Religious Significance in Islam
The City of Makkah
Makkah is the blessed city which is the most beloved
land in the sight of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the chosen
location of His House. It was here that the final prophet and guide of
the whole of mankind, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him),
was born and commenced his Prophethood.
- Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) has called Makkah by five names in the Quran: Makkah, Bakkah,
Al-Balad, Al-Qaryah and Ummul-Qura.
- In Surah Al-Imran, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) states: “Verily,
the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah
(Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-Alamin (mankind and
jinn).” [3:96]
- When the Muslims conquered Makkah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said,“Allah
had made this city sacred the day He created the heavens and the earth
and it’s sanctity shall remain until the Day of Qiyamah (Day of
Judgement). Its thorns cannot be broken, its animals cannot be harmed
and things fallen on its ground cannot be picked up unless with the
intention of returning it to its owner or making public announcements
(to locate the owner). It is also forbidden to cut the grass that
(naturally) grows here.” [Muslim]
Aerial-view-of-the-City-of-Makkah
- The reward of prayer offered in
Masjid al-Haram is multiplied many times. Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah
be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) said:“A prayer in this mosque of mine is better
than one thousand prayers anywhere else, except for al-Masjid al-Haram. A
prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is better than one hundred thousand
prayers (anywhere else).” [Ahmad]
- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), sitting on his camel in the Al-Hazwarah market, addressed Makkah saying, “By
Allah, you are the best land of Allah, the most beloved land of Allah
to Allah. Had I not been driven out of you, I would not have left you.” [Zaadul Ma’aad]
- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) once remarked: “There
is no city in which Dajjal will be unable to enter besides Makkah and
Madinah. Every street will be lined with angels standing in rows to
protect them.” [Bukhari]
- In the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be on him), camel caravans were a major
part of Makkah’s bustling economy. Alliances were struck between the
merchants in Makkah and the local nomadic tribes, who would bring goods –
leather, livestock, and metals mined in the local mountains – to Makkah
to be loaded on the caravans and carried to cities in Syria and Iraq.
Historical accounts also provide some indication that goods from other
continents may also have flowed through Makkah.
- Muslim scientists have
provided evidence to show that Makkah is the true centre of the Earth,
one argument being that unlike other longitudes, Makkah’s is in perfect
alignment to magnetic north.
Masjid-e-Nabwi
Masjid-e-Nabwi is the masjid (mosque) established by the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) upon his migration to
Madinah. It is the second most revered masjid in Islam and the second
largest in the world, after Masjid al-Haram in Makkah.
- When the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) migrated to Madinah (then called Yathrib),
the chiefs of the city and his immediate followers rode around his
camel in their best clothes and in glittering armour. Everyone was
hoping he would stop by their house. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) would answer everyone politely and kindly, “[This camel] is commanded by Allah; wherever it stops, that will be my home.”
The camel moved on with slackened reins, reaching the site of the
present masjid and knelt down. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be on him) alighted and said, “This is the home” and inquired
as to who owned the land. The land contained a few date trees, graves of
polytheists, a resting spot for herds of cattle and was owned by two
orphan brothers, Sahl and Suhail. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) purchased the land, had the trees cleared and the
polytheists graves dug up and levelled.
- He then gave orders that his
newly acquired courtyard should be made into a masjid and work began
immediately. Most of the building was done by bricks made of stones and
kneaded clay but in the middle of the northern wall (which faced the
original Qibla in Jerusalem) stones were put on either side of the
prayer niche. The palms in the courtyard were cut down and their trunks
were used as pillars to support the roof of palm branches, but the
greater part of the courtyard was left open. Small stones were laid on
the floor to prevent it from becoming too muddy. At the rear of the
masjid, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) built a
shaded area called as-Suffah in which the poor companions would spend
the night. Two small huts were also constructed on the eastern side of
the masjid to accommodate his two wives at the time, Aisha and Sauda
(may Allah be pleased with them).
