MOSQUE OF AL-IJABAH (OF THE ANSWERED INVOCATION)
The mosque of the three invocations.
Three Questions to Allah
Saad ibn Abi Waqqas (رضي الله عنه) — one of the ten promised Paradise, maternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ and conqueror of Persia — narrates a breathtaking story.
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came down from the heights until he passed by the Mosque of Banu Mu'awiyah. He entered and performed two rakats. We prayed with him. Then he addressed his Lord at length, in secret. Then he turned to us and said: 'I asked my Lord for three things. He granted me two and refused one.'" (Sahih Muslim n°2890)
The Three Invocations
1. "I asked my Lord to not annihilate my community through widespread famine. He granted it to me." ✅
2. "I asked my Lord to not annihilate my community through widespread drowning. He granted it to me." ✅
3. "And I asked my Lord to not make them fight against one another within my community. He refused it." ❌
Read This Again
The Prophet ﷺ asked for three protections for his community:
- No widespread famine → GRANTED
- No widespread drowning → GRANTED
- No internal civil war → REFUSED
Reflect on the depth of this statement. Allah said no to His Messenger. On this specific request. And He said it here, in this mosque.
This means that wars among Muslims are written in the divine decree. That the community will tear itself apart over the centuries. That brothers will kill brothers in the name of the same God. And the Prophet ﷺ knew it. He had asked. Allah had refused.
The Practical Teaching
When you visit this mosque and pray two rakats there — which is traditionally recommended — remember:
1. What you ask of Allah may be granted or refused. And His refusal is not a humiliation. It is wisdom.
2. The Prophet ﷺ himself had a request refused. You are not greater than him.
3. Ask Allah for the two protections granted: that He preserves your family from hunger and drowning.
4. Ask Allah for protection against fitnahs — even if the global Ummah will not be spared, you personally can be.
This is one of the most spiritually profound mosques in all of Medina. And one of the least visited.
Why the Name "Al-Ijabah"
Al-Ijabah means in Arabic "the response" — or more precisely "the answered invocation." It is in this mosque that two of the three invocations of the Prophet ﷺ were answered.
The name thus carries both the joy of the two answered invocations and the contemplation of the refusal.