Masjid al-Mustarah: The Mosque of Rest on the Uhud Road

Masjid al-Mustarah sits on the left of the road out to Uhud, about 2.5 km northwest of Masjid an-Nabawi. Almost every Ziyarat vehicle passes it. Almost none stop.

Mustarah means the place of rest. That is the whole story, and it is a better one than it sounds.

What happened here

The Madinah historians record that the Prophet ﷺ rested at this spot on the way back from Uhud, and that he prayed here. They also record that when he went out to visit the graves of the martyrs of Uhud, he would stop and rest at this place.

The mosque is also known as Masjid Bani Haritha, after the quarter it stood in.

Why a rest stop matters

Think about which journey this was.

He was coming back from Uhud. Seventy of his Companions were dead, including his uncle. He was wounded. The community had just been through the worst day it had known.

And on the way home he stopped, sat down, and rested, and later kept stopping at the same place whenever he went out to the graves.

There is nothing dramatic here and no miracle attached. It is a place associated with a man being tired on a hard road, and stopping. For anyone who finds Ziyarat exhausting, or who is travelling with elderly parents who need to sit down every twenty minutes, that is not a small thing.

The building

Small and plain, raised about half a metre above the ground beside it, in the region of 491 square metres, expanded during the reign of King Fahd.

The Madinah historians hold that a mosque stood here from the Prophet's ﷺ own time. What you see is a much later building on that site.

The evidence

• The journey to and from Uhud, and the visits to the martyrs' graves: established.
• The Prophet ﷺ resting and praying at this place: recorded by the Madinah historians. Level B, historical documentation rather than an authentic hadith naming the spot.
• A special reward for praying here: none that we know of.

Is visiting part of Hajj or Umrah?

No. Not a rite of either, and no prayer is prescribed there.

Visiting

• Five minutes. It is a small mosque and there is little inside.
• It is on the Uhud road, so ask your driver to pull in rather than making a trip of it.
• Ask by either name. Some drivers know it as Masjid Bani Haritha.
• It is a working mosque. Quiet voices, modest dress, and not a photo stop.

Nearby

• Mount Uhud — further up the same road.
• The Martyrs of Uhud — the graves he was going out to visit.
• Masjid an-Nabawi — the other end of the journey.
• Madinah Ziyarat guide — every site with its evidence stated.

Getting there

Madinah's historic sites are spread across the city and doing them one taxi at a time wastes most of a morning. Our Madinah Ziyarat private car covers the round on one fixed fare for the whole vehicle, with the driver waiting at every stop, and the Madinah Ziyarat tour is the guided version. For arrival, the Madinah airport transfer has fixed fares.

Accuracy note

The Prophet's ﷺ journeys to and from Uhud and his visits to the graves of the martyrs are established in the hadith and seerah literature. That he rested and prayed at this particular spot, and stopped here on his visits to the graves, is recorded by the Madinah historians and is level B historical documentation rather than an authentic hadith naming the place. The location about 2.5 km northwest of Masjid an-Nabawi, on the left of the road to Uhud, the alternative name Masjid Bani Haritha, the area of about 491 square metres, the raising of the building about half a metre above the surrounding ground, and the expansion during the reign of King Fahd, follow Saudi official and published heritage sources. We know of no authentic report of a special reward for praying in this mosque. Visiting is not a rite of Hajj or Umrah. Content verified August 2026. Something to fix? Tell us.