The Mosque of Fash
The Mosque of Fash (Arabic: Masjid al-Fasḥ) is one of the ancient mosques in Medina. It is located in the southern part of Mount Uhud, connected to the mountain, and to the north of the Cemetery of the Martyrs of Uḥud and to the south of the Cave of Uhud, where people believe Prophet Muhammad (s) entered. The Prophet’s (s) prayer during the Battle of Uhud is mentioned in various early sources, and contemporary researchers believe the location of the prayer corresponds to the area of this mosque. In some sources, this mosque is referred to as "Masjid Uḥud." The structure of the mosque has been partially ruined in recent centuries.
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| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Other Names | Masjid al-Tawba, Masjid al-Nur |
| Place | Saudi Arabia, Medina, In the west of Quba Mosque |
| Usage | mosque |
| Religious Aspect | |
| Religious Affiliation | Islam |
| Beliefs | Prayer of the Prophet(s) in this mosque |
| History | |
| Time of Construction | 1 AH |
| Current State | |
| Status | Half-ruined, walls still in place |
Name
The Mosque of Fash also known as "Fasīḥ," is referred to as "Masjid Uḥud" in some sources due to its proximity to Mount Uhud.[1] It is also called "Masjid al-Shiʿb" (the Mosque of the Valley).[2]
ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī, a historian of the 9th century AH, reports that the name "Fasḥ" is believed to have been given because of the revelation of the "Fasḥ verse" (verse 11 of Surah al-Mujādila)Template:ENote in this location, but he found no evidence to confirm this.[3]
Location
Masjid Fasḥ is located in the southern part of Mount Uḥud, connected to the mountain.[4] It is situated to the north of the Cemetery of the Martyrs of Uḥud and to the south of the Cave of Uḥud, where people believe Prophet Muhammad (s) entered.[5]
The Prophet’s Prayer
The historical background of Masjid Fasḥ dates back to the early years of Islam. The prayer of Prophet Muhammad (s) during the Battle of Uḥud is mentioned in early sources.[6] According to a report in the history of Medina by Ibn Shabba, the location of the Prophet’s prayer was a small mosque in the Uḥud region, to the right of the "Valley of Jarrār," adjacent to the mountain.[7] Some contemporary researchers believe the location of the prayer corresponds to the area of this mosque.[8][9]
History of the Mosque’s Structure
According to Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muṭrī (d. 741 AH), the structure of the small mosque at the foot of Mount Uḥud had been destroyed by his time.[4] Similar reports are found in other sources from the 9th[10] and 10th centuries.[11]
A report from the 11th century AH mentions that the mosque had a width of approximately 18 cubits.[12] In the mid-14th century AH, the mosque had high walls but no roof, built during the Ottoman era.[13] According to a more recent report from 1418 AH, the walls of the mosque had been demolished, and only the southern wall, which contained the mihrab, remained relatively intact, standing at one and a half meters tall.[14]
Based on available images of Masjid Fasḥ, its current structure has been rebuilt as a rectangle with low stone walls. The walls are of uneven height, and a mihrab is located on the qibla wall. A canopy-like structure has been built over the mosque, and the interior is carpeted.[15]
Images of the Mosque
Current Condition of the Mosque
Older Images of the Mosque
Notes
- ↑ Masājid al-Athariyya, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, p. 151.
- ↑ Maʿālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayn al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh, Kaʿkī, vol. 2, p. 355.
- ↑ Wafāʾ al-Wafā, al-Samhūdī, vol. 3, p. 204.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 Al-Taʿrīf bimā ansat al-hijra, al-Muṭrī, p. 126.
- ↑ Masājid al-Athariyya, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, p. 154.
- ↑ Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, Ibn Hishām, vol. 3, p. 604.
- ↑ Tārīkh Madīna Ibn Shabba, p. 57.
- ↑ Maʿālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayn al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh, Kaʿkī, vol. 2, p. 362.
- ↑ Masājid al-Athariyya, ʿAbd al-Ghanī, p. 155.
- ↑ Wafāʾ al-Wafā, al-Samhūdī, vol. 3, p. 204.; Maghānim al-Muṭāba, Fīrūzābādī, vol. 2, p. 289.
- ↑ Durar al-Farāʾid, al-Anṣārī, vol. 3, p. 1630.
- ↑ ʿUmdat al-Akhbār, al-ʿAbbāsī, p. 163.
- ↑ Tārīkh Maʿālim al-Madīna Qadīman wa Ḥadīthan, p. 193.
- ↑ Masājid al-Athariyya, p. 185.
- ↑ Documentary images by users on Google Maps and the website Welcome Saudi.
References
- Abū Zayd ʿUmar ibn Shabba. Tārīkh al-Madīna al-Munawwara. Qom: Dār al-Fikr, 1368 SH.
- Muḥammad Ilyās ʿAbd al-Ghanī. Masājid al-Athariyya. Maṭābiʿ al-Rashīd, Medina, 2nd edition, 1419 AH.
- Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya**, Ibn Hishām al-Ḥimyarī, Maktabat Muḥammad ʿAlī Ṣabīḥ wa Awlādihi, Egypt, 1383–1963 CE.
- Al-Taʿrīf bimā ansat al-hijra min maʿālim dār al-hijra**, Jamāl al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muṭrī, edited by Sulaymān al-Raḥīlī, Riyadh: Dārat al-Malik ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, 1426 AH.
- Maʿālim al-Madīna al-Munawwara bayn al-Miʿmāra wa al-Tārīkh**, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Kaʿkī, Medina: Self-published, 2011 CE.
- Wafāʾ al-Wafā bi-Akhbār Dār al-Muṣṭafā**, ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī, edited by Qāsim al-Sāmarrāʾī, London: Muʾassasat al-Furqān lil-Turāth al-Islāmī, 2001 CE.
- Al-Maghānim al-Muṭāba fī Maʿālim Ṭāba**, Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb Fīrūzābādī, Riyadh: Dār al-Yamāma, 1389 AH.
- Durar al-Farāʾid al-Munaẓẓama fī Akhbār al-Ḥājj wa Ṭarīq Makka al-Muʿaẓẓama**, ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Anṣārī, Riyadh: Dār al-Yamāma, 1429 AH.
- ʿUmdat al-Akhbār fī Madīnat al-Mukhtār**, Aḥmad al-ʿAbbāsī, edited by Muḥammad al-Ṭayyib al-Anṣārī, n.p., published by Asʿad Ṭarābuzūnī, n.d.