The Construction of Masjid Quba

With regard to the construction of Masjid Quba, it is mentioned that when the Holy Prophet (sa) arrived in Quba, he laid the foundation for a mosque which is known as Masjid Quba. It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that the Holy Prophet (sa) spent more than 10 nights in the village of Banu Amr bin Auf and laid the foundation of a mosque regarding which it is stated that its foundations were laid on taqwa and the Holy Prophet (sa) offered his prayers inside it.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib al-Ansar, Bab Hijrat al-Nabisa wa Ashabih ila al-Medina, Hadith 3906)

It is also mentioned in the narration that when the Holy Prophet (sa) laid the foundation, he first placed a stone in the direction of the qiblah [Holy Ka‘bah]. Thereafter, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) placed a stone and then Hazrat Umar (ra) placed a stone next to Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (ra) stone. After this, the rest of the people began working on its construction. During the construction of Masjid Quba, the Holy Prophet (sa) would carry a stone tied to his stomach and it would be a very heavy stone and the Holy Prophet (sa) would then place it down. Others would come and would want to lift the stone, but they would be unable to do so. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) would instruct them to leave it and to take another stone instead.

(Ibn Hisham, Al-Raud al-Unf fi Tafsir al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, Ta‘yis Masjid Quba [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2013], p. 332)

In relation to Masjid Quba, it is mentioned that this was the very mosque whose foundations were established upon taqwa. However, according to some other narrations, it is said that Masjid Nabawi is the mosque whose foundations have been established upon taqwa.

It is mentioned in Sirat-ul-Halabiyyah that there is no contradiction in the two narrations because both mosques have been established upon the foundation of taqwa. This view has been supported by Hazrat ibn Abbas (ra). In his view, the foundations of all the mosques of Medina, in which Masjid Quba is included, were established upon taqwa, but the mosque regarding which the verse of the Holy Quran was revealed was indeed Masjid Quba.

(Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2002], p. 75)