Chapter 30 : Hijra III - The First Masjid Flashcards
Regarding The Prophet’s arrival in Quba
- After travelling for 12 days, The Prophet arrives in Quba which is a village situated about 3.5 km South of Madinah
- He remains there with Banu Amr Ibn Aws [ From Banu Aws ] until Imam Ali arrives
- Quba was a small village with many wells and served as a main water source for the residents of Madinah
- Now it is considered a part of Madinah but during the time of The Prophet, It was A separate region around the outskirts of Madinah
Notable Conversions early during The Prophet’s Arrival Quba [ Either In Quba Or Shortly After in Yathrib ]
1) Salman Al Farsi [ Salman The Persian ] [ Quoted by Al Tabari and Ibn Hisham ]
- Salman was A Persian who had anticipated the coming of a Prophet and arrives to catch A glimpse of The Prophet
- Salman was born to A Zoroastrian Family near The Persian City of Isfahan [ Iran ]
- He converted to Christianity when he was young and dedicated his youth to finding an Abrahamic Prophet whose imminent arrival has been prophesized by The Eastern Churches
- His search took him from Persia to Syria to Iraq
- After an unfortunate turn of events, he was sold into slavery to A Jewish Merchant in Yathrib but even then, Salman never gave up on finding The Arabian Prophet and spends his entire life searching for The Prophet
- After confirming The Prophet’s Identity, he returns to Madinah hoping to see The Prophet once again
2) Abdullah Ibn Salam
- Abdullah Ibn Salam was the leading scholar of Banu Qaynuqa [ One Of The 3 Jewish Tribes in Madinah ]
- Al Tabari says that he converted while The Prophet was still in Makkah [ This fits with Verse 46 : 10 in The Quran which is A Makkan Surah ]
” Say, ‘ Tell me, if it [ The Quran ] is from God and you disbelieve in it and A witness from The Children of Israel [ Abdullah Ibn Salam ] has testified to its like and believed while you are disdainful ? ‘ Indeed God does not guide the wrongdoing lot. “
Al Quran [ 46 : 10 ]
- Ibn Hisham says that he converted while The Prophet was in Quba
3) Safiyyah Bint Huyayy
- She is the daughter of Huyayy Ibn Akhtab from Banu Nadir [ One Of The 3 Jewish Tribes in Madinah ]
- She overhears her Father and Uncle concede that The Prophet is definitely The One
- She later marries The Prophet
Construction of The First Masjid In Islam [ Masjid Quba ]
- This is the first time that The Prophet has the freedom to pray in congregation with his companions without the fear of abuse
- In some sources, it is mentioned that Ammar Ibn Yasir proposed the idea of building a mosque in Quba while some other sources stated that Ammar played the main role in building The Quba Mosque
- Ammar found the location for the Mosque in the neighbourhood of The Banu Amr Ibn Awf
- He also brought the stones for The Mosque
- The Prophet welcomed the idea and conducted The Groundbreaking Ceremony
How was Masjid Quba built ?
” It is narrated that The Prophet commanded Abu Bakr to mount a camel and ride it so that it can set the boundaries of The Masjid but the camel did not move. The Prophet then commanded Umar but the camel did not move. He then commanded Ali and the camel moved and walked in a circle and he [ The Prophet ] set the boundaries of The Masjid based on the path of the camel and he [ The Prophet ] said ‘ She is commanded by God. ‘ “
Wafa’ Al Wafa’ By Nur Al Din Ali Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Ahmad Al Hasani Al Samhudi [ Sunni Scholar and Historian ]
Al Mu’jam Al Kabir By Al Tabarani [ Sunni Scholar ]
- Sunni Scholar’s argue that there is a weak chain. Make of it what you will. Allah knows best
- Thus, Imam Ali rode the camel that delineated the limits of The Mosque and perhaps Ammar set a row of stones along the circumference
Why was Masjid Quba built ?
