fulfilment of their covert aims, they prepared a serious plot in Rajab 9th AH, which was in fact an extremely heinous conspiracy. However, Allah informed the Beloved Rasool about that dangerous conspiracy of hypocrites through revelation. Resultantly, the scheme of the enemies of Islam turned to ashes.
The Noblest Rasool was informed in Rajab-ul-Murajjab of 9th AH that Hiraql, the king of Rome is mobilizing an army to fight against the Muslims in the plains of ‘Tabook’ which was situated 430 kilometres away from Madinah in the direction of Damascus. The Holy Rasool called for Jihad although there was famine and extreme hot weather in Arab those days. So, the Muslims started assembling in Madinah, enthused with the spirit of Jihad.
In the meantime when the Holiest Rasool was busy in the Jihad preparations, the hypocrites took ad vantage of this situation and planned to construct a Masjid parallel to ‘Masjid Quba’ with the intention that the people who cannot go to Masjid-un-Nabawi due to any reason, they could offer Salah there. The basic intention of the hypocrites was to use this Masjid as a den for causing havoc against Islam as well as a place for their gathering to hold meetings against the Muslims and to plot conspiracies against Islam. They further planned to use this Masjid for the storage of weapons and other logistic support they would secretly receive from the king of Rome. Moreover, they planned to extend this trap of sedition against Islam in the whole Islamic world from there.
After planning all this, the hypocrites came to the Holy Rasool and said, 1We have constructed a Masjid nearby for the weak and aged people. Now we earnestly request you to come with us and lead Salah over there, so that the Masjid may become acceptable in the court of Allah..’ The Rasool of Rahmah replied, ‘At the moment, I am going out of Madinah for a very important Jihad; it will be seen on return.’
However, when the Beloved Rasool returned to Madinah safe and sound after successful Jihad, the reason behind the construction of this Masjid was disclosed to him through Divine revelation and the covert and heinous conspiracy of the hypocrites was exposed. Therefore, the first thing
that he did just after arriving in Madinah was to appoint a group of the companions and ordered them to go there and to set that Masjid on fire.
This Masjid was not founded on the basis of piety and godliness; instead it was aimed to incite havoc among the Muslims and consequent harm to Islam. Therefore, it undoubtedly deserved to be burnt and destroyed. It was, in fact, against the principles of truth to call this stronghold of spreading seditions as a Masjid. That is why, the Holy Quran has openly announced and revealed its reality by saying that this Masjid is not Masjid-e-Taqwa [Masjid of piety], rather it deserves to be called as 1Masjid Diraar’. Now see the enraged tone and wrathful words that Holy Quran uses whilst talking about this Masjid:
And those (some hypocrites) who built a masjid intending harm, and due to their disbelief, and ( desiring) to cause divisions among the Muslims, and to await the one (Abu Aamir Nasrani) who is, at the outset, an opponent of Allah and His Messenger; and surely they will swear that, ‘We wished only good,’ and Allah is Witness that they are indeed liars. (O Beloved) never stand (to worship) in that Masjid (of hypocrites); indeed that Masjid which has been founded on piety from the very first day deserves that you should stand (to worship) in it; therein are the people who wish to cleanse themselves thoroughly; and Allah loves the pure.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation ofQuran)] (Part 11, SurahAt-Taubah, Ayah 107-108)
Moral:
A same deed can either be good or bad with the difference of intentions of the performers.
To build a Masjid is a noble deed, but only if the sole intention is to seek pleasure of Allah . Conversely, if it is built to create sedition and brawls, then it results in damnation and torment. The construction of Masjid-unNabawi and Masjid Quba were accepted in the court of Allah and it became a source of reward because the intentions of the construction of these Masajid were to attain the pleasure of Allah and were purely based on piety. Whereas, the Masjid constructed by the hypocrites was damned and accursed in the court of Allah and it became a means of punishment, as those constructing it had not intended to gain the Divine pleasure but rather it was based on impiety. It was intended for destruction of Islam and sowing discord among the Muslims. Therefore, this Masjid was rejected by Allah. It was disliked by Allah to such an extent that Allah
prohibited His Beloved Rasool to enter it. Consequently, the Rasool of Rahmah not only evacuated it but also demolished by burning it.
So even in the current era, if a Masjid is constructed by the sects who have gone astray and use it as a centre of mischief to spread sedition by conspiring and spying against the people who are on the right path, then it is binding upon the Muslims not to go in that Masjid to offer their Salah. In fact, they should desolate it through boycott. Moreover, they should neither offer Salah in that Masjid, nor should contribute towards the construction and gathering of the people in it.
The other solution is that all the Muslims should get together and exile the deviant sects from the Masjid and take control over the Masjid so that the control of deviants is completely finished and the Masjid is sanctified and purified forever from the mischief and sedition of such people.
