The warm welcoming by the “Ansar”

The warm welcoming by the “Ansar”

After an eight-day journey, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) arrived at Quba' on Rabia al-Awwal 8, the 14th year of Prophethood (corresponding to September 23, 622 CE) at noon. Quba' lies at a distance of a few miles from Al-Madeenah and was generally taken as the locality of Al-Madeenah. It was largely inhabited by Banu Amr bin Auf (an Arabic tribe) who had already been enlightened by Islam. A few days before the departure of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) from Makkah, the news of his anticipated arrival in Al-Madeenah was in the air. The “Ansar” (Supporters of the Prophet) of Al-Madeenah would come out of their dwellings early in the morning and kept waiting till noon everyday. Thus, when the Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” arrived at Quba' at noon, they had already gone back after waiting for some time.

A certain Jew who was watching the crowds of Muslims coming out of their settlement as if they were waiting for someone knew that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was approaching from Mecca. This Jew was then, by chance, upstairs when he witnessed the small caravan moving into Quba'; guessing it to be the caravan of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) he cried at the top of his voice: "O people of Arabia, O those taking rest at noon, there has come your object of love." Having heard this call, the people rushed out of their dwellings and waves of joy gripped the whole atmosphere of Quba'. He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was emerging from an orchard of dates. Bearing in mind that the people might fall into confusion regarding the identification of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) Abu Bakr  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him drew himself back and shaded the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) with his mantle, thus making a clear distinction between the Prophet and the companion.

The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was now entering Quba' and the young girls of the “Ansar” were reciting in great fervor and boundless joy:

"On the hillside whence caravans are given a send-off,

The full moon comes up in the day.

All the while Allah is praised.

We had better return our thanks

The noble one, O you sent to us,

You have brought binding commands."

Building the Quba’ Mosque

The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) entered Quba' on Monday and stayed there until Friday. He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) stayed in the house of Khulthum bin Hadm while Abu Bakr  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him stayed with Habeeb bin Asaf. He would hold his assemblies in the house of Sa'd bin Khaithamah  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him   and the people visited him at the same place. During this short stay in Quba', he laid the foundation of a mosque, which is the first mosque ever built after the advent of Islam. On Friday, the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) left Quba' and made his entry to Al-Madeenah. He was still in Quba' when Ali bin Abu Talib  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him came and joined him. Ali  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him had made this long and arduous journey on foot. While the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was staying in Quba', Ali  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him who had been busy returning the deposits of the people to their rightful owners (in Mecca) was blessed with the honor of joining the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). He had left Makkah at about the time the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was leaving the cave of Thaur. But since he was traveling by himself, Ali  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him made his movements during the night and kept himself hidden in the day. The Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” avoided busy roads and reached Quba' in eight days, while Ali undertook the journey by the well-known routes, but was late by three or four days because of being on foot.

Entry into Al-Madeenah

Taking the leave of the people of Quba' and Banu Amr bin Auf (Banu means tribe) on Friday, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) moved forward to make his stay in Al-Madeenah. Every household of each locality expressed its strong desire that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) should stay with them. He was in the locality of Banu Salim bin Auf when the time for Friday (jumu'ah) prayer drew near. The Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” led the prayer in the locality of Banu Salim bin Auf in a field with about a hundred men behind him. This was the first Friday prayer of the Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” in Al-Madeenah and the first time the Friday sermon (Khutbah) was ever delivered. Later on, a mosque was built at that place.

After offering the Friday prayer, the Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” mounted his she-camel. Banu Salim bin Auf approached him and took hold of his she-camel's rein requesting that he stay with them. People of other tribes and localities also came in groups and made the same request. This led to a clash of words, which ended when the Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” said to one and all: "Let her go her way. She is guided by Allah. I shall stop where the animal sits down." The “Ansar” and “Muhajireen” (emigrants) followed the she-camel on all sides. He set the reins loose  and the she-camel moved ahead slowly. All eyes were focused on the animal, and they were eagerly waiting for it to kneel down.

When the she-camel entered the locality of Banu Biyadah, Ziyad bin Labid and Urwah bin Amr  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them the chieftains of the tribes wanted to take hold of the reins but the Prophet “ sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )” forbade them saying: "Leave her for she has already been commanded." Then, the she-camel stepped into the locality of Banu Sa'idah and Sa'd bin Ubadah and Mundhir bin Amr  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them the chieftains of Banu Sa'idah made the same attempt but received the same words from the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). After this, she reached the locality of Banu Al-Harith bin Al-Khazraj, and Sa'd bin Ar-Rabi', Kharijah bin Zaid and Abdullah bin Rawahah  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them stepped forward to stop her but received the same reply. From there the she-camel made an entry into the locality of Banu Adi bin An-Najjar. Since Abdul Muttalib's mother, Salma bint Amr, belonged to this clan, they made their claim for the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) to stop there. Thus Salit bin Qais and Asirah bin Abu Kharija, the chieftains of Banu Adi, took hold of the reins but he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) asked them to leave it for the animal had prior instructions for herself. At  last the she-camel arrived at the locality of Banu Malik bin An-Najjar and knelt down in a deserted and bare land for a while and then got up and advanced a little, only to turn back and be seated on the same spot again. This time she shook herself and then laid down on her neck wagging her tail.

Close to this unpopulated land was the house of Abu Ayub Khalid bin Zaid Ansari  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him. He rushed to the spot with his face beaming with joy and took the belongings of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) to his house. Thus he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) stayed with him in his house. The deserted land was the property of two orphan boys Sahl and Suhail. It had a few date trees, some graves of polytheists and a resting spot for  herds of cattle. "Who is the owner of this land?" The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) enquired. Mu'adh bin Afra responded, "This piece of land belongs to two orphan boys related to me, and I take care of them; I shall make them agree, you may take it for building a mosque." But the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) asserted, "I want to buy it, and will not take it without paying its price." Abu Bakr made the payment at once. With the order of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) the date trees were cut, the graves leveled, and the construction work of the mosque was started then and there. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) joined the builders. The walls of the mosque were constructed with stone and clay, the roof with wood and leaves of the date palm. Until his house was built, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) continued to live with Abu Ayub Ansari  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him for six months and a few days.

The mosque built during the time of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) saw no change before the caliphate of Umar  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him. During his caliphate, it underwent an expansion for the first time. Uthman bin Affan  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him strengthened it. During the time of Walid bin Abdul-Malik  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him it saw more expansion with the inclusion of the dwellings of the noble wives of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). 

The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was in the house of Abu Ayub Ansari when he sent Zaid bin Harithath and Abu Rafi to bring Fatimah, Umm Kulthum, Saudah bint Zam'ah, Usamah bin Zaid and his mother, as well as Umm Aiman  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them. Talha bin Ubaidullah, along with Abdullah bin Abu Bakr, and his relatives, also accompanied them  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  them. After the arrival of these people, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) moved into his newly built home.

 

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