By Sami Al-Mighmasi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MADINAH — The historic Quba Mosque, the first mosque to be built in Islam, will accommodate more than 55,000 worshipers after its expansion is completed, according to the Al Madinah Region Development Authority (MMDA).

The authority said work on the expansion of the mosque will start soon.

The historic mosque is linked with the Prophet's Mosque by the Sunna Road (Quba Street) which is four km long and is considered one of the oldest streets in Madinah with special tracks for the pedestrians to walk to and from the Prophet's Mosque.

The pilgrims are always keen to visit the Quba Mosque and pray in it after paying homage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and praying at his mosque.

The visitors of the Quba Mosque usually take memorial photos documenting their visit to the mosque.

"This is a magnificent place where Madinah residents received the Prophet (pbuh) when he first came to their town," said Ahmed Fatih, a pilgrim from Egypt.

He said he enjoyed a deep feeling of comfort praying in the first mosque in Islam.

"Madinah is replete with historic sites which reflect the sanctity of the place," he added.

Quba Mosque was surrounded by palm trees and fruit farms. However, with the development of the city, a number of farms have been replaced by tall buildings.

Quba Mosque witnesses an influx of worshipers and visitors throughout the yea. Large gatherings can be observed in the mosque’s precincts especially in the early hours of the morning.

Author Sapphire Hamwi said in his book (Lexicon countries) that Quba Mosque was originally a well surrounded by a village named after it. It was inhabited by the tribe of Bani Amr Bin Auf. On his way to Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) visited the home of Bani Amr Bin Auf and built a mosque in the area which he named Quba.

Historical references indicate that the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) built the mosque to the southwest of Madinah, three km away from the Prophet’s Mosque in the first year of the Hijri or Islamic calendar.

The mosque contained a well which belonged to Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him). It became a blessed place as the Prophet’s she-camel first knelt down there to take a long draught of water after the Prophet’s migration from Makkah.