Inside the Prophet’s Mosque today, if you enter through King Fahd Gate and walk between Gate 21 and Gate 22 and stop midway between the pillars, you’ll see a simple stone circle set into the marble floor. That quiet circle marks the spot of one of Madinah’s most beloved wells: Bi’r Ḥā’ (بئر حاء) — the well of Abu Talhah’s garden.
A garden in front of the Prophet’s Mosque
In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Talhah al-Anṣārī رضي الله عنه was among the wealthiest of the Anṣār in date-palm orchards. The garden he loved most was Bi’r Ḥā’, located directly facing the Prophet’s Mosque. Inside that garden was the famous well we now remember as Bi’r Ḥā’.
Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to enter this garden and drink from its fresh, pleasant water. This was not just any well; it was a place the Prophet ﷺ personally visited and from which he drank.
Hadith
One day, a Qur’anic verse was revealed that touched Abu Talhah’s heart:
لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ (Āl ʿImrān 3:92)
“You will never attain true righteousness until you spend out of what you love.”
When Abu Talhah heard this verse, he immediately thought of Bi’r Ḥā’ — the garden and well he loved the most.
He came to the Prophet ﷺ and said (meaning):
“O Messenger of Allah, Allah says:
لَنْ تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنْفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ (Āl ʿImrān 3:92)
And the dearest of my wealth to me is Bi’r Ḥā’. I give it as charity for the sake of Allah, hoping for its goodness and reward with Him. So, O Messenger of Allah, dispose of it wherever Allah shows you.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied with joy and encouragement:
“بَخٍ بَخٍ، ذٰلِكَ مَالٌ رَابِحٌ، ذٰلِكَ مَالٌ رَابِحٌ”
“Wonderful, wonderful! That is profitable wealth, that is profitable wealth.”
Then he ﷺ advised: “I see that you should give it to your close relatives.”
So Abu Talhah رضي الله عنه accepted this prophetic advice and distributed Bayruḥā’ among his relatives and cousins.
This beautiful story is preserved in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, through the chain of Imām al-Bukhārī from Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه.
NOTE: This location is to guide you to the marked site of this well.