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Masjid al-ʿUṣba (The Mosque of al-ʿUṣba)** Masjid al-ʿUṣba is an ancient mosque in Medina, also known as Masjid al-Tawba (the Mosque of Repentance). It is located to the west of Masjid Quba in an area filled with farms and water wells. The structure of the mosque consists of a roofless square, approximately 11 meters in length and width, with stone walls about one meter high. It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (s) prayed within the vicinity of this mosque.

Prayer of the Prophet (s)

Historical sources mention that Prophet Muhammad (s) prayed at Masjid al-Tawba in ʿUṣba, near the Well of Hujaym.

Location and Name of the Mosque

Masjid al-ʿUṣba derives its name from its location in the village of ʿUṣba. ʿUṣba is an area to the west of Masjid Quba and was known for its farms and water wells. It was also referred to as the fortress or stronghold of ʿUṣba. This is the place where a group of migrants from Mecca stayed upon arriving in Quba before the arrival of the Prophet (s).

In geographical sources about Medina, the name Masjid al-ʿUṣba is not mentioned; however, Masjid al-Tawba in ʿUṣba, near the Well of Hujaym, is referenced. ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī, a historian of Medina in the 8th century AH, explicitly stated that the reason for the name Masjid al-Tawba is unknown. This area was inhabited by the Banī Jaḥjaba tribe, and for this reason, some have also called this mosque Masjid Banī Jaḥjaba.

Some researchers of Medina’s history have identified this mosque with Masjid al-Nūr (the Mosque of Light), which was one of the mosques near Quba. However, early sources do not equate these two mosques.

Reports from the 15th century AH/20th century CE indicate that the mosque was located in the garden of Ibrāhīm al-Turkī, which was called Bustān al-ʿUṣba.

History

There is no precise information about the construction date of the mosque. Some speculate that it was built during the rule of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz over Medina. There is no trace of this mosque in the 8th and 9th centuries AH, as noted by Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muṭrī (d. 741 AH) and ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī (d. 911 AH) in their discussions of mosques that are no longer known. Muḥammad Kabrīt al-Madanī (1012–1070 AH) also confirmed in the 11th century that there was no trace of this mosque. Aḥmad al-ʿAbbāsī (d. 11th century AH) mentioned the remains of the mosque near the Well of Hujaym.

The Current Structure

Today, the mosque consists of a roofless square, approximately 11 meters in length and width, with stone walls about one meter high, showing traces of whitewashing.

Historical Images of the Mosque

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  Existence of a roofed area in 1413 AH/1993 CE

Images of the Mosque’s Current Condition

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  Renovation of the mosque’s walls
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  Changes in the surrounding environment
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  Reconstruction of the mosque’s entrance
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  Construction of a perimeter wall around the mosque
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References

• Muḥammad Kabrīt al-Ḥusaynī al-Madanī. Al-Jawāhir al-Thamīna fī Maʿālim al-Madīna. Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1997 CE.
• Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-ʿAbbāsī. ʿUmdat al-Akhbār fī Madīnat al-Mukhtār. edited by Muḥammad Ṭayyib al-Anṣārī, published by Asʿad Ṭarābuzūnī, Cairo, n.d.
• Fīrūzābādī, Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb, and Jāssir, Ḥamd. Al-Maghānim al-Muṭāba fī Maʿālim Ṭāba. Riyadh - Saudi Arabia: Dār al-Yamāma lil-Baḥth wa al-Tarjama wa al-Nashr, 1389–1969.
• Muḥammad Ilyās ʿAbd al-Ghanī. Masājid al-Athariyya. Maṭābiʿ al-Rashīd, Medina, 2nd edition, 1419 AH.
• Jamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muṭrī. Al-Taʿrīf bimā ansat al-hijra min maʿālim dār al-hijra. edited by Sulaymān al-Raḥīlī, Riyadh: Dārat al-Malik ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, 1426 AH.
• Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī al-ʿAyyāshī. Al-Madīna bayn al-Māḍī wa al-Ḥāḍir. 1972 CE.
• ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Kaʿkī. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayn al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh. part 4, Beirut, 2011.
• ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī. Wafāʾ al-Wafā bi-Akhbār Dār al-Muṣṭafā. edited by Qāsim al-Sāmarrāʾī, London: Muʾassasat al-Furqān lil-Turāth al-Islāmī, 2001 CE.