Mosque Khadija Bentou Khowaylid Mosque Khdyjt Bnt Khwyld

Carrying the name of the first Mother of the Believers, Mosqué Khadija Bentou Khowaylid in the old city of Oujda stands as a quiet monument to the honour that Moroccan Muslims have always offered to Lady Khadija bint Khuwaylid, may God be pleased with her, the noble merchant of Mecca and the earliest supporter of the final Prophet. Oujda itself was founded in the year 994 by Ziri ibn Atiyya al Maghrawi, and over the following centuries the city passed through the hands of the Almoravid, Almohad, Marinid, and Alawite dynasties, each leaving its mark on the walls, gates, and mosques of the old medina. Its position on the caravan road between Fez, Tlemcen, and the Sahara made it a place of trade, scholarship, and shared Maghrebi culture across many generations.

Lady Khadija, the mother of the believers, was a noble merchant of Mecca who embraced Islam first among women, supported the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, at the most difficult moment of the early revelation, and gave her wealth generously in the way of God. Naming a masjid in her honour reminds every worshipper of the irreplaceable role of women in the building of the earliest Muslim community, of the sincerity of faith that does not hesitate when the truth becomes clear, and of the tenderness of a marriage rooted in mutual respect and shared worship.

The architecture of Oujda's mosques draws on the broader Moroccan tradition. Whitewashed walls are crowned with green tiled roofs, a square minaret rises above the neighbourhood, the mihrab is decorated with finely carved plaster and zellij tilework, and cedar wood beams patterned with calligraphy span the ceiling of the prayer hall. The call to prayer here is sounded in the characteristic Moroccan melody, unhurried and melodious, drawing worshippers from nearby houses, small shops, and the lively market streets of the old city. Women gather in a separate section furnished with its own entrance, allowing mothers and grandmothers to carry the same tradition that Khadija herself once lived.

Visitors will find on this page accurate daily prayer times for the masjid, along with the address in Oujda, a location map, and helpful notes that guide residents of the Oriental region, travellers along the Fez to Tlemcen road, and pilgrims journeying to visit the historic sites of Morocco, so that all may attend Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha here with confidence and ease.