Where is the mesjidud dirar?
A group of hypocrites plotted to assassinate the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- just as the army was passing through a narrow strait, at night, on the return from Tabuk. Informed of their sinister plan, the Noble Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- sent Huzayfa’tul-Yaman to them and the hypocrites took flight hearing the Companion shout out towards them. (Ahmad, V, 453)
There was yet another trap set by the hypocrites awaiting the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-. Abu Amir Fasiq, a Christian of Khazraj stock, who had left Medina with the establishment of Islam and defected to the Byzantines, was incessantly provoking the hypocrites to take action. As the boiling point of this witch’s cauldron, they built a mosque a little further down from the Masjid of Quba. This was the famous Masjid of Dirar.
To execute yet another of their assassination plans they invited the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- to their mosque prior to the Campaign of Tabuk. “On the return, inshallah”, was the Prophet’s -upon him blessings and peace- reply. They were now on the prowl for the return of the Muslim army.
The Believers were now within a short distance from Medina, as Jibril -upon him peace- came and gave the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- insight into this center of mischief paraded as a mosque of piety. The trap set up by hypocrites in the form of a rival mosque to ensnare the Prophet of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- and the entire Believers, was thus thwarted before it could ever be put into practice. The Almighty exposed their malice in no uncertain manner:
“And those who built a masjid to cause harm and for unbelief and to cause disunion among the believers and an ambush to him who made war against Allah and His Messenger before; and they will certainly swear: We did not desire aught but good; and Allah bears witness that they are most surely liars. Never stand in it; certainly a masjid founded on piety from the very first day is more deserving that you should stand in it; in it are men who love that they should be purified; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.” (at-Tawbah, 107-108)
This time, it was more than a usual case of hypocritical duplicity; they had conspired a blatant plot against the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- and the Believers. They therefore needed to be unmasked and their mosque had to be torn down.
The Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- acted in accordance with Divine command and had the Masjid of Dirar burnt down upon his return to Medina. (Ibn Hisham, IV, 185)
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş, The Prophet Muhammed Mustafa the Elect II, Erkam Publications
