Mosque Abw Aywb Alansary

Dedicated to the noble Companion Abu Ayyub al Ansari, may God be pleased with him, this mosque in the Gaza Strip of Palestine honours the host of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, whose home sheltered the Messenger during his first days in Madinah after the hijrah. Gaza itself is one of the most ancient cities of the Levant, a port town whose bazaars, bathhouses, and mosques have hosted scholars, traders, and pilgrims for thousands of years. Its Islamic history reaches back to the earliest expansion of the faith, and the memory of the great Imam Muhammad ibn Idris, may God have mercy on him, is forever linked with the city of his birth.

Abu Ayyub Khalid ibn Zayd al Ansari, may God be pleased with him, was an Ansari of Madinah whose house became the first residence of the Prophet when he arrived from Makkah. He later fought in many early battles, travelled with the Muslim armies across the Mediterranean, and died during the siege of Constantinople in the year 52 of the hijrah, where his grave still attracts visitors today. Giving a Gaza mosque his name links the suffering and steadfastness of Palestinians to the patience and courage of one of the greatest Companions of the Prophet.

Architecturally, the mosque follows the restrained Palestinian tradition. Pale stone walls, a modest square minaret, arched windows, and a carpeted prayer hall with a tiled mihrab face the qiblah. A small courtyard with a fountain offers shaded rest, and ablution facilities are arranged simply along one side of the building. Women pray in a separate section, and classrooms host Qur'anic lessons for the children of the surrounding streets, whose families have often endured great hardship in the years of recent history.

Fishermen returning from the Mediterranean, farmers from the orchards, students, and families from the surrounding quarters gather here for the five daily prayers, for Jumu'ah, and for taraweeh during Ramadan, when the recitation carries over rooftops and the scent of the sea. On this page visitors to Gaza, when circumstances allow travel, and pilgrims remembering the Palestinian people in their supplications, will find the current prayer times, address, and notes to help every worshipper maintain a spiritual bond with this sacred corner of the Levant and with the patient congregation of Abu Ayyub's masjid during every season of the difficult Palestinian year.