Fetih Mosque (Ahzâb Mosque/Masjid al-A'lâ/Masjid al-Murtafi')

Fetih Mosque is situated at a higher position than the surrounding mosques, on the northwestern slopes of Sel' Mountain. Due to this geographical feature, it is also referred to as "Masjid al-A'lâ" (The Highest Mosque) and "Masjid al-Murtafi'" (The Elevated Mosque). During the Battle of the Trench (A.H. 5/M. 627), the Prophet Muhammad established his war headquarters at this location; during the siege days, he prayed to Allah for the defeat of the enemy. According to sources, the Prophet prayed at this point for three days: the first day was Wednesday, the second day was Thursday, and the third day was Friday. On Friday, his prayer was accepted; a violent storm broke out that scattered the enemy army. Upon this great acceptance, the Prophet fell into prostration and performed a long prostration of gratitude. There are two narratives regarding the origin of the mosque's name: According to the first, the name "Fetih" was given because of the verse in Surah Al-Anfal 8/19, which means "If you seek victory, indeed victory has come" or because the Surah Al-Fath was revealed here. According to the second and more widely accepted narrative, the mosque was named "Fetih" because the Prophet's prayer for the enemy's defeat during the Battle of the Trench was accepted here. It is also known that the mosque is referred to as Masjid al-Ahzâb due to the Battle of the Trench. The historical repairs of the mosque are as follows: During the governorship of Umar ibn Abdulaziz (A.H. 87-93), this mosque was renovated along with the other trench mosques. It was rebuilt in A.H. 575 (M. 1179) by Sayfeddin Hussein ibn Abu'l-Heycâ during the Ayyubid period. In the Ottoman period, it was rebuilt by Sultan Abdulmecid in A.H. 1270 (M. 1853-54); its dimensions at that time were approximately 8.5 meters in height, 3.5 meters in width, and 4.5 meters in height. In 1991, two staircases, each with twenty-seven steps, were built to the north and east. [Source: "Mesâcid-i Seb'a", TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mesacid-i-seba]