Quba Mosque

Meaning

Crossing the long desert to the edge of Medina, a mosque of white domes and four white minarets rises among the palms. Here, tradition holds, the Prophet on reaching this land laid the first foundation stone with his own hands — beginning a new life, the very first thing he raised was a house of prayer. It is the first mosque where Islam prayed.

Regarded as the first mosque in Islam, standing at Quba, south of Medina. Tradition holds that during the Hijra of 622, the Prophet Muhammad, migrating from Mecca to Medina, stayed here some days and laid its foundation stone with his own hands — so the first thing the community raised in the new land was a house of prayer. It is said that to offer two rak'ahs (units of prayer) here carries the reward of an umrah, a lesser pilgrimage. Rebuilt many times, it now stands as a large mosque ringed with white domes and minarets.

Field notes

Location

Medina · Saudi Arabia · N24.4° · E39.6°

Best time

At dusk when the sky reddens, and evening as the mosque is lit.

Getting there

At Quba, south of the city of Medina; the first place the Hijra's pilgrims reach after crossing the desert, before entering Medina.

Etiquette

A mosque still in worship; keep the etiquette of prayer, keep quiet, and dress modestly.

Sources

• · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Medina
• · Wikipedia: Quba Mosque

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