The Hijaz Fire of 654 AH
نار الحجاز سنة 654هـ
c. June 1256 CE · Jumada II 654 AH
A great earthquake followed by an eruption of fire in the land of Medina in Jumada II 654 AH, in fulfilment of the Prophet ﷺ's report of a fire issuing from the Hijaz by whose light camels' necks would be lit at Busra; tremors began at the start of the month, intensified on the night of Wednesday the 3rd until eighteen shocks struck in a single day per al-Qastallani, then the fire appeared at Qarayza at the edge of the harra, flowing like a river red and blue with a thunderous roar that levelled hills, its boiling seen for days and reportedly sighted from Mecca and the mountains of Busra; yet a cool breeze still reached Medina until it was turned aside to the north on reaching the sanctuary boundary, and the dam it left is still called al-Habs by the people of Medina 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Summary
The earthquake
The earthquake began at the start of Jumada al-Akhira and grew stronger on the night of Wednesday, the third of the month. al-Samhudi, quoting al-Qastallani, says that in a single day it reached eighteen tremors. 3
The fire
The fire appeared at Quraydha, at the edge of al-Harra. The source describes it as flowing like a river, red and blue, with a roar like thunder that shook the mountains. It is said it was seen from Mecca and from the mountains of Busra. 2
Although it was close to Medina, a cool breeze would reach people from it, until it was turned away to the left when it reached the sacred precinct. The barrier it formed is known to the people of Medina as al-Habs. 2
Connections
- Occurred at
- Medina
People and things also explored
Mosque of the Two Qiblas· Prophet's Mosque· The Sanctuary of Medina· Judaism in Arabia before Islam· Medina's society at the Hijra· The utum (tower-fortresses) of Yathrib· Abu Bakr leads the prayers during the final illness· Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina
Sources
- Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p. 154-156
- Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p.154-156
- Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa — al-Samhudi (older print), p.155
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Hijaz Fire of 654 AH”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/nar-al-hijaz-654/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.