Holiest sites in Islam

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There are many holy sites in the various Islamic traditions. The Kaaba is considered the holiest shrine, while the mosques of Nabwi (the Prophet) and al-Aqsa (farthest) are widely regarded as the second and third holiest respectively, although this order is disputed by some, with a few sources mentioning al-Aqsa as second or fourth holiest.^{[citation needed]} Other shrines include the tombs of the twelve imams which are considered holy in Shiite Islam, and shrines revered by locals.

Contents 1 Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia 2 Masjid-an-Nabawi, Medina, Saudi Arabia 2.1 Other mosques associated with Muhammad 3 Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem 4 Shi'a shrines 4.1 Tomb of Imam Ali, Najaf, Iraq 4.1.1 Rawze-e-Sharif, Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan 4.2 Tomb of Imam Husayn, Karbala, Iraq 4.3 Tomb of Imams al-Hadi and al-Askari, Samarra, Iraq 4.4 Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Baghdad, Iraq 4.5 Tomb of Imam Reza, Mashhad, Iran 4.5.1 Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine, Qom, Iran 5 Sites revered by locals 6 References

[edit] Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Main article: Sacred Mosque

Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام IPA: [ælˈmæs.ʤi.dæl.ħɑˈrɑm] "The Sacred Mosque"), is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the largest in Islam. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which all Muslims turn towards each day in prayer, considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The mosque is also commonly known as the Haram or Haram Sharif^{[citation needed]}.

The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers during the Hajj period. During the Hajj period, the mosque is unable to contain the multitude of pilgrims, who pray on the outlining streets. More than 2 million worshippers gather to pray during taraweeh and Eid prayers. [6] [7]

According to the teachings of Islam, God in the Qur'an used the word Mosque when referring to the sites established by Abraham and his progeny as houses of worship to God centuries before the revelation of the Qur'an. The first of these spots is Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the second is Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under Muslim control in 630 CE and 638 CE, the site of the Kaaba, which was established by Abraham and Ishmael but at the time of Muhammad was used by pagans.

“	And when We assigned to Abraham the place of the House (Kaaba), saying: Do not associate with Me aught, and purify My House for those who make the circuit and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves.	„
—Qur'an, 22:26

“	And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (Kaaba): Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.	„
—Qur'an, 2:127

[edit] Masjid-an-Nabawi, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Main article: Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي IPA: [ælˈmæs.ʤi.dæˈnːæ.bæ.wiː]) or the Mosque of the Prophet, located in Medina, is the second holiest site in Islam.

The edifice was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijrah (emigration) to Medina, and later built a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building, with no gender separation. The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Qur'an. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.

The original mosque was built by prophet Muhammad. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated the mosque. The most important feature of the site is the green dome over the center of the mosque, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. Constructed in 1817C.E. and painted green in 1839C.E., it is known as the Dome of the Prophet.^[1] Early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab are buried beside the Holy Prophet.

[edit] Other mosques associated with Muhammad

Jawatha Mosque (Arabic مسجد جواثا ) (also incorrectly spelled Al-Jawana) is a traditional mosque located in the village of Al-Kilabiyah, about 12km northeast of Hofuf, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. It was built the in seventh year of hijra (629 AD) at the hands of the Bani Abdul Qais tribe which lived there before and early in the Islamic period. This mosque is believed to be the first mosque built in Eastern Province and is where the second Friday congregation prayer in Islam was offered, the first being held at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.^[2]

The Quba Mosque (Quba' Masjid or Masjid al-Quba, Arabic: مسجد قباء) just outside Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the first Islamic mosque ever built. Its first stones were positioned by the prophet Muhammad on his emigration from the city of Mecca to Medina and the mosque was completed by his companions. Muhammad spent more than 20 nights in this mosque (after migrating) praying qasr (a short prayer) while waiting for Ali whose