even if their intention was merely to greet him with peace and invoke blessings upon him, is the fact that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to visit Qubā’ every Saturday, both riding and walking. This is established in the two Sahīhs through the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to visit Qubā’ every Saturday, both riding and walking.”

Ibn ‘Umar used to do likewise. Nāfi‘ added, reporting from Ibn ‘Umar concerning the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“And he would pray two units of prayer there.”

This authentic hadith indicates that he would pray in his mosque on Friday, then go to the mosque of Qubā’ and pray there on Saturday. Both were founded on righteousness. Allah Most High has said:

“A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. In it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who purify themselves.”

It has been reported through several routes that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked the people of Qubā’ about this purification for which Allah had praised them. They explained that they used water to cleanse themselves after relieving themselves. In Sunan Abī Dāwūd and elsewhere, it is reported:

“This verse was revealed concerning the mosque of the people of Qubā’: ‘In it are men who love to purify themselves.’” He said: “They used water to cleanse themselves after relieving themselves, so this verse was revealed concerning them.”

It is also established in the Sahīh that:

“Sa‘d asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about the mosque founded on righteousness while he was in the house of one of his wives. He took a handful of pebbles and struck the ground with them, then said: ‘It is this mosque of yours,’ referring to the mosque of Medina.”

It is thus clear that both mosques were founded on righteousness. The mosque of Medina, however, embodies this quality more fully and is therefore more deserving of this designation. The mosque of Qubā’ occasioned the revelation of the verse because it