Al-Fath Mosque
Al-Fath Mosque is one of the ancient mosques of Medina. The Prophet Muhammad (s) set up his command tent during the Battle of the Trench on a part of Mount Sela', which is the location of this mosque, situated to the northwest of al-Masjid al-Nabawi. In this place, the Prophet (s) prayed. The mosque has existed since the first/seventh century, and until the second/eighth and third/ninth centuries, the spot where the Prophet (s) prayed was marked with a pillar inside the mosque’s courtyard.
Location
Al-Fath Mosque is situated on a section of the western slope of Mount Sela'.[1] Fath is the name of the area where the group of al-Fath Mosques is located. The most famous of these mosques, positioned at the highest part of the slope, is al-Fath Mosque.[2]
Origin and Names
The Prophet’s command tent during the Battle of the Trench was located at the site of this mosque,[3] and thus it came to be known as al-Ahzāb Mosque. It was here that the Prophet prayed to God to defeat the “Ahzab.”[4][5] The Prophet prayed for three days, and on Wednesday, after the supplication was answered, signs of joy appeared on his face.[6] The spot where the Prophet (s) prayed was marked with a pillar in the mosque’s courtyard during the second/eighth and third/ninth centuries.[7]
It is narrated that the Prophet (s) gave Muslims the glad tidings of victory at this place, hence it was called al-Fath Mosque. Others believe the mosque was named “Fath” because Sura al-Fath was revealed there.[8] The name “al-A'lā” has also been given to the mosque, referring to its elevated location on the slopes of Mount Sela'.[5]
Prophet’s Prayer in al-Fath Mosque
The Prophet (s) performed the afternoon prayer in the area of al-Fath Mosque.[9] On one of the nights of the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet (s) stood on the hill where the mosque is located and asked for a volunteer to gather news from the enemy camp. Hudhayfa undertook the mission while the Prophet waited for his return.[10]
History of the Building
The mosque’s first structure was built by 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz (governor of Medina between 87/706 – 93/711-12). It had a single portico with three columns.[11] In 575/1179-80, the mosque was rebuilt by Husayn b. Abi al-Hayja', a vizier of the Fatimids of Egypt, who also undertook expansions in al-Masjid al-Nabawi.[12] The current structure of the mosque goes back to the renovation in 1270/1853.[13] The mosque was restored again in 1411/1990-91, and further restoration after 1430/2009 gave the mosque its present appearance.[14]
Supplication of al-Fath Mosque
This mosque has been regarded as one of the significant mosques for Muslims in the early centuries of Islam.[9] A supplication has been narrated for visitors of the mosque, beginning with: “Lā ilāha illā Allāh al-'Aẓīm al-Ḥalīm...”[15] In Shia sources, another supplication is reported, recommended to be recited in al-Fath Mosque after the Tahiyyat al-Masjid prayer:
Supplication of al-Fath Mosque
- ↑ al-Masājid al-Athariyya, p. 138.
- ↑ Tārīkh Ma'ālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara Qadīman wa Ḥadīthan, p. 199.
- ↑ Mawsū'at Mirʾāt al-Ḥaramayn al-Sharīfayn wa Jazīrat al-'Arab, vol. 4, p. 900.
- ↑ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 3, p. 234.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 al-Masājid al-Athariyya, p. 139.
- ↑ al-Istidhkār, vol. 2, p. 534.
- ↑ Tārīkh al-Madīna al-Munawwara, p. 60.; Akhbār al-Madīna, b. Zubāla, p. 142.
- ↑ Ma'ālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayna al-'Imāra wa al-Tārīkh, part 4, vol. 4, p. 84.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tārīkh al-Madīna al-Munawwara, p. 59.; Akhbār al-Madīna, b. Zubāla, p. 143.
- ↑ I'lām al-Warā bi-A'lām al-Hudā, vol. 1, p. 193.
- ↑ al-Masājid al-Athariyya, p. 139.
- ↑ al-Tuḥfa al-Laṭīfa fī Tārīkh al-Madīna al-Sharīfa, vol. 1, p. 297.
- ↑ Mawsū'at Mirʾāt al-Ḥaramayn al-Sharīfayn wa Jazīrat al-'Arab, vol. 4, p. 696.
- ↑ al-Masājid al-Athariyya, p. 140.; Ma'ālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayna al-'Imāra wa al-Tārīkh, part 4, vol. 4, pp. 94, 103.
- ↑ Mawsū'at Mirʾāt al-Ḥaramayn al-Sharīfayn wa Jazīrat al-'Arab, vol. 4, p. 694.