Al Sahla Grand Mosque

Al Sahla Mosque is considered one of the most famous and greatest mosques built in Kufa during the first Hijri century, ranking among the Imamiyya in status and position after the four great mosques, due to its merits explicitly mentioned in noble narrations.

Those narrations indicate the profound antiquity of this blessed site and its connection to the chain of prophets and messengers, for it was the house of Prophet Idris and the place of his work, the house of Prophet Ibrahim Al Khalil and the base of his mission, the dwelling of Al Khidr and his frequent place of return, and the residence of Prophet Dawud. Narrations have confirmed that all the prophets and their successors prayed in it, and their faces were engraved on a rock found within it.

Various names were given to it throughout history, among them Masjid Al Qura, Al Masjid Al Barri, and Masjid Bani Dhafar, but the name "Al Sahla" prevailed and was circulated among people, attributed to an ancient cemetery from the cemeteries of Kufa on whose edge it was located.

Among the most prominent narrations regarding the virtue of this mosque is the saying of Imam Al Sajjad: "Whoever prays two rak'as in it, God will add two years to his life,"

and the saying of Imam Al Sadiq: "No distressed person has ever come to it, praying between the two evening prayers and supplicating God, except that God relieved his distress.

And whoever resides in it is as if residing in the tent of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)." Furthermore, it is closely associated with the Awaited Imam Al Mahdi (may God hasten his noble return), as narrations confirm that he is permanently present therein and that it is his home and the dwelling of his household after his appearance.

As for the mosque in its current form, it is rectangular in shape, its northern and southern sides extending 160 meters and its eastern and western sides 130 meters. Its wall is elevated and supported by semicircular towers, and its courtyard is open, with shrines and prayer niches for prophets and Imams (peace be upon them) distributed throughout its center and corners. The most prominent are:

The shrine of Imam Zain Al Abidin in the center of the mosque

The shrine of Imam Al Sadiq to its north

The shrine of Imam Al Mahdi in the center of the southern side, built in 1181 AH by order of Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Bahr Al Ulum, topped by a dome of blue tiles

The shrine of Prophet Ibrahim Al Khalil in the northeastern corner

The shrine of Prophet Idris in the southeastern corner

The shrine of Prophets Hud and Salih in the northwestern corner

The shrine of Al Khidr

The mosque has a minaret built in 1378 AH, commemorated by Sayyid Muhammad Al Hilli in verse:

Go to Al Sahla and seek refuge from every calamity and hardship. It is a mosque where worship has soared in direction and silence. The minaret was built within it for the call to prayer with raised voices. Since it was said in its history: and they call to prayer at every time.