marked.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered Ẓuhr prayer in congregation. Another rite was the fast on 10th Muḥarram. The same may be said of Ḥajj rituals. Ḥajj was the annual worship of not only the Makkan Quraysh but all Arabs. Under the Prophet’s guidance and leadership Muslims performed pilgrimage according to their capacity. In so doing, however, they observed the dictates of morality and nature and shunned the innovations committed by the Quraysh. They avoided going around the Kaʿbah in a naked state or not staying at ʿArafāt, and returning to Makkah without going there or entering their houses by the back door etc. They shunned these unethical practices as a matter of principle.29 This establishes the principle that in a multi-faith society the Muslim minority may join festivals and rituals of other faith, provided these do not impair morals.30
Avoiding Polytheism and its Manifestations
On the important issue of social interaction and praying together the Prophet (peace be upon him) laid down the basic principle that Muslims must avoid polytheism and its manifestations. Included amid these are idolatry, making offerings to these, vows for them, and participating in any polytheistic ritual etc. He illustrated this through his practice. It was obligatory for Makkans, the Muslim minority and by extension for all Muslim minorities. They must keep away from polytheistic worship and its rituals. It is the religious duty of Muslims which the majority community cannot take away. It is antithetical to monotheism to make any adjustment with polytheism and bear with it.31
Building and Managing Place of Worship
1. The first place of worship in upper Makkah:
Soon after the revelation of the Qur’ān in the Makkan period, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked to offer prayers. Gabriel instructed him in wuḍū’, and purification in that these are prerequisites for prayer. He taught the Prophet (peace be upon him) how to offer prayer and gave him detailed instructions about two rakʿah and four rakʿah prayers, its postures and its beginning and end timings. He told also how to select a place for saying prayer. The first spot where the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed after receiving Gabriel’s extensive instructions was a corner of the valley in upper Makkah.32
2. The Prophet’s domestic Place of worship:
It emerges from the sīrah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had selected a spot inside his house for prayer. Soon after accepting Islam Khadījah started praying as the Prophet (peace be upon him) led prayers. A little later, ʿAlī joined the Prophet’s prayer. It was the beginning of congregational prayer and of the place of worship inside the house. Reports clearly indicate that the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered prayers inside his house. He directed Khadījah and ʿAlī how to purify and do wuḍū’. It was again he who identified qiblah. Ibn Isḥāq reports that three Quraysh chiefs – Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb, Abū Jahl ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī and al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq al-Thaqafī went out at night separately to listen to the Prophet’s recitation of the Qur’ān while hiding themselves. They did so near the Prophet’s domestic place of worship. For three nights they listened to him.33 Ibn Isḥāq further reports that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray inside his house, mischievous neighbours poured rubbish on him. For avoiding this he put up a stone and he prayed beneath it.34 According to Balādhurī, Saʿīd ibn Zayd, son of Qurayshī Ḥanīf Zayd ibn Nufayl and brother-in-law of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, reports that Muslims used to pray either behind closed doors or in a far-off Makkan valley.
3. The Prophet’s place of worship in Minā:
Regarding ʿAfīf al-Kindī’s acceptance of Islam it is reported that the Prophet, (peace be upon him) Khadījah and ʿAlī prayed in Minā and that he learnt about religious issues from Ibn ʿAbbās.35
4. Places of worship in Makkan valleys:
In the early Makkan period the Prophet’s other place of worship was in a Makkan valley. For Ibn Isḥāq reports: As the time of prayer approached, he would go to a valley. He was accompanied by ʿAlī who joined him without letting his father Abū Ṭālib know about it. He hid it from other leading members of the community. Both prayed there and returned at dusk. They did so as long as Allah willed it.36 In the above quoted report about Saʿīd ibn Zayd and other reports there is reference to places of worship in valleys.
The third person to join the prayer in congregation was Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, the Prophet’s freed slave. According to Ibn Isḥāq he was next to ʿAlī in accepting Islam and offering prayers.37 Some reports indicate that the next persons to join were Abū Bakr and Bilāl being the fourth and fifth persons respectively who offered prayers led by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Makkan valleys. Later on, other Muslims joined the congregational prayer in Makkan valleys at the appointed hours.38
5. Nakhlah place of worship:
As already noted in Ibn Isḥāq’s report that Abū Ṭālib had expressed his astonishment when he saw his son ʿAlī joining the Prophet (peace be upon him) in prayer. He asked about the prayer and the new faith. On coming to know the details he let his son pray and believe in Islam. However, he refused to accept Islam, saying that he would not abandon his ancestral faith at any cost. Al-Suhaylī makes two points about this report by Ibn Isḥāq and Ibn Hishām: (i) It was at Nakhlah that ʿAlī had prayed along with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and (ii) the next point is related to a posture of prayer, as one raises his buttocks.39 According to the editor and scholar, many places were known by the name of Nakhlah. One was Nakhlah Maḥmūd, in the vicinity of Makkah in Ḥijāz, which abounded in date-palm trees. Then there was Nakhlah Shāmiyyah located at Dhāt Araq. More importantly, it was the territory of Banū Saʿd ibn Bakr, the foster family of the Prophet. (peace be upon him) Nakhlah Yamāniyyah was a distant valley with a place of worship associated with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
6. The Prophet’s places of worship on Makkah and Ṭā’if highway:
On his return from Ṭā’if the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered prayers at various spots which were known as the Prophet’s places of worship.
7. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq’s place of worship at home:
Ibn Isḥāq reports that Abū Bakr had built a place of worship near his house in the locality of Banū Jumaḥand prayed there. Being a tender-hearted person he cried when he recited the Qur’ān. It moved greatly children, slaves and women, drawing them towards Islam. The Quraysh chiefs complained to the Aḥābīsh leader Ibn al-Daghnah who had extended protection to Abū Bakr, that Abū Bakr hurt their family members. Ibn al-Daghnah asked Abū Bakr to shut the place of worship and do inside his house whatever he wished. The latter, however, declined to do so and returned his protection deal. This place of worship lasted for a long time.40 The above report is cited by Imām al-Zuhrī on ʿĀ’ishah’s authority with reference to ʿUrwah. Moreover, the reference to Abū Bakr’s place of worship features also in Bukhārī’s Kitāb Manāqib al-Anṣār, Bāb Hijrat al-Nabīy wa Asḥābihī ilā al-Madīnah.41 This report too, is on ʿUrwah ibn Zubayr’s authority.)
8. Other Makkan places of worship located in houses:
It is in order to speculate, irrespective of the availability of reports or otherwise, that many Muslims must have built places of worship, like Abū Bakr, in the yard of their houses and offered prayers there. It is stated in the ḥadīth on the night journey that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had offered ʿIshā’ near the house of Umm Hānī bint Abī Ṭālib al-Hāshīmī. The latter too, had prayed.42
ʿAmmār’s