- The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) gave the Muslims of Madinah the title of
‘Ansar’ which means Helpers, whereas the Muslims of Quraysh and other
tribes who had left their homes and emigrated to the oasis he called
‘Muhajirun’, meaning Emigrants. All took part in the work, including the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) himself, and as they
worked they chanted two verses which one of them had made up for the
occasion: “O Allah, no good is but the good Hereafter, So help the Helpers and the Emigrants.” And sometimes they chanted: “No life there is but the life of the Hereafter. Mercy, O Allah, on Emigrants and Helpers.”
- The masjid was built twice
during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on
him). The first time was shortly after he had made the Hijra to Madinah
in 622 CE, with the size of the masjid being approximately 35 x 30
meters and the height 2.5 meters. It was rebuilt seven years later after
the Fath (opening) of Khaibar. The increasing number of Muslims by then
necessitated an increase in the area of the mosque to accommodate more
worshippers. Usman (may Allah be pleased with him) paid for the land to
accommodate the extension which made the masjid approximately 50 x 50
meters. The height was also increased to 3.5 meters.
- When the revelation came down to change the Qibla to Makkah in 624 CE, the whole masjid was re-orientated to the south.
- The masjid also served as a religious school, community center, court and also as a confinement for prisoners.
- Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said: “Whoever
performs forty salah in my masjid, not missing one salah in the masjid,
for him is granted exemption from the fire of Hell, and exemption from
punishment and he shall remain free of hypocrisy.” [Ahmad]
- Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said:“One
salah offered in my masjid is superior to one thousand salahs offered
in other masjids except Masjid al-Haram (Makkah al-Mukarramah).” [Bukhari]
The Quba Masjid
The Masjid of Quba also known as Masjid-e-Taqwa (The Masjid of Piety) is
the first Masjid of Islam, outside Makkah, put up by the Prophet
himself. It was at this spot that the Prophet entered Madina during the
migration from Mak`kah. It was also in this Masjid that prophet received
the following divine revelation: -
“There is a Masjid whose base was founded from the very first day upon
piety; it is worthier for those who came to rise (pray) within its
boundaries. Within it are men who yarn to be purified and God loves
those who purify themselves (Al-Tawba 9:108)
Prayer in this Masjid is looked upon as a Tradition and is worth an
Umrah. The Prophet was in the habit of going there from time to time. It
is preferable to visit this Masjid on Saturday for prayer.
Masjid Jummah
Masjid Jummah, on the boundary of Madinah marks the site
where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) led the first
Jummah salah, shortly after his Hijrah (migration) from Makkah. It is about 2.5 km from Masjid-e-Nabwi.
- The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be on him) left Quba on a Friday to head into Madinah. About a
kilometer from Quba he passed the village of Banu Salim bin Auf. The
people of Banu Salim implored: “O Prophet of Allah, you stayed at
the homes of our cousins for a number of days, reward us too with
something, for they will pride themselves over us till the Day of
Judgement that you stayed with them”. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) dismounted and offered his first Jummah in their locality.
- Approximately one hundred
Muslims participated in this first Jummah salah. Amongst them were the
Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) relatives from Bani
an-Najjar who had come to meet him and some from Bani Amr who had
escorted him from Quba.
- After performing the Friday
prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) mounted
Qaswa (his camel) and set off for the city of Madinah.
- Masjid Jumma is also known by Masjid Bani Salim, Masjid al wadi, Masjid Ghubaib and Masjid Aatikah.
