Masjid Quba in Madinah, the first mosque built in Islam

What Masjid Quba is

According to the Madinah tourism site Visit Madinah, Masjid Quba is the first mosque built in Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, laid its foundation stone himself, with the Muhajirun and the Ansar building it together. This was in 622 CE, when he reached Quba on the hijrah from Makkah, before he entered Madinah itself.

The Quran mentions “a mosque founded on righteousness from the first day” in Surah at-Tawbah (9:108), and the same page ties that verse to Masjid Quba. The page also records that the Prophet used to visit Quba on Saturdays to pray.

The mosque has been renewed several times, including under Uthman ibn Affan and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, and rebuilt and enlarged under King Fahd. A King Salman project now under way is expanding it to hold about 66,000 worshippers while keeping the historic design.

The reward linked to praying at Quba

The same page says that praying at Quba carries a reward like that of an Umrah, as reported in the sayings of the Prophet. This is why many visitors come to pray two rakat. The details of how and when to pray are for a scholar or your group leader. We provide the transport.

Where it is and how far from Masjid an-Nabawi

Quba lies south of the centre of Madinah, in the old quarter of Banu Amr ibn Awf. Visit Madinah describes a walking path of about 3 km linking it with Masjid an-Nabawi.

Visit Madinah says the mosque is open day and night. Prayer times are the busiest, and so are Friday and Saturday mornings.

What visitors usually do there

Visitors usually:

1. Make wudu at their hotel, as the facilities at the mosque are busy.
2. Enter the mosque, pray two rakat, and make supplication.
3. Look at the white domes and the courtyard, and take photographs outside.
4. Stay a few extra minutes in quiet reflection.

Allow about thirty minutes. That fits in our two hour tour. If you want longer, ask for the hourly rate. Going right after Fajr is quietest, and by mid morning the car park is full.

Combining Quba with the rest of your day

Many visitors go to Quba first because it is on the south side and the rest of the tour then moves north. If your hotel is near Masjid an-Nabawi, a common plan is to pray Fajr there, have breakfast, and leave for Quba about an hour after sunrise. You are back at the hotel before the middle of the day. If you want to pray Dhuhr at Masjid an-Nabawi, tell the driver your time and he will plan the loop around it.

Practical notes

• Time of day. Early morning is usually quietest. Midday is hot and busy.
• Dress. Dress modestly and cover your shoulders and knees.
• Wheelchairs. A folding wheelchair travels in the Staria or Hiace boot at no extra charge, and the driver helps the passenger into a seat. Tell us before booking if the passenger cannot leave the wheelchair.
• Phones. Silence them inside.
• Questions of practice. If your group leader has a particular way of doing the visit, follow that.

Masjid al-Jumu’ah, close to Quba

Masjid al-Jumu’ah, the Friday Mosque, is a short drive from Quba. Wikipedia and Arab News place it near Wadi Ranuna, about 900 m north of Quba Mosque and about 6 km from the Prophet’s Mosque. It is also called Masjid Banu Salim, Masjid al-Wadi and Masjid Atikah.

According to the accounts these sources give, the Prophet, peace be upon him, stayed at Quba for four days after the Hijrah. On the Friday morning he set out for Madinah and, when he reached Wadi Ranuna, he led the Friday prayer there. It is described as the first Friday prayer after the migration.

A visit is short, about 10 to 15 minutes, to see the mosque and pray if the time allows. It is a stop on our four hour full ziyarat.

Which of our tours includes Masjid Quba

The Madinah ziyarat has two tiers on one page, the Madinah ziyarat taxi. The two hour ziyarat covers Jannat al-Baqi, the mosques near the Haram, Quba, Qiblatain, Uhud and the Seven Mosques. The four hour full ziyarat adds Masjid al-Jumu’ah, Bir Uthman, time at Masjid al-Fath, a longer stop at Uhud, the date market or a date farm, and the King Fahd Quran Printing Complex and Dar al-Madinah Museum, with longer stops.

Fares are for the whole vehicle, in Saudi Riyal, with the return to your hotel included.

Time beyond the tour is charged at the hourly rate, from SAR 80 an hour, and the driver tells you before that starts. You pay the driver at the end, in cash in SAR or by bank transfer, with no deposit and no booking fee. See every place in the ziyarat hub and every fare on Routes and prices.

Masjid Quba is in both tiers. Masjid al-Jumu’ah, 900 m away, is a stop on the four hour full ziyarat.

Nearby: Masjid al-Qiblatain, Mount Uhud, Seven Mosques and Madinah ziyarat with Wadi Jinn.