Summary

A mosque built by twelve men Ibn Ishaq names; while the Prophet was preparing for Tabuk they asked him to pray in it and he put them off until his return; then, when word of it reached him at Dhu Awan, he ordered its demolition and burning. ¹

The builders and the request

Ibn Ishaq names its builders, the mosque's men — twelve men. ² Their asking the Prophet to pray in it is in the request event. ³

The demolition

The Prophet ordered its demolition and burning; Malik ibn al-Dukhshum and Ma'n ibn Adi carried it out — the account is in the demolition event. ²

The name

Ibn Ishaq mentions that the builders' mosque of "al-shiqaq" (dissension) was removed from Khidham ibn Khalid's house; the two names appear to be of one building in the account's context, and linking them is the museum's reading of the text's wording (needs_source). ²

Source notes and markers of doubt

The verse: the book contents itself with its opening then "to the end of the story" (p. 174); the museum linked 9:107 explicitly and 9:108 within the wording.
The mosque's location is not specified in the text.

Opinions on the question

The question: Why was the mosque of al-Dirar built and why did the Prophet order it demolished, and how do the sources and studies read the episode?

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Ibn Ishaq relates that the mosque's people came to the Prophet while he was preparing for Tabuk saying they had built it for the sick and needy and for rainy and wintry nights, and he put them off until his return; then when news of it reached him he ordered it demolished and burned, and Qur'an was revealed about them (9:107). Sunni exegetes detail the builder's purpose and intention — this detailing needs review of specific tafsir works (needs_source).

More opinions (1)

Academic viewSecondary opinion

Researchers link the incident to the political tension in Medina before Tabuk between the Prophet and his opponents among its people; the summary needs a specific academic reference (needs_source).

Masjid al-Dirar

At a glance