- According to ibn Jarir, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) delivered this khutbah (sermon):“Praise
belongs to Allah. I praise Him, ask for His help and seek His
Forgiveness and beseech Him for Guidance. I believe in Him and do not
reject Him. I despise those who disbelieve Him. And I bear witness that
there is no God but Allah, the One, Who has no partner, and that
Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger who is sent with guidance and
true religion, light and admonition, when there has not been a Messenger
for a long time, when knowledge is but little, men are misguided, and
end of time is near, death being at hand.He
who obeys Allah and His Messenger is indeed guided and he who disobeys
them is lost on the wrong path, is fallen down to a terrible
misguidance.And I urge you to fear Allah – the best advice a
Muslim may give to another Muslim, urging him to prepare for the
Hereafter and to fear Allah. O People; keep away from that which Allah
has asked to shun. And there is no counsel greater than that and no
remembrance greater than that. Know! For him who fears Allah in his
pursuits, the best course is taqwa (righteousness) in affairs of the
Hereafter. He who keeps his relationship with Allah, both secret and
open, correct – being sincere – that will be an asset for him after
death more than zikr in this world. But if anyone fails in that then he
would wish that his deeds were kept away from him. As for him who
believes and fulfils his promise then;“The word is not changed with Me, nor do I wrong (My) servants.” [50:29] Muslims! Fear Allah in what concerns you now and what will follow, in what is hidden and what is open, for,“And he who fears Allah, He will acquit him of his evil deeds and He will magnify reward for him.” [65:5] And
those who fear Allah will gain a mighty success. It is fear of Allah
that keeps away His disapproval, punishment and wrath. It is taqwa (fear
of Allah) that brightens the countenance, pleases the Lord and raises
ranks.O Muslims! Pursue good fortune but do not lag behind in
rights of Allah. He taught you His Book and guided you on the path that
the righteous and the false may be distinguished. O People! Allah has
been good to you and you should be like that to others. Keep away from
His enemies and strive in His cause with determination. He has chosen
you and named you Muslims so that he who perishes, does so for worthy
cause and he who lives, follows a worthy cause. And every piety is done
with His help.O People! Remember Allah. Strive for the
Hereafter. As for him, who corrects his relationship with Allah then
Allah corrects his relationship with other people.Know! Allah
judges over people but is not judged by anyone. He is their Master but
they have no power over Him. Allah is the Greatest. And there is no
power (to do good) except with Allah the Mighty.”
Garden of Abu Talha (may Allah be pleased with him)
The highlighted area, which is in the rear of Masjid-e-Nabwi
is the approximate spot where existed a garden at the time of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that was owned by Abu
Talha (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be on him) often visited this garden and drank the water from
its well.
- It has been reported by Anas (may
Allah be pleased with him) that Abu Talha owned the best gardens in
Madinah, and they were more numerous than those of any other Ansari. One
of his gardens was known by the name of Bir Ha, and this was his most
favourite resort. It was close to the Prophet’s Masjid and the water of
its well was sweet and abundant. When Allah (Glorified and Exalted is
He) revealed the verse of the Quran: “You will not attain unto piety until you spend of that which Ye love.” [3: 92]
Abu Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) presented himself to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and opened his heart, “O,
Prophet of Allah! I love Bir Ha very much. As Allah wants us to spend
precisely that which we love, I make over that garden to be spent in the
path of Allah as you please.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was very much pleased, and remarked: “What a fine present (to Allah)! I think it would be best utilized if you distribute it among your own heirs.” Abu Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) went and acted upon the Prophet’s advice.
Mehrab-e-Tahajjud
This raised platform, behind the Rawdah Mubarak
and in line with Bab-e-Jibraeel, is the approximate place where the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) used to spread his
prayer mat and perform the Tahajjud salah from time to time.
- Isa bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “When
visitors used to depart at night, the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) used to spread a mat behind Ali’s (may Allah be pleased
with him) hut and used to offer voluntary salah there. One day one
person saw him offering voluntary salah at this spot during the month of
Ramadhan. This person also started offering voluntary salah at this
spot. Another person happened to pass this way and he started his salah
also. A third person followed these two persons. By and by a large
number of people gathered there. When the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be on him) saw many people he wrapped up his praying mat and
went away. When these people met Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be on him) in the morning, they said, ‘We were only trying to follow you
in offering voluntary salah at night.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be on him) said, ‘I was concerned about you very much. My
concern was that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) may make the
offering of night salat during Ramadhan obligatory for you and you may
fail to keep up with it’.”
Jannatul Baqi
Jannatul Baqi (Garden of Heaven) is the main cemetery of
Madinah. Buried there are many members of the Prophet’s (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) close family, around ten thousand of his
companions (Sahabah) and many prominent, pious personalities.
