said: Its roof was made of teak. Abu Dawud said: Al-Qassah means lime used as mortar.  

أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ كَانَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَبْنِيًّا بِاللَّبِنِ وَالْجَرِيدِ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَعَمَدُهُ مِنْ خَشَبِ النَّخْلِ فَلَمْ يَزِدْ فِيهِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ شَيْئًا وَزَادَ فِيهِ عُمَرُ وَبَنَاهُ عَلَى بِنَائِهِ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِاللَّبِنِ وَالْجَرِيدِ وَأَعَادَ عَمَدَهُ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ عُمُدَهُ خَشَبًا وَغَيَّرَهُ عُثْمَانُ فَزَادَ فِيهِ زِيَادَةً كَثِيرَةً وَبَنَى جِدَارَهُ بِالْحِجَارَةِ الْمَنْقُوشَةِ وَالْقَصَّةِ وَجَعَلَ عَمَدَهُ مِنْ حِجَارَةٍ مَنْقُوشَةٍ وَسَقَّفَهُ بِالسَّاجِ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَسَقْفُهُ السَّاجُ  

The pillars of the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ during the life time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were made of the trunks of the palm-tree; they covered from the above by twigs of the palm-tree; they decayed during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. He built it afresh with trunks and twigs of the palm-tree. But they again decayed during the caliphate of 'Uthman. He, therefore, built it with bricks. That survives until today.  

أَنَّ مَسْجِدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ كَانَتْ سَوَارِيهِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ جُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ أَعْلاَهُ مُظَلَّلٌ بِجَرِيدِ النَّخْلِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا نَخِرَتْ فِي خِلاَفَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فَبَنَاهَا بِجُذُوعِ النَّخْلِ وَبِجَرِيدِ النَّخْلِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا نَخِرَتْ فِي خِلاَفَةِ عُثْمَانَ فَبَنَاهَا بِالآجُرِّ فَلَمْ تَزَلْ ثَابِتَةً حَتَّى الآنَ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ came over to Medina and encamped at the upper side of Medina among the tribe known as Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf. He stayed among them for fourteen days. He then sent someone to call Banu al-Najjar. They came to him hanging their swords from the necks. Anas then said: As if I am looking at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sitting on his mount and Abu Bakr seated behind him, and Banu al-Najjar standing around him. He descended in the courtyard of Abu Ayyub. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say his prayer in the folds of the sheep and goats. He commanded us to build a mosque. He then sent for Banu al-Najjar and said to them: Banu al-Najjar, sell this land of yours to me for some price. They replied: By Allah, we do not want any price (from you) except from Allah. Anas said: I tell what this land contained. It contained the graves of the disbelievers, dung-hills, and some trees of date-palm. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded and the graves of the disbelievers were dug open, and the trees of the date-palm were cut off. The wood of the date-palm were erected in front of the mosque ; the door-steps wre built of stone. They were reciting verses carrying the stones. The Prophet ﷺ also joined them (in reciting verses) saying: O Allah, there is no good except the good of the Hereafter. So grant you aid to the Ansar and the Muhajirah.  

قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْمَدِينَةَ فَنَزَلَ فِي عُلْوِ الْمَدِينَةِ فِي حَىٍّ يُقَالُ لَهُمْ بَنُو عَمْرِو بْنِ عَوْفٍ فَأَقَامَ فِيهِمْ أَرْبَعَ عَشَرَةَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى بَنِي النَّجَّارِ فَجَاءُوا مُتَقَلِّدِينَ سُيُوفَهُمْ فَقَالَ أَنَسٌ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ رِدْفَهُ وَمَلأُ بَنِي النَّجَّارِ حَوْلَهُ حَتَّى أَلْقَى بِفِنَاءِ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي حَيْثُ أَدْرَكَتْهُ الصَّلاَةُ وَيُصَلِّي فِي مَرَابِضِ الْغَنَمِ وَإِنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِبِنَاءِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى بَنِي النَّجَّارِ فَقَالَ يَا بَنِي النَّجَّارِ ثَامِنُونِي بِحَائِطِكُمْ هَذَا فَقَالُوا وَاللَّهِ لاَ نَطْلُبُ ثَمَنَهُ إِلاَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷻ قَالَ أَنَسٌ وَكَانَ فِيهِ مَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ قُبُورُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَكَانَتْ فِيهِ خِرَبٌ وَكَانَ فِيهِ نَخْلٌ فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِقُبُورِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَنُبِشَتْ وَبِالْخِرَبِ فَسُوِّيَتْ وَبِالنَّخْلِ فَقُطِعَ فَصَفُّوا النَّخْلَ قِبْلَةَ الْمَسْجِدِ وَجَعَلُوا عِضَادَتَيْهِ حِجَارَةً وَجَعَلُوا يَنْقُلُونَ الصَّخْرَ وَهُمْ يَرْتَجِزُونَ وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَعَهُمْ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ خَيْرَ إِلاَّ خَيْرُ الآخِرَهْ فَانْصُرِ الأَنْصَارَ وَالْمُهَاجِرَهْ  

The Mosque (of the Prophet) was built in the land of Banu al-Najjar which contained crops, palm trees and graves of the disbelievers. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Sell it to me for some price. They (Banu al-Najjar) replied: We do not want (any price). The palm-trees were cut off, and the crops removed and the graves of the disbelievers dug opened. He then narrated the rest of the tradition. But this version has the word "forgive" in the verse, instead of the word "help". Musa said: 'Abd al-Warith also narrated this tradition in a like manner. The version of 'Abd al-Warith has the word "dung-hill" (instead of crop), and he asserted that he narrated this tradition to Hammad.  

كَانَ مَوْضِعُ الْمَسْجِدِ حَائِطًا لِبَنِي النَّجَّارِ فِيهِ حَرْثٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَقُبُورُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَامِنُونِي بِهِ فَقَالُوا لاَ نَبْغِي بِهِ ثَمَنًا فَقُطِعَ النَّخْلُ وَسُوِّيَ الْحَرْثُ وَنُبِشَ قُبُورُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ وَقَالَ فَاغْفِرْ مَكَانَ فَانْصُرْ قَالَ مُوسَى وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ بِنَحْوِهِ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ يَقُولُ خِرَبٌ وَزَعَمَ عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ أَنَّهُ أَفَادَ حَمَّادًا هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