Great Mosque of Basra

The mosque of Basra was built of reeds by Utba ibn Ghazwan in 14 AH. There is disagreement over its laying out, between Utba himself, Nafi ibn al-Adhra al-Bahzi, Nafi ibn al-Harith ibn Kalada and al-Aswad ibn Sari'; he was the first to judge a case in it. ¹

Then Abu Musa al-Ash'ari rebuilt it with mud brick and clay, and roofed it with teak. Ziyad made many additions, rebuilt it in fired brick and lime, roofed it with teak, and made its minaret of stone. He was the first to make the maqsura. Its columns were brought from the mountain of Ahwaz, and were cut by al-Hajjaj ibn Atik and his son. ¹

He ordered that the pebbles be gathered and thrown out of the mosque, so that no one would think that shaking the hands during prayer was a sunna. The officials pressed the people harder and took bribes, and someone said: "How good is command, even over pebbles." ¹

Al-Mahdi bought the house of Nafi ibn al-Harith, the house of Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Bakra and the house of Rabi'a ibn Kalada, and brought them into the mosque. The house of government was brought into it in the caliphate of al-Rashid. ¹