Masjid al-Qiblatayn

The Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Arabic: مَسْجِد ٱلْقِبْلَتَیْن‎, lit. 'Mosque of the Two Qiblas') is a mosque in Medina that is historically important for Muslims as the place where, after the Islamic Nabi (Prophet) Muhammad received the command to change the Qiblah (Direction of Prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca, the entire congregation led by a companion changed direction in prayer. Thus it uniquely contained two Mihrabs (Prayer niches). The mosque was renovated, in 1988 CE, during the reign of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Sa'ud[1]; the old prayer niche facing Jerusalem was removed, and the one facing Mecca was left. The Qiblatayn Mosque is among the earliest mosques that date to the time of Muhammad, along with the Quba Mosque and Prophet's Mosque[1], considering that the Great Mosques of Mecca[2][3][4][5] and Jerusalem[6][7] are associated with earlier Prophets in Islamic thought.

For the mosque in Zeila, Awdal region, Somalia, see Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Somalia).
Masjid al-Qiblatayn
مَسْجِد ٱلْقِبْلَتَیْن
The main entrance to the Mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationMedina, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates24°29′02.71″N 39°34′44.07″E
Architecture
TypeMosque
Completed623
Specifications
Capacity2000
Dome(s)1
Minaret(s)2
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History
See also: Muhammad in Medina

The name of the mosque goes back to the lifetime of Muhammad, when his companions named it after an event that took place. Muhammad received revelation from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qibla in the early morning hours of the day, instead of the Qibla of the Jews, that is the Temple Mount in the Shaami city of Jerusalem.[8] He announced this to his companions in his own mosque, after which the news began to spread. A companion who heard this went to Masjid al-Qiblatayn to share this news. Upon arriving, he noticed the congregation were already engaged in the afternoon prayer. He called out from the back of the mosque that the change of direction has been ordained, and upon hearing this, the imam (leader of the prayer) immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so. After this, the mosque in which this incident occurred came to be known as Masjid al-Qiblatayn. Many pilgrims who go to Mecca for Hajj often visit Medina, where some end up visiting this mosque because of its historical significance.

Quran

142) The fools among the people will say, "What has turned them [Muslims] from the qiblah to which they were used?" Say: To Allah belong both East and West; He guides whom He pleases to a Way that is straight.

...

144) We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now Shall We turn thee to a Qibla that shall please thee. Turn then Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque: Wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is God unmindful of what they do

— The Quran, Surat Al-Baqarah[9]

Hadith

Sahih Bukhari[10] says:

Narrated Ibn Umar: While some people were offering Fajr prayer at Quba' (mosque), some-one came to them and said, "Tonight some Qur'anic Verses have been revealed to the Prophet and he has been ordered to face the Kaaba (during prayers), so you too should turn your faces towards it." At that time their faces were towards Shaam (Jerusalem) so they turned towards the Kaaba (at Mecca).

Structure

The main prayer hall adopts rigid orthogonal geometry and symmetry which is accentuated by the use of twin minarets and twin domes. Living accommodations for the Imam, the Muezzin and the caretaker are discreetly grouped in one block to the west of the main structure. The difference in level at the southeast corner of the site has been exploited to incorporate a sub-basement level which serves as the ablutions area for worshippers. To the north, where the ground level is lower, the prayer hall is raised one-storey above ground level. Entry to the prayer hall is from the raised courtyard, also to the north, which can be reached by stairs and ramps from the main directions of approach. The prayer hall consists of a series of arches which support barrel-vaults running parallel to the qibla wall. These vaults are interrupted by two domes which establish an axis in the direction of Mecca.[11]

The main dome to the south is raised on a drum of clerestory windows which allow light to filter into the interior directly above the mihrab. The second, false dome is linked to the first by a small cross-vault to symbolise the transition from one qibla to another. Below it, a replica of the mihrab found in the lower chamber of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem reminds onlookers of the oldest extant mihrab of Islam. Externally, the architectural vocabulary is inspired by traditional elements and motifs in a deliberate effort to offer an authentic image for an historic site. [11] The mosque is located on the north-west of the city of Medina, on Khalid bin al-Waleed road. The mosque was initially maintained by Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattāb. By the rise of the Ottoman Empire the mosque was maintained by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who renovated and reconstructed it.

  • Entrance of the Mosque
  • The Mihrab, interior view
  • Side view

See also

References
  1. "Masjid al-Qiblatain (Medina)". Madain Project. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  2. Quran 2:127 (Translated by Yusuf Ali)
  3. Quran 3:96 (Translated by Yusuf Ali)
  4. Quran 22:25–37
  5. Mecca: From Before Genesis Until Now, M. Lings, pg. 39, Archetype
  6. Quran 17:1–7
  7. Quran 21:51–82
  8. Mustafa Abu Sway, The Holy Land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Qur’an, Sunnah and other Islamic Literary Source (PDF), Central Conference of American Rabbis, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28
  9. Quran 2:142–144
  10. "CRCC: Center For Muslim-Jewish Engagement: Resources: Religious Texts". Usc.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-01-07. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  11. "Qiblatain Mosque | Qiblatain Mosque On-site Review Report". Archnet. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
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