Mosque of Al-Fath (of Victory)

MOSQUE OF AL-FATH (OF VICTORY)

The Mosque of Victory.

The mosque of the answered invocation

On the slopes of Jabal Sal', where the Prophet ﷺ established his command post during the siege of Khandaq, there is a mosque that bears a triumphant name: Masjid al-Fath — the Mosque of Victory.

It is here, according to Medinan tradition, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made the invocations that changed the course of the battle.

The authentic hadith

Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (رضي الله عنه) reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ invoked against the confederates, saying: 'O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Quick to take account, defeat the confederates! O Allah, defeat them and shake them!'" (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 4115 · Sahih Muslim no. 1742)

Jabir ibn Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) also reported that the Prophet ﷺ invoked Allah for three days in the mosque of al-Fath, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and that he was answered on Wednesday between the two prayers (Dhuhr and Asr). (Musnad Ahmad · al-Adab al-Mufrad no. 704; chain disputed: al-Haythami judges its narrators reliable, others judge it weak)

Surah Al-Ahzab

Allah immortalized this event in the surah that bears its name, Al-Ahzab (no. 33, verses 9 to 27). The central verse: "And Allah turned back the disbelievers in their rage; they did not obtain any good. And Allah spared the believers from fighting. Allah is Strong and Mighty." (Surah Al-Ahzab, 25)

Why this name

Al-Fath means "the victory", "the opening", "the conquest". The name of the mosque comes from two dimensions:
1. The physical victory: the defeat of the coalition by the wind sent by Allah
2. The spiritual victory: the confirmation that the invocations of the Prophet ﷺ were answered

The strategic position

The mosque is located on the western flank of Jabal Sal', facing the northwestern area of Medina where the trench was dug. Strategically, it was the best observation post possible. Spiritually, it was the post of invocation.