– Thaniyat al-Wadāʿ: A thaniyah is a mountain pass (plural: thaniyāt). Scholars have differed over the Thaniyat al-Wadāʿ situated near Madinah: is it on the Meccan route or on the Syrian route?

Al-Fayrūzābādī writes in Maʿālim Ṭābah: “Thaniyat al-Wadāʿ—opening the wāw, from wadaʿa (to bid farewell)—is a prominent pass crossed by those heading for Mecca.” Historians, chroniclers, and experts on travel routes likewise state that it lies toward Mecca, whereas the people of Madinah think it is toward Syria, apparently following Ibn al-Qayyim, who said: “On the Syrian side are the Thaniyāt al-Wadāʿ, and a traveler coming from Mecca never crosses them.” The views may be reconciled by noting that each of the two passes is called Thaniyat al-Wadāʿ—and Allah knows best.

– Mosque of Banū Zurayq: Banū Zurayq is a clan of the Khazraj among the Anṣār; Zurayq is the diminutive form of azraq (“blue”). Their quarter is south of the Prophet’s Mosque, within the walls of Madinah.

Al-Samhūdī states: “On the southern side of the prayer area, toward the west, two mosques were built at a distance of 850 cubits. I mention this so that, with the passage of time, no one assumes that either of them is the Mosque of Banū Zurayq merely because they lie in that quarter”—and Allah knows best.

– Five miles: One mile equals 1,600 meters.