BUSTAN AL-MUSTADHAL & BI'R 'IDHQ
The shaded orchard and the well of the first date — To the west of the Mosque of Quba, 150 meters from its mihrab.
The Place Where History Changed
They had been waiting for weeks. Every morning, at dawn, the Ansar would go out. They scanned the horizon to the south. They were waiting for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
On a Monday in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1 of the Hijra — September 27, 622 — the Ansar had returned, defeated by the heat. It was then that a Jew, from the top of a tower, spotted two figures in the distance. And he shouted: "O Banu Qayla! Here is your companion whom you have been waiting for, he has arrived!"
The whole city rushed. It was here, in this orchard, next to this well, that the meeting took place. Bustan al-Mustadhal — the Orchard of Shade.
Why This Name
Al-Mustadhal comes from the Arabic root ẓ-l-l, which means "the shade." At this very spot, under the scorching heat of the Arab sun, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه) spread his own cloak over the head of the Prophet ﷺ to protect him from the burning rays. It was this gesture that gave the orchard its name for eternity.
The Authentic Account
The Prophet ﷺ sat in silence. Abu Bakr remained standing to welcome. "Some of the Ansar were coming — and they had never seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before. They began to greet Abu Bakr." The sun rose. Abu Bakr saw it. He took his cloak and spread it over the head of the Prophet ﷺ. "Only then did the people recognize the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3906)
The Miracle of the Well: Bi'r 'Idhq
Nearby, an ancient well is now called Bi'r 'Idhq — "the well of the bunch of dates."
When the Prophet ﷺ settled with Kulthum ibn al-Hidm, a bunch of dates was brought to him. He asked: "What is this?" "It is 'Idhq Umm Jirdhân" — the variety called "the mother of rats." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his hands: "O Allah, bless Umm Jirdhân!"
It is this first date eaten in Medina that gave the well its name. The Umm Jirdhân variety still exists today.
What This Place Means
It is here that the Prophet ﷺ sat for the first time on the soil of Medina. It is here that Abu Bakr spread his cloak. It is here that he ate his first Medinan date. It is just next door that the Mosque of Quba will be built. From here, History began.