The Mīqāt Dhu al-Ḥulayfah Mosque, also known as the Masjid ash-Shajarah, is a historic mosque in Abyār ʿAlī, Medina, west of Wadi al-'Aqiq, believed by Muslims to be the location where prophet, Muhammad, entered the state of ihram before performing 'Umrah, after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
Masjid-u-Shajarah (mosque of the tree) is one of several Miqats (place where ihram is put on) for Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca for umrah or hajj. Abyar-e Ali is the name of a place where Masjid-u-Shajarah is situated, 7 km outside Medina in Dhul Hulaifah.
The mosque is located 7 km (4.3 miles) south-west of the al-Masjid an-Nabawi and was defined by Muhammad as the miqat for those willing to perform the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages from Medina. It is the second-largest miqat mosque after the Miqat Qarn al-Manazil in as-Sayl al-Kabir.
circa 650 CE
A small mosque was first built during the time of Umar ibn 'Abdulaziz, who was the Umayyad governor of Medina from 706-712 CE (87-93 Hj.).
Zayn al-Din al-Istidar reconstructed the mosque in 961 CE (1554 Hj.) and built a great wall around it which was still standing until Ottoman period. He also rebuilt the place for calling to prayer in the corner north west of the mosque and since the place of Mihrab was not known, he built another Mihrab in the middle of the wall directing Qibla which could be the original place for Mihrab. He also built stairs in three sides of the mosque to prevent the entrance of animals to the mosque.
The Miqat mosque has been renovated several times since, the last major renovation being during the reign of King Fahd (r. 1982–2005), who increased the area of the mosque by many times its original size and added several modern facilities.
circa 650 CE
The current mosque building was built during the reign of King Fahd. It is in the shape of a square of an area of approximately 6,000 square meters (65,000 ft2) inside a 36,000 m2 (388,000 ft2) square-shaped enclosure. It consists of two sets of galleries separated by a wide yard of approximately 1000 square meters (11,000 ft2). The galleries are shaped as arches ending with long domes. At the center of the mosque is spring of water housed inside a dome. The portion of the enclosure that does not include the mosque, measuring around 20,000 m2 (216,000 ft2), includes multiple restrooms and areas for changing into ihram and performing wudu.
circa 650 CE
Most of the inner area is pathways, galleries and trees. All 13 domes are located on the roof of the mosque, while the 5 minarets are located around the enclosure. One of the mosque's minarets stands distinct from the others, triangular at the bottom but round at the top in a diagonal shape, rising to a height of 64 metres (210 ft). The mosque is built in an Islamic architectural style, with Mamluk and Byzantine influences.
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