192 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADEven stranger than that is what Ibn Jarir stated, namely, "It was related to me
from Rawh b. Wbada, who said, 'Sa'id related to us, from Qatada, who said,
"The Qur'an was revealed to the Messenger of God (SAAS) over a period of 8
years in Mecca and 10 in Medina.""'
Al-Hasan used to say "over 10 years in Mecca and 10 in Medina."
This last statement to which al-Hasan al-Basri subscribed, that he remained in
Mecca 10 years, was one with which Anas b. Mdik, '.&'isha, Sacid b. al-Musayyab
and 'Amr b. Din% all agreed, according to what Ibn Jarir related of them.
And there is the account from Ibn CAbbas, related by Ahmad b. Hanbal from
Yahya b. SaSd, from Hishzm, from CIkrima. It has Ibn 'Abbas as saying, "The
Prophet (SAAS) received revelation at the age of 43 and he remained in Mecca
for 10 years."
We recounted above that al-Sha'bi stated, "Ismfil was linked with the
Messenger of God (SAAS) for 3 years during which he communicated to him
the Word and the Message. In one account, he would hear his voice but not see
his person; and thereafter it was Gabriel."
Al-Wzqidi related that one of his sheikhs rejected that statement of al-Sha'bi.
Ibn Jarir tried to combine the statements of those who maintained that the
Messenger of God (SAAS) stayed for 10 years in Mecca with those who con-
sidered it to have been 13 years by reference to what al-Sha'bi had said. But God
knows best.When the party of the Prophet (SAAS) came to Media he first stayed, as stated
above, at Qubz' in the home of the Banii 'Amr b. 'Awf. He remained there at the
most for 22 nights, though some say it was 18, others 10 or so, and according t6
Miisa b. Wqba, 3 nights.
What is widely accepted is what Ibn Ishzq and others stated, namely that he
was there at Quba' from a Monday to a Friday.
He did establish during this period of disputed length, as we have indicated,
the mosque at Quh~'.
Al-Suhayli claimed that the Messenger of God (SAAS) founded it on the first
day he arrived at Qub~', citing to support this view the Almighty's words, "cer-
tainly, a mosque founded in piety from the first day" @rat al-Tawba or
al-Bara'a; IX, v.108). And he refuted those who would have the wording read
"from the foundation of the first day".
It is a fine, much honoured mosque. God Almighty revealed about it, "cer-
tainly a mosque founded in piety from the hst day is fully deserving of you
standing (for prayer) inside it; therein are men who love that they be purified,
and God loves those who purify themselves" (swat al-Tawba or al-Bar~Ja; IX,
v.108). We have discussed this in our Tafiir (Exegens). Therein we referred to
the hadith in the ~ahih collection of Muslim to the effect of it being the mosque
of Medina, and to the refutation of this.