The demolition of Masjid al-Dirar
هدم مسجد الضرار
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AH
When the Prophet stopped at Dhi Awan on his return from Tabuk, news of the mosque reached him; he summoned Malik ibn al-Dukhshum and Ma'n ibn Adi (or his brother Asim) and ordered them to demolish and burn it. They did so, its people dispersed, and Qur'an was revealed about them, according to Ibn Ishaq.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Summary
When the Prophet halted at Dhi Awan returning from Tabuk, news of the mosque reached him; he called Malik ibn al-Dukhshum and Ma'n ibn Adi (or his brother Asim) and ordered them to demolish and burn it. 1
The account
The Prophet halted at Dhi Awan, a place an hour's daylight from Medina. 2 When news of the mosque reached him he called Malik ibn al-Dukhshum, brother of Banu Salim ibn Awf, and Ma'n ibn Adi or his brother Asim ibn Adi, brother of Banu al-Ajlan, and said: go to this mosque whose people are wrongdoers, demolish it and burn it. 3
The execution
They went out swiftly until they reached Banu Salim ibn Awf, Malik's people; Malik said to Ma'n: wait for me while I bring you fire from my family — he took palm fronds, set them alight, and the two went out quickly until they entered the mosque with its people inside, burned it, demolished it, and they scattered from it. 3
The verse
Ibn Ishaq said: "and there came down upon them of the Qur'an what came down," citing the verse's opening and then "to the end of the story". The verse is at al-Tawba 107 and 108 (see the note). 3
Source notes and markers of doubt
- "Ma'n ibn Adi, or his brother Asim ibn Adi" (p. 174): hesitation over identifying the second man.
- The museum established 9:107 from the opening expressly cited; 9:108 is inferred from the phrase "to the end of the story" (needs_source).
- Those who built it are, in the account, "its people" who were in the mosque when it was burned; Ibn Ishaq does not detail what happened to them after they scattered.
Opinions on the question
The question: Why was the mosque of al-Dirar demolished, and how is the verse revealed about it interpreted?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
More opinions (1)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
Connections
- Had participant
- Asim ibn AdiMalik ibn al-DukhshumMa'n ibn AdiThe builders of Masjid al-DirarMuhammad
- Occurred at
- Dhu Awan
- Part of
- The expedition to Tabuk
- Caused by
- The builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in it
- Revealed in
- Qur'an 9:107Qur'an 9:108
People and things also explored
MedinaThe builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in itThe expedition to TabukMuhammadAbu Dharr lags behind and follows on footAbu Khaythama catches up with the ProphetAbu Ruhm and the stragglers of Ghifar and Aslamal-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/173-174
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/173
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/174
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The demolition of Masjid al-Dirar”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/demolition-of-masjid-al-dirar/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.