It is believed that the Abou Nakhle Mosque was originally
built as a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Following its conversion,
it functioned as a ‘zawiya’ for Sufis following the ‘Ubaidi movement and was
attributed to Imam Muhammad Ibn Hannafiyya, the son of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb.
The mosque is modest in size and does not contain a pulpit, and shelters the
shrine of Sheikh Muhammad Abou Nakhle, who subsequently gave the mosque its name.
The mosque offers women from its surrounding community religious lessons on
Friday mornings. The mosque was damaged during the 1956 Jezzine earthquake and
was repaired in 1960. During the summer 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the mosque
was shelled heavily by the Israeli army but was repaired later that same year.