- Aisha (may Allah be pleased with
her) reported (that whenever it was her turn for the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) to spend the night with her) he would go
out towards the end of the night to al-Baqi and say: “Peace be upon
you, abode of a people who are believers. What you were promised would
come to you tomorrow, you receiving it after some delay; and God willing
we shall join you. O Allah, grant forgiveness to the inhabitants of
Baqi al-Gharqad.” [Muslim]
- Baqi means the land in which
the roots of different trees are embedded, Gharqad is the name of a
thorny tree (Boxthorn) which were abundant in Baqi. Hence the cemetery
also came to be known as Baqi al-Gharqad.
- The first person to be
buried in al-Baqi was As’ad Bin Zararah (may Allah be pleased with him),
an Ansari companion who died soon after the Prophet ‘s (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) migration to Madinah. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be on him) chose the spot to be a cemetery. The
first of the Muhajirun (Emigrants) to be buried there was Uthman bin
Mazoun who died shortly after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be on him) returned from the battle of Badr.
Some of the blessed personalities resting in Jannatul Baqi are:
- The wives of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be on him), also known as the Mothers of the
Believers including Aisha, Hafsa and Sauda. The two wives that are not
buried here are Khadijah bint Khuwaylid who is buried in Makkah and
Maymuna bint al-Harith who is buried in Sarif. May Allah be pleased with
them.
- The daughters of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be on him), Fatima, Ruqayyah, Zainab and Umme
Kulthum (may Allah be pleased with them)
- Ebrahim (may Allah be pleased with
him), the infant son of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on
him) by Maria al-Qibtiyya
- Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
- Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
- The aunts of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), Safiyyah and Aatikah (may Allah be pleased with them)
- Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), the third Caliph and son-in-law of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
- Haleemah Sa’diya, the wet-nurse of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
- Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Abdur-Rehman bin Auf (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Abdullah bin Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him)
- Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
- The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said, “On
the day of Qiyamah my grave shall be opened first and I shall step
forth. Then shall Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) step forth
and then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then shall I proceed to
Baqi and take all its inmates with me. Then shall we await the inmates
of the graveyard of Makkah, who shall meet me halfway between Makkah and
Madinah.” [Tirmidhi]
- During different times of history
many domes and structures were built or rebuilt over many famous graves
in Al-Baqi in order to identify the inhabitants. On April 21, 1925,
mausoleums, domes and structures in Jannatul Baqi were demolished by the
order of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud with the objective of complying with
the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to
not cover or build structures over any grave and to prevent people from
seeking help from the dead.
- It is virtuous to visit Jannatul Baqi
(preferably on a Friday) and supplicate to Allah (Glorified and Exalted
is He) for all those buried in its noble earth.
Masjid Aisha
Masjid Aisha, also known as Masjid at-Tan’eem marks the place
where Ummul-Mu’mineen Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) went to
enter into Ihram for Umrah when the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be on him) told her to do so during the farewell Hajj. The masjid
lies 7.5 km south from Makkah on the road to Madinah and is the closest
of all the boundary points.
- Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with
him) reports that because Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was
experiencing menstrual cycle the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be on him) instructed her to perform all the various rites of Hajj
except for the tawaf. She then performed the tawaaf after her cycle had
ended. She then said, “O Rasulullah (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)! While you have performed Hajj and Umrah, I have performed only Hajj.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) then instructed
her brother Abdur-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) to take her to
Tan’eem and it was from there that she performed her Umrah after her
Hajj during the month of Dhul Hijjah.
Mount Uhud and site of battle
This is a section of Mount Uhud, in front of which the second
battle in Islam (the Battle of Uhud) took place in 3 AH. Of this
mountain the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) declared,
“This mountain loves us and we love it.” [Muslim]
- After the humiliating defeat in
the Battle of Badr a year earlier, the Quraysh of Makkah made
preparations to muster a great army to fight the Muslims again and take
revenge. They assembled an army of 3000 soldiers with 300 camels, 200
horses and 700 coats of mail. Wives and daughters of slained chiefs in
Badr accompanied the army to see with their own eyes the spectacle of
the killers being killed. Hind, the daughter of Utbah was the leader of
the womens section and her husband Abu Sufyan was the commander-in-chief
of the Makkan army. Both were not Muslims at the time but bitter
enemies of Islam. The left and right flanks were commanded by Ikrimah
ibn Abi Jahl and Khalid bin Waleed respectively. Amr ibn al-As was named
the commander of cavalry and his task was to co-ordinate attack between
the cavalry wings. (All three subsequently became Muslims and become
great generals of Islam).
