IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA'IL IBN KATH~R 193We also made mention of the hadith related by the Imm Ahmad as follows:
"Hasan b. Mubmad related to us, quoting Abii Idris, quoting Shur&bil
quoting Wwaym b. Sacida who said that it was related to him that the Messenger
of God (SAAS) came to them in the mosque in Quba' and said, 'God has given
you much good praise for purifying yourselves, in the reference to your mosque;
what is it you do to so purify yourselves?' They replied, 'We swear by God, 0
Messenger of God, that the only thing we know is that we had some Jewish
neighbours who would wash their behinds after defecating, and so we washed
like them."'
Ibn Khuzayma included this hadith in his jahih collection and there are other
testimonies to it.
It is also related from Khuzayma b. Thabit and Muhammad b. 'Abd All& b.
Salm and Ibn <Abbns.
Abii DS'ad, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Mzja related from a hadith of Yiinus b.
al-Hzrith, from Ibrahim b. Aba Maymiina from Abii Hurayra, from the Prophet
(SAAS), who said, "The following verse was revealed about the people of Qubz':
'In it there are men who love to be purified, and God loves those who purify
themselves."' He then went on, "They would wash after excretion and this verse
was revealed about them."
Al-Tirmidhi commented, "A unique tradition from this source."
My own comment is that this Yiinus b. al-Hzrith is a weak authority. But God
knows best.
One of those who stated that it referred to this mosque as the one "founded in
piety" was 'Abd al-RazBq who related, from Macmar, from al-Zuhri, from
Wma b. al-Zubayr, and 'Ali b. Abn Talha related it, from Ibn 'Abbzs. It was
related also from al-Sha'bi, al-Hasan al-Bqri, Qatzda, Sa'id b. Jubayr, 'Afiyya
alLCAwfi and 'Abd al-Raman b. Zayd b. Aslam, along with others.
The Prophet (SAAS) used to visit it in later times and would pray there. He
would go to Qub2 each Saturday, sometimes mounted and sometimes on foot.
It is a hadirh from him that, "Prayer in the mosque at QubP is like an %mra."40
It is also stated in a hadith that it was Gabriel, peace be upon him, who pointed
out to the Prophet (SAAS) the place for the qibla, the prayer niche, for the
mosque at Quba'.
This mosque was the first built in Medina; indeed it is the first that was made
for people in general in this community (of believers). In stating this about this
mosque, we are excluding the mosque that Abii Bakr built at the entrance to his
home in which to worship and pray; this is because it was for his personal house-
hold, not for the public at large. But God knows best.
The matters relating to the acceptance of Islam by Salmm have been referred to
above in the chapter on the bisharzt, the early signs. They tell how when Salman
- This refers to the "lesser pilgrimage", a series of ceremonies and rituals performed either in
wnjunction with or independent of those of the complete pilgrimage. See the Encyclopaedia of
Islam et alia.