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Mosque of Abu Ben Ka'b

The Mosque of Abu Ben Ka'b, also known as the Mosque of Bani Judailah (Bani Hudailah) or the Mosque of Al-Baqi, was one of the ancient mosques in the city of Medina. It was constructed at the location of the Prophet's (PBUH) prayer area but is no longer present today. This mosque was situated inside the Baqi' Cemetery, west of the graves of the Mothers of the Believers and the grave of Aqil.

According to reports, this mosque was built during the time of Umar ibn Abdulaziz, the governor of Medina. However, it had been destroyed in the 8th and 9th centuries of the Islamic calendar. During the Ottoman rule, the mosque was reconstructed, but it was again ruined, and nowadays, there is no trace of it inside the Baqi' Cemetery.

Location of the Mosque

This mosque was situated in the west of the graves of the Mothers of the Believers and the grave of Aqil in Baqi'.(1)( Kaʿkī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn al-ʿimāra wa l-tārīkh.part4.vol2.p633) In ancient sources, the location of the mosque was described as on the right side at the entrance of Baqi'. However, the current meaning of "entrance," constructed during the Saudi era, does not refer to the northern side of the present Baqi'. Instead, it is a reference to a place that was previously situated north, in close proximity to the graves of the Prophet's relatives.(2)( Kaʿkī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn al-ʿimāra wa l-tārīkh.part4.vol2.p637)

House of Abu Ben Ka'b

Originally, this mosque was the residence of Abu Ben Ka'b, which later transformed into a mosque. Subsequently, it became part of the Baqi' Cemetery. According to a narration, the Prophet had a preference for praying in this location and offered prayers there multiple times.(3)( • Numīrī, Ibn Shabbah. Tārīkh al-madīna al-munawwara'.vol1.p64) This mosque was located in the neighborhood of Bani Hudailah or Bani Judailah.(4)( • Numīrī, Ibn Shabbah. Tārīkh al-madīna al-munawwara'.vol1.p64) And this mosque has been referred to by these names as well.

Building History

The name of the mosque is mentioned in ancient historical records of Medina. However, reports from the 8th and 9th centuries indicate that the mosque had been demolished. Samhudi (d. 911) listed the name of this mosque among those whose general location is known, but no trace of it remains. He quotes Matri (741 AH), stating that even during his time, the mosque remained in the same condition.(5)( • Samhūdī, ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh. Wafāʾ al-wafā bi akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā.vol3.p211) According to Samhudi, the Mosque of Abu Ben Ka'b was situated in the west of the tombs of Aqil and the Mothers of the Believers. During his time, only one column of the mosque remained, and according to Samhudi, the remaining ruins indicated that this mosque was built during the time of Umar ibn Abdulaziz.(5)( • Samhūdī, ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh. Wafāʾ al-wafā bi akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā.vol3.p211)

14th Century

Some historians from later periods have mentioned the existence of this mosque. According to Ibrahim Rafat Pasha in "Miraat al-Haramayn," the mosque was reconstructed during the Ottoman rule. The Ottomans had built a sturdy structure with a mihrab for the mosque.(6)( Ibrāhīm Rafʿat Pāshā. Mirʾāt al-ḥaramayn.vol 1.p420) His book is the result of his pilgrimage journeys between the years 1318 to 1325 Hijri (1901-1907 AD).(7)( Ibrāhīm Rafʿat Pāshā. Mirʾāt al-ḥaramayn.vol*.p3)

Yasin Ahmad Khayyari (d. 1380 AH / 1960 AD) has also quoted the same expression from the book "Miraat al-Haramayn."(8)( Khiyārī, Sayyid Aḥmad Yāsīn.Tārīkh maʿālimal-madīna al-munawwara qadīman wa ḥadīthan.p203)

He, who wrote his book in the year 1380 Hijri, states: "This mosque is still the same building located inside the walls of Baqi', on the right side. Allah knows best." ."(8)( Khiyārī, Sayyid Aḥmad Yāsīn.Tārīkh maʿālimal-madīna al-munawwara qadīman wa ḥadīthan.p203) Ayyashi, in the late 14th century, also witnessed this mosque and reported on it. He explicitly mentions that the Turkish government had constructed a mosque inside Baqi', on the right side, near the northern gate of the western wall. During his time, this mosque was in a state of ruin.(9)( ʿAyyāshī, Ibrāhīm .Al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn al-māḍī wa al-ḥāḍir.p169)

وضعیت امروزی* Today, this mosque no longer exists, and its location is an empty piece of land. It is said that the site of this mosque is now to the east of the Sabeeni area, on the right side for someone entering from the Baqi' gate.(10)( Kaʿkī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn a l-ʿimāra wa l-tārīkh, part4.vol2.p629-630) According to Kaki, the distance between the location of the Mosque of Abu and the current Baqi' wall is reported to be sixteen meters. The distance from the mosque to the graves of the Mothers of the Believers is 14.5 meters, and the distance from the mosque to the graves of the Ahl al-Bayt is 38.5 meters.(11)( Kaʿkī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn a l-ʿimāra wa l-tārīkh, part4.vol2.p638) Currently, there is no trace of this mosque. Abdullah bin Muhammad Amin Kordi, who wrote a commentary on the book "Ma'alim al-Madinah al-Munawwarah" by Khayyari in 1410 Hijri, notes in the footnote that "the Mosque of Abu Ben Ka'b is ruined, and there is no trace of it."(8)(Khiyārī, Sayyid Aḥmad Yāsīn.Tārīkh maʿālimal-madīna al-munawwara qadīman wa ḥadīthan.p203)

References

• ʿAyyāshī, Ibrāhīm .Al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn al-māḍī wa al-ḥāḍir. Medina: al-Maktab al-ʿilmīyya, 1972.
• Kaʿkī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. Maʿālim al-Madīna al-munawwara bayn al-ʿimāra wa l-tārīkh, part 1: al-Maʿālim al-Ṭabīʿīyya, vol. 1: al-Jibāl, Beirut: Muʾallif, 1419AH.
• Khiyārī, Sayyid Aḥmad Yāsīn.Tārīkh maʿālimal-madīna al-munawwara qadīman wa ḥadīthan. Riyadh: al-Amāna alʿāmma li-liḥtifāl miʾat ʿām ʿalā tʾsīs al-mamlika al- ʿarabiyya al-suʿūdiyya, 1419 AH/1999.
• Numayrī, Ibn Shabbah. Tārīkh al-madīna al-munawwara. Edited by Fahīm Muḥammad Shaltūt. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1380 sh.
• Rafʿat Pāshā, Ibrāhīm . Mirʾāt al-ḥaramayn, aw, al-raḥlāt al-ḥijāziyya wa al-ḥaj wa mashāʿirihi al-dīniyya. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, [n.d].
• Samhūdī, ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh. Wafāʾ al-wafā bi akhbār dar al-Muṣṭafā. Edited by Muḥammad Muḥyi al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beirut: 1984.