- The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be on him) left Madinah for the valley of Mount Uhud
with a Muslim army of only 700 and drew up his troops for battle. Zubair
bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) was the commander of the
right wing and Mundhir bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was given
the left wing of the army. Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him), the
uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was made
the advance guard, Mus’ab bin Umair (may Allah be pleased with him) was
chosen as the standard-bearer of Islam and Abu Dujanah (may Allah be
pleased with him) was fortunate enough to receive the Prophet’s sword
(which was known as Zulfikar).
- Before the battle, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had put 50 archers
under Abdullah bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with him) at a
mountainside and ordered them strictly to stay there until further
orders, whatever may be the condition. They were to obstruct the enemy
if they attacked the Muslims from the rear.
- The two armies set upon each
other and a fierce battle ensued. The Muslim soldiers concentrated
their attack on the eleven standard bearers of the pagans until they
were all wiped out. As the enemy standards sank to the ground, the
Muslim soldiers hurled themselves against the enemy. Abu Dujanah (may
Allah be pleased with him) and Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him),
fought with great fearlessness, and their heroic feats on the
battlefield were to become legendary in Muslim military history.
- Tragically, Hamza (may Allah
be pleased with him), the Lion of Allah, was martyred in the same
battle he had dominated. He was killed by the javelin of Wahshi bin
Harb, an Abyssinian slave, who with that successful throw earned his
freedom from his master, Jubayr bin Mutim.
- Despite the loss of Hamza
(may Allah be pleased with him), the Muslims managed to overcome the
unbelievers who, faced with yet another defeat, began to flee. The pagan
women also scattered as some of the Muslim soldiers gave chase.
- It was at this point of
perceived victory that events began unravelling. The archers who had
been entrusted with the safety of their brothers in faith disobeyed the
Prophet’s clear orders and deserted their stations, thinking that the
battle was over. Forty of the rearguards descended the mountain and left
the Muslims vulnerable to a counter attack by the enemy.
- Khalid bin Waleed saw the
sudden vacuum created by the disappearance of the rearguard and his
cavalrymen attacked the Muslims from behind, killing many in the
process. When the Muslims saw themselves surrounded, they were overtaken
by panic and disorder and failed to map out a cohesive plan.
- The enemy fought their way
close to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who was
hit with a rock and fell on his side. One of his front teeth was
chipped, his lower lip was cut, and his helmet was damaged. As an enemy
soldier thrust his sword at the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
on him), he caught his bone below the eye, and two rings from the
Prophet’s helmet pierced his face. The blood ran down his face and he
wiped it away, saying, “How can a people prosper who have stained their Prophet’s face with blood while he summoned them to their Lord!”
- Mus’ab bin Umair (may Allah
be pleased with him), was targeted by the enemy as he was the Muslims
standard-bearer and he was killed. Since Mus’ab (may Allah be pleased
with him) resembled the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
to a great extent, his killer, Abdullah bin Qam’a, thought he had slain
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and jubilantly
shouted out that he had killed Muhammad.
- Rumours of the death of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) filtered through the
Muslims, plummeting their morale. Grief stricken and lost, some of them
simply abandoned the field, while others were infused with resolve and
rallied saying, “Come, let us die for what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) gave his life.”
- The crisis receded only when
Ka’b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) caught a glimpse of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), making his way to join
the besieged Muslims. K’ab recognised the Prophet’s eyes although his
face was covered with the helmet. He cried loudly, “O Muslims, rejoice! Here is the Prophet!”.
- Ka’b’s words galvanised the
remaining Muslims, and they streamed to the Prophet’s side. Within a
short time thirty Companions assembled around him. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be on him) decided against further combat, wisely
choosing to retreat. He made his way through the rows and successfully
led his troops towards the mountain pass.
- By retreating, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be on him) managed to save his army from
further losses; losses that had come about from simple disobedience of
his orders. Disobedience had changed the Muslim victory into
catastrophe, but with Allah’s help the Muslims were pulled back from the
edge of disaster.
