wide and cannot be traversed either by foot or even on horses or camels. Two of these lava
plains are more extensive; one is to the east and is known as Harrat Waqim, while the other
lies in the west and is called Harrat Wabarah.
Majduddin Firozabadi writes in the Al-Maghanim al-Matabata fi Ma’alim Ut-Tabbah that
there are several lava plains surrounding Medinah. The two lava plains of the east and west
have virtually made the city a fortified refuge that can be attacked only from the north
(where ditches were dug on the occasion of the battle of the trenches). On the southern
side, the oases thickets and clumped date-palm groves as well as inter-tied houses of the
densely populated area defend the city against incursion by an enemy. The strategic loca-
tion of Madinah was one of the factors responsible for its selection as the émigré’s new
home.
Harrata Waqim, which is located east of the city and is arrayed with numerous verdant
oases, was more populous than Harrata Wabarah. When the Prophet (r) emigrated to
Yathrib, the more influential Jewish tribes, like, Banu an-Nadir and Banu Quraydha, were
living in Harrata Waqim along with some of the important clans of Aus, such as, Banu ‘Abdul
Ash’hal, Banu Haritha and Banu Mu’awiya. The eastern lava plain was thus named Waqim
because of a locality which boasts of the same name in the district occupied by Bani ‘Abdul
Ash’hal.