Al-Wufud Pillar
Al-Wufūd pillar (Arabic: أسطوانة الوُفُود) was the meeting place for the Prophet Muhammad (s) with representatives of various Arab tribes in al-Masjid al-Nabawi. Wufud were representatives sent by the tribes to the Prophet (s). Therefore, this pillar became known as the al-Wufud Pillar.
 | |
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Other Names | Al-Qallada Pillar, Majlis al-Qallada, al-Wafada pillar |
| Place | Medina, al-Masjid al-Nabawi |
| History | |
| Events | The Prophet Muhammad (s) would often meet with the leaders of Arab tribes near this pillar. |
| Current State | |
| Status | The pillar is positioned parallel to the al-Mahras and al-Sarir pillars and is directly connected to the Prophet's holy shrine. |
The pillar is also known as al-Qallada Pillar, or Majlis al-Qallada, because the Companions gathered around this pillar like a Qallada (necklace). This pillar is one of the pillars of al-Masjid al-Nabawi, half of which is inside the Prophet's shrine.
Location
This pillar is located parallel to the al-Mahras and al-Sarir pillars and is connected to the the Prophet's holy shrine.[1] Some historical accounts suggest that the al-Wufud Pillar is located behind the al-Mahras Pillar on the north side and is the third pillar when viewed from the Qibla direction.[2]
Name
The Arabic word "wafd" means a representative, and a person who is sent by an individual or a group to an authority is called "wafid".[3] The delegations sent by the tribes was called wafud (plural form of wafd) and hence the mentioned pillar was called by this name.[4]
Following the Conquest of Mecca in 8/630, delegations from various Arab tribes, both near and far, journeyed to Medina to declare their conversion to Islam or to establish agreements with the newly formed Islamic State. This influx of delegations during 630-631 CE led to this period being historically recognized as the "Year of Delegations" (ʿĀm al-Wufūd).[5]
Prophet Muhammad (s) would often meet with these newly converted tribespeople near the al-Wufud Pillar, engaging in discussions and welcoming them into the Islamic fold.[6] Historical records provide detailed accounts of numerous delegations that visited Medina during this significant period.[7]
Other names
Al-Qallada Pillar
"Al-Qallada Pillar" or "Majlis al-Qallada" is another name for al-Wufud pillar; because prominent Companions[8] would surround it like a necklace.[9]
Al-Wafāda pillar
Al-Wafada is another name of this pillar,[10] which is said to be used for abbreviation.[11]
Notes
- ↑ Shurrāb, al-Maʿālim al-athīra, p. 43.
- ↑ Samhūdī, Wafāʾ al-wafā, vol. 2, p. 185.
- ↑ Ṭurayḥī, Majmaʿ al-baḥrayn, vol. 4, p. 525, word: "وفد"
- ↑ Shurrāb, al-Maʿālim al-athīra, p. 43.
- ↑ Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawīyya, vol. 4, p. 985.
- ↑ Najjār, al-Durra al-thamīna, p. 298; Maṭarī, al-Taʿrīf bi-mā ānasat al-hijra, p. 31.
- ↑ Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawīyya, vol. 3, p. 591; vol. 4, p. 925, 964; Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 1, p. 22, 116, 164.
- ↑ Maṭarī, al-Taʿrīf bi-mā ānasat al-hijra, p. 31; Samhūdī, Wafāʾ al-wafā, vol. 2, p. 186.
- ↑ Ibn Zabāla, Akhbār al-Madīna, p. 103 ;Samhūdī, Wafāʾ al-wafā, vol. 2, p. 185; Shurrāb, al-Maʿālim al-athīra, p. 43.
- ↑ Kitāb fī aḥwāl al-Ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn, p. 95; Yamānī, Mawsūʿa Makka al-mukarrama, vol. 2, p. 442.
- ↑ Yamānī, Mawsūʿa Makka al-mukarrama, vol. 2, p. 440.
References
- Ibn Hishām, ʿAbd al-Malik. Al-Sīra al-Nabawīyya. Cairo: Madanī, 1383 AH.
- Ibn Saʿd, Muḥammad. Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā. Beirut: Dār al-Ṣādir, [n.d].
- Ibn Zabāla. Akhbār al-Madīna. Medina: Markaz Buḥūth wa Darāsāt al-Madina al-Munawwara, 1424 AH.
- Maṭarī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-. Al-Taʿrīf bi-mā ansat al-hijra min maʿālim dār al-hijra. Riyadh: Dār al-malik ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, 2005.
- Najjār, Muḥammad b. Maḥmūd al- .Al-Durra al-thamīna fī akhbār al-Madina. Medina: Markaz Buḥūth wa Dirāsāt al-Madina al-Munawwara, 1427 AH.
- No author. Kitāb fī aḥwāl al-Ḥaramayn al-sharīfayn. Mecca: Maktaba Nazār Muṣṭafā al-Bāz, 1418 AH.
- Samhūdī, ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh. Wafāʾ al-wafā bi-akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā. Edited by Muḥammad Muḥyi l-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beirut: 1984.
- Shurrāb, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad Ḥasan. Al-Maʿālim al-athīra. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1383 sh.
- Ṭurayḥī, Fakhr al-Dīn b. Muḥammad al-. Majmaʿ al-baḥrayn. Tehran: Wizārat-i Farhang wa Irshād-i Islāmī, 1367 Sh.
- Yamānī, Aḥmad Zakī. Mawsūʿa Makka al-mukarrama wa l-Madina al-munawwara. London: Muʾssisa al-furqān, 1429 AH.