Palace of 'Urwa Ibn Az-Zubayr

PALACE OF 'URWA IBN AZ-ZUBAYR

The palace of the son of the great companion.

A palace in the blessed valley

In the heart of Wadi al-Aqiq — the blessed valley where, according to 'Umar, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Tonight, a messenger from my Lord came to me and said: Pray in this blessed valley" (Sahih al-Bukhari n°1534) — lie the remnants of a palace.

This palace belonged to 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr (رحمه الله), one of the greatest scholars of the first generation that followed the companions (the Tabi'in).

Who was 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr?

His genealogy alone is astonishing:

• Father: Az-Zubayr ibn al-'Awwam — one of the ten promised Paradise


• Mother: Asma' bint Abi Bakr — "Dhat an-Nitaqayn", daughter of the caliph


• Brother: Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr — the first Muslim child born in Medina


• Maternal Aunt: 'Aisha bint Abi Bakr — Mother of the Believers


• Maternal Grandfather: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, the first caliph

The Major Scholar

'Urwah became one of the greatest scholars of Medina. He is one of the seven figures known as "the seven jurists of Medina" — founders of the Medinese school of fiqh, which later led to the school of Imam Malik.

He is the primary narrator of the hadiths of Aisha, and one of the most important chroniclers of the Sîrah of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Trial of 'Urwah

'Urwah underwent a terrible trial. One of his legs was afflicted with gangrene, and the doctors had to amputate it. According to the historians, he was offered a sleeping draught to alleviate the pain. He refused.

During the same journey to the caliph al-Walid, one of his sons, Muhammad, died accidentally, kicked by a mule. On the way back, at Wadi al-Qura, he said:

"O Allah, I had seven sons: You took one of them and left me six. I had four limbs: You took one of them and left me three. If You have tested, You have also granted health; if You have taken, You have also left."

This statement has become a model of Muslim patience in the face of trials.

Why this palace is important

1. Material witness to the scientific life in Medina in the 1^st century of the Hijrah
2. It is located in Wadi al-Aqiq — the valley blessed by hadith
3. It belonged to one of the founding jurists of the Medinese school
4. One of the archaeological remnants of private palaces of the Umayyad period around Medina