Al-'Usba Mosque
Al-'Usba Mosque (Arabic: مسجد العُصْبَة), is an ancient mosque located in Medina, also known as the al-Tawba Mosque. It is situated to the west of Quba' Mosque, in an area abundant with farms and water wells. The mosque structure is an open, roofless square, measuring approximately eleven meters in length and width, with stone walls that stand at a height of one meter. It has been reported that the Prophet (s) prayed within the boundaries of this mosque.
Location and Name
The al-Usba Mosque takes its name from its location in the village of al-Usba. Al-Usba village is situated to the west of Quba Mosque,[1] in a region characterized by its lush fields and abundant water wells.[2] This area is also referred to as Al-Usba Castle and Fence.[3] This is the place where a group of the Emigrants (Muhajirin) stopped before the arrival of the Prophet (s) to Medina.[4]
Additionally, it is recognized by several other names, including Al-Tawba Mosque, Al-Noor Mosque, and Al-Mu'assab Mosque.[5] However, the reasons behind these alternative names are not well documented. Al-Samhudi, a renowned historian of Medina from the 8th century AH, noted that the origin of the name "Al-Tawba Mosque" remains unknown, leaving the historical significance of the title somewhat unclear.[6]
The Structure of the Mosque The mosque is designed as an open square, measuring approximately 11 meters in both length and width. Its stone walls rise to a height of one meter, with visible traces of whitewashing.[7]
The Prophet's Prayer
Prophet Muhammad (S) offered prayers in the vicinity of this mosque, in the region of al-Usba, near the al-Hujaym well.[8]
Notes
- ↑ Masājid al-Āthariyya, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, p. 123.
- ↑ Al-Taʿrīf bimā Anasat al-Hijrah, Maṭarī, p. 217.
- ↑ Al-Maghānim al-Muṭāba fī Maʿālim Ṭābah, Fīrūzābādī, p. 265.
- ↑ Masājid al-Āthariyya, ʿAbdu al-Ghanī, p. 124; Maʿālim al-Madīnah al-Munawwara Bayna al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh, Part Four, Volume Three, p. 229-230.
- ↑ Masājid al-Āthariyya, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, p. 123.
- ↑ Wafā’ al-Wafā’, Samhūdī, vol. 3, p. 248.
- ↑ Al-Madīnah Bayna al-Māḍhī wa al-Ḥāḍhir, p. 302; Masājid al-Āthariyya, ʿAbdu al-Ghanī, p. 124; Maʿālim al-Madīnah al-Munawwara Bayna al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh, Part Four, Volume Three, p. 229-230.
- ↑ Al-Ta'rif bi-Ma Anista al-Hijrah, p. 217.
References
- Al-Maghānīm al-Muṭāba fī Maʿālīm Ṭāba, by Muhammad ibn Yaʿqūb al-Fīrūzābādī and Ḥamad al-Jāsir. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Dār al-Yamāmah for Research, Translation, and Publishing, 1389–1969.
- Masājid al-Atharīyah, by Muhammad Ilyas Abd al-Ghani. Al-Rashid Press, Medina, 2nd edition, 1419 AH.
- Al-Ta'rif bi-Ma Anista al-Hijrah min Ma'alim Dar al-Hijrah, by Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mu'tari. Edited by Sulayman al-Ruhayli. Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Foundation, 1426 AH.
- Al-Madīnah Bayna al-Māḍhī wa al-Ḥāḍhir, by Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī al-ʿAyyāshī, 1972 Q.
- Al-Maʿālim al-Madīnah al-Munawwara Baina al-ʿImāra wa al-Tārīkh, by ʿAbdu al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Kākī, vol. 4, Bayrūt, 2011.
- Wafā’ al-Wafā bi-Akhbār Dār al-Muṣṭafāby Ali bin Abdullah al-Samhudi, edited by Qasim al-Samarai, London, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, 2001 CE.