Masjid Aisha “Umm al-Mumineen”(Masjid Al-Taneem)

The area known as Taneem, which marks the boundary of the Haram in the direction of Madinah, derives its name from the mountain and valley names in the region, sharing the same linguistic root. According to a measurement conducted in 1901 by Ibrahim Rifat Pasha, the Egyptian Hajj commander, the distance from the marker stone (alam) at Tan‘im to Masjid al-Haram is 6,148 meters (Mir’at al-Haramayn, I, 341; Abdulmalik ibn Abdullah ibn Duhaysh, pp. 80, 84). However, with current roads, this distance is approximately 7–8 kilometers. Tan‘im is one of the places where residents of Makkah and the Haram region (Makki, Harami) enter ihram for Umrah. Those living in or temporarily staying in the Haram region must leave the Haram boundary (to the Hil region) and enter ihram there to perform Umrah. All jurists are in consensus on this matter. For Hajj ihram, however, there is no such requirement, and those mentioned can enter ihram from their place of residence.

Different opinions have been put forward regarding the most virtuous place for residents of the Haram region to enter ihram for Umrah. According to the Shafi‘i and Maliki schools, as well as one opinion in the Hanbali school, the most virtuous place is Ji‘rana, located 29 km from Makkah. This is because the Prophet (saw) entered ihram for Umrah at Ji‘rana after distributing the spoils from the Battle of Hunayn in 8 AH (630 CE) (Bukhari, “Maghazi,” 35; Muslim, “Hajj,” 17; Abu Dawud, “Manasik,” 79). Additionally, Ji‘rana is farther from Makkah than other locations. According to this view, Taneem is the second most virtuous place, as the Prophet (saw) instructed Aisha (r. anh) to enter ihram at Taneem for an Umrah performed after the Farewell Hajj.

The Shafi‘is and Hanbalis consider Hudaybiyyah, where the Prophet (saw) stayed in 6 AH (628 CE) for an Umrah he was unable to perform due to the polytheists’ obstruction, as the third most virtuous place (Musnad, III, 245; Bukhari, “Umrah,” 3). According to the Hanafi school, one opinion in the Hanbali school, and the Shafi‘i jurist Abu Ishaq ash-Shirazi, Tan‘im is the most virtuous place for entering ihram, as the Prophet (saw) commanded both Aisha (r. anh) and her brother Abdurrahman (r. anh) to enter ihram there (Bukhari, “Hajj,” 31, 77, “Maghazi,” 77; Muslim, “Hajj,” 111, 112, 120; Abu Dawud, “Manasik,” 23). Jurists adopting this view argue that verbal evidence is stronger and takes precedence over practical evidence.

Some Maliki scholars consider Ji‘rana and Tan‘im to be equal in virtue. The Shafi‘i scholar Nawawi stated that Shirazi’s preference for Tan‘im is incorrect but could be acceptable within the school if interpreted as Tan‘im being the most virtuous among the places closest to the Ka‘ba in the Hil region (al-Majmu‘, VII, 134).
The historian Abu al-Walid al-Azraqi reports, citing Ibn Jurayj, that the Tabi‘i scholar Ata ibn Abi Rabah (r. anh) provided information about the place where Aisha (r. anh) entered ihram, and that Muhammad ibn Ali ash-Shafi‘i had a mosque built there. This mosque, which underwent various repairs throughout history (see inscriptions for repairs in 310/922 and 619/1222, Sa‘d ibn Abdulaziz ar-Rashid et al., bibliography), was rebuilt in 1847 by Sultan Abdulmejid and in 1984 by King Fahd ibn Abdulaziz. It is known as Masjid Aisha, Masjid al-Umrah, and Masjid at-Tan‘im. The two marker stones (alam) indicating the Haram boundary, located to the left of the mosque’s qibla direction, have been repaired multiple times and were reconstructed during the latest restoration.