When and how was the word "Al-Munawwarah" added to "Al-Madinah", knowing that it was mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah as "Taba" and "Tayba", and did this addition occur during the era of the Companions, the Tabi'in, the Tabi' al-Tabi'in, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, or the Ottomans?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The name "Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah" (The Illuminated City) was given to the city of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, by a group of scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah and Al-Suyuti, and it was not denied. The reason for this naming goes back to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, illuminating it with his arrival, his law, and his guidance. It is not known when or by whom this naming was initiated. This city has many names; Al-Hamawi mentioned twenty-nine of them in his Mu'jam Al-Buldan, such as: Al-Madinah, Taybah, Yathrib, and Al-Mubarakah (The Blessed).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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