03/10/2026
The Story of Mohammad Kamal and the Greek Marble
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Dr Muhammad Kamal Ismail ( September 13, 1908 - August 2, 2008) was the architect and the engineer who planned, designed, and oversaw the largest expansions during the past fourteen centuries of the Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Nabawi. He was chosen by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz to design the monumental work of expansion after seeing his work titled “Encyclopedia of the Mosques of Egypt.”
Dr Zaglool Al-Najjar once shared a remarkable story about Dr Ismail and his work on the Haramain. During the early 80s, Masjid Al Haram in Makkah was covered with special heat-absorbing marble named Thassos so pilgrims could perform Tawaf more comfortably. Half of a mountain in Greece was secured and the marble was laid successfully.
Around ten years later Mohammad Kamal Ismail was assigned architect for the largest expansion of Masjid Al Nabawi, and the same marble was needed to cover the yards. Concerned that the Thassos marble might be gone, Dr Ismail travelled to Greece and met the company’s CEO, who confirmed it had been sold right after the first deal 10 years earlier. Saddened, he still asked the secretary to search the old records and gave her the hotel contact where he was staying. While leaving the office, Dr Ismail reassured himself that Allah will make something wonderful to happen. The next day, Dr Kamal received a call from the CEO, who confirmed that she had found the buyer’s details and, to his amazement, the company was in Saudi Arabia.
Upon arriving home he went straight to them. The entire stock sat unused in their warehouse. When Dr Ismail offered a blank cheque, the owner refused every riyal the moment he learned the marble was destined for the Prophet’s Mosque. “Allah made me buy this,” he said, “and keep it forgotten in storage… it was meant for the Mosque of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.”
And so the other half of that Greek mountain became the cool, beautiful floor of Masjid Al Nabawi.