- The establishment of this Mosque was critical in creating a sense of unity and brotherhood between the early Muslims
- The Prophet himself participated in the building of The Masjid even though some companions tried to prevent him from any manual labour
- Some reports also mention that female companions of The Prophet also joined the construction efforts albeit at night when the men’s shift was finished
Masjid Quba vs Masjid Dhirar
- Masjid Quba was also called Majid Al Taqwa in contrast to Masjid Dhirar [ The Mosque of Haram / Dissent ] because of Verses 9 : 107 - 110 in The Quran :-
” As for those [ wa alladhina ] who took to a Mosque for sabotage [ dirar ] and for defiance and to cause division among the faithful and for the purpose of ambush [ irsad ] by those who have fought God and His Messenger before, they will surely swear that ‘ We desired nothing but good. ‘ and God bears witness that they are indeed liars. Do not stand in it ever ! A Mosque [ Masjid Quba ] founded on Godwariness from the first day is worthier that you stand in it for prayer. Therein are men who love to keep pure and God loves those keep pure. Is he who founds his building on Godwariness and pleasure better off or he who founds his building on the brink [ shafa ] of a collapsing bank [ juruf harin ] which collapses with him into the fire of hell ? And God does not guide the wrongdoing lot. The building they have built will never cease to be disquiet in their hearts lest their hearts are cut into pieces and God is All Knowing, All Wise. “
Al Quran [ 9 : 107 - 110 ]
The merits of praying at Masjid Quba
- There are many narrations regarding the merits of praying at Masjid Quba :-
” Praying in Masjid Quba is like performing the Minor Hajj [ Umrah ]. “
The Prophet
- Another narration is as follows :-
” Ibn Sa’ad reports ‘ The Prophet used to go to Masjid Quba every Saturday sometimes walking and sometimes riding. “
Construction of Masjid Al Jumu’ah
- On the way to Madinah, The Prophet moved 700 - 800 metres North to the neighbourhood of Banu Salim Ibn Awf and inaugurated a Mosque for them
- This Mosque was called Masjid Al Jumu’ah or Masjid Bani Salim
- He led Friday Prayers there and then moved towards Madinah
The Prophet enters Madinah
- A narration from Imam Al Sajjad is as follows :-
” He [ The Prophet ] then entered Madinah on a She Camel that he used for his Hijra and Ali was with him not leaving his side. The Prophet did not pass a single group of people from among the residents of Madinah except that they asked The Prophet to stay with them. The Prophet replied ‘ Let the camel guide me for it is commanded [ By God ]. ‘ So The She Camel rode until it settled at the place that you see [ Imam Al Sajjad pointed to the gate of The Prophet’s Masjid where the funeral prayers used to be conducted ]. The Prophet dismounted and Abu Ayyub Al Ansari [ In front of who’s home The She Camel sat ] rushed to grab The Prophet’s bags and took them into his home. The Prophet and Ali stayed with him until The Masjid and his home was built. “
Al Kafi
Who was Abu Ayyub Al Ansari
- His full name was Khalid Ibn Zayd Ibn Kulayb Ibn Al Najjar and he was a member of Banu Khazraj
- Abu Ayyub was among the 70 people who gave allegiance to The Prophet that they would not abandon his support
- According to Al Baladhuri [ Sunni Historian ], The Prophet resided in his house for 7 Months
- After the demise of The Prophet, Abu Ayyub and 11 other companions defended the succession of Imam Ali
- Abu Ayyub participated in all battles that Imam Ali engaged in
- In The Battle of Nahrawan, Imam Ali assigned him as the Commander of The Horsemen and before beginning the war, sent him to negotiate and advise
- After The Battle of Nahrawan he was assigned by Imam Ali as the Governor of Madinah
- After the martyrdom of Imam Ali, Abu Ayyub once again went to the borders for war
- Abu Ayyub passed away in 52 AH due to illness while Constantinople was besieged by The Muslims
- Sunni Scholars of Rijal deem him reliable
- Shia Scholars have praised him but have some reservations because of his participation in the wars under the reign of Muawiyah
- Ayatullah Khoei deemed it possible that he acted so with respect to permission from Imam Hasan
The Prophet in the house of Abu Ayyub
- The Prophet stays on the lower floor of Abu Ayyub’s house while The Mosque and his House was being built
- People take turns bringing him food and he eats with whoever is present
- The Poem / Nasheed [ Hymn ] ‘ Tala Al Badru Alayna ‘ was probably not recited at this time :-
1) None of the Major Historians mentions it
2) Thaniyyat Al Wada [ Farewell Pass ] refers to a Mountain Pass in The Northwest Corner of The City. The Prophet entered from The Southeast
3) The Northwestern Pass was only named Thaniyyat Al Wada when The Prophet returned fro Khaybar [ 7 AH ] and told his soldiers to bid farewell to The Mut’ah Wives
- Some have used this poem to justify the permissibility of women singing in front of men
- The counterarguments are as follows :-
1) There is a difference between reciting and singing
2) Even if we assume that they were singing, it’s possible that singing was not yet prohibited
3) Even it was prohibited, The Prophet would have chosen a more appropriate time to admonish them
4) When people recite collectively, it’s almost impossible to discern individual voices
Practical Lessons learned in this chapter
1) The significance of establishing Mosques with Pure Intentions
2) Inviting community members to be participants in the establishing of a Masjid
3) The importance of making women feel included in the activities of Masjid [ They should not be treated as 2nd Class Members ]
4) The She Camel guiding The Prophet to stay with Abu Ayyub is a reminder that we should not give priority to the wealthy members of the community [ Everyone deserves access to The Prophet ]
