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 place of worship: Balādhurī has recounted some reports about the places of worship erected by Makkan Muslims in and around their houses, which confirm the above speculation. There are two reports about ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir al-Madhḥijī: (i) He was the first Makkan to set up his own place of worship and pray in it and (ii) His was the first to erect a place of worship in a house.43
Places of Worship outside Makkah
Wherever Muslims lived outside Makkah, they had their places of worship in houses. At some places, there was more than one place of worship in that the Muslims there could not be accommodated in a single place of worship.
1. Place of worship of Ghifār and Aslam:
According to reports, Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī led his people in prayer. There is a variant report, however, stating that Aymā’ ibn Ruḥḍah led the prayers in that he was the tribal chief, though he had accepted Islam at a later date.44 Although places of worship are not specifically mentioned in these reports, it is certain that there were places of worship of different groups within the tribe.
2. ʿAbd al-Qays place of worship in Bahrain:
The ʿAbd al-Qays tribe of Bahrain had built its places of worship. Of these one was the central place of worship of Jawashi built in the Makkan period. This was the second such place of worship, next to the Prophet’s place of worship in which Friday prayer was offered.45 The earliest Muslim of their tribe, Ashajj and his friends had accomplished this.46
3. Place of worship in Madīnah during the Makkan phase:
It is a historical fact that some places of worship were built in this period in Madīnah. About early Madīnan Muslims it is stated that under the leadership of Asʿad ibn Zurārah al-Khazrajī they prayed at a place owned by Ḥarrah of Banū Bayāḍah, known as Naqīʿ al-Khadamāt. Forty persons joined prayers there.47 As their number grew places of worship were built by their families and tribes, generally in their courtyards in which prayers were offered on a regular basis.48 Ibn Ḥajar clarifies that some places of worship predated the Qubā’ place of worship. He cites Jābir’s report to the effect that Muslims had built places of worship a few years before the Prophet’s arrival and they used to offer congregational Prayers there.49 According to Balādhurī, the number of these places of worship was nine which had gone up later.
Education and Training of Muslims
After the commencement of the Qur’ānic revelation in the Makkan period arrangements were made for educating and training new Muslims among the Quraysh and Makkans. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the unlettered teacher. Although he did not have a teacher, he was the supreme teacher. This education system was based essentially on comprehending, memorizing and interpreting Qur’ānic verses and this continued throughout the Makkan period. The Qur’ānic passages revealed by then were scribed and preserved. Many Companions had the privilege of being the scribes of the Qur’ān. Instructions were issued about such religious duties as bodily purification, wuḍū’, prayer rituals and postures, morals and manners of spiritual development. There was an extensive syllabus for educating and training Makkan Muslims which was followed through the period.50
For imparting training to out stationed new Muslims a shorter syllabus was in place, lasting from a week to two months. They could not stay in Makkah for long and called on the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a limited period. They were trained soon after their acceptance of Islam. They were not allowed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to settle down in Makkah. They were taught Qur’ānic sūrahs, basic teachings of Islam and other important religious duties which sufficed for their leading life as Muslims. The following Companions were sent back to their respective areas