It is worth mentioning here that this second ’Ath?n used to be called on the top of a house called Az-Zawr?’ located in the center of the market.
Narrations related from As-S?’ib state the causes that induced ‘Uthm?n to take such a step. Some of which are:
1 - “ ... During ‘Uthm?n’s ( - رضي الله عنه -) caliphate, the number of muslims increased a lot and their houses extended too far from the center of the city’. (1)
2 - “ ... so that people could know the Jumu‘ah Sal?t is due’. (2)
3 - Al-Qurtub? reported that Al-Maward? said -regarding the second ’Ath?n-: ‘ ‘Uthm?n ( - رضي الله عنه -) ordered that it be called to give people a chance to prepare themselves and attend the mosque. This was at a time when the number of people in Mad?nah increased and their houses extended far away’. (3)
The reasons mentioned earlier do not exist at the present; there is no such a city -like the Enlighted Mad?na- (4) with great number of people whose houses are far away from the central mosque in which all people gather and many of whom can not hear the Mu’aththin when he calls the ’Ath?n at the entrance of the mosque.
(1) Narrated by: Abd Ibn Humaid, Ibn Al-Munthir and Ibn Mard?yah. Al-‘Ain? mentioned it in “‘Umdat Al-Q?r?” (vol. 3 / p. 233).
(2) Narrated by: At-Tabar?n?.
(3) “Al-J?m?‘ Li ’Ahk?mil Qur’?n” (vol. 18 / p. 100).
(4) The expression “Al-Mad?nah Nabawiyyah” [The Prophet’s ( - ) Mad?nah] is commonly used by the biographists of the prophet’s ( - ) S?rah and by many Sunnah interpreters; the “Mad?nah Munawwarah” [the Enlighted Mad?nah] used by some later compilers and authors.
As for the History book of Ibn Shabbah; it was titled by its publisher as “T?r?kh Al-Mad?naal Munawwarah” not by its real author -as could be easily discovered through tracing the book back to its author.
Al-Mad?na was indeed enlighted by the prophet’s ( - ) presence in it -whether alive or dead-, by the Sah?bah’s presence, and by the Qur’?n revelation in it.
The description “enlighted” is originally traced back to the Hass?n’s Ibn Thab?t euology of the prophet ( - ) which one of its lines states:
In Taybah there is the prophet’s way ? Lighening though ways could vanish
See: “Juz’un F? Ziy?ratin Nis?’ Lilqub?r” by Shikh Bakr Ab? Zaid (p. 5).