Quba Mosque

In 622 AD, while migrating from Mecca to Medina, the Prophet Muhammad reached the village of Quba, about 5 km from Medina, and built the first mosque during his stay there. The Prophet himself participated in the construction by carrying stones. As the first public mosque where Muslims could freely worship, Quba Mosque holds great historical and religious significance. Sources provide different information about how many days the Prophet stayed in Quba. Ibn Hisham states it was four days, while a narration in Bukhari mentions it was fourteen days. During this stay, the Prophet was hosted at the house of Kulsum b. Hidm from the clan of Amr b. Awf of the Aws tribe and conversed with his companions at the house of Sa'd b. Khaythama. One of the most important details regarding the construction of Quba Mosque is the direction in which its foundation was laid. According to some narrations, since the qibla direction was not yet fully known, the initial foundation was laid in the east-west direction; the Prophet indicated that it should be in the north-south direction, and the construction was rearranged accordingly. It is narrated that verses 107-108 of Surah At-Tawbah were revealed in reference to this mosque; it is known that a mihrab was later built at the place where this verse was revealed. Throughout history, Quba Mosque has been expanded and repaired many times. The first comprehensive expansion was made during the time of Uthman; the mosque was rebuilt during the time of Walid b. Abdul Malik. During the Ottoman period, Suleiman the Magnificent renovated the ceiling and minaret of the mosque in 1543. In the period of Mustafa II (1699), the walls and minaret were repaired, and fountains and ablution places were added outside the mosque. In the reconstruction work carried out in 1829 during the time of Mahmud II, the dimensions of the mosque were increased to 40 x 40 meters. The Saudi administration rebuilt the mosque on a large scale, giving it its modern structure. During his time in Medina, the Prophet would go to Quba Mosque every Saturday and pray two rak'ahs. It is also reported that he visited this mosque on Mondays and on the 17th day of Ramadan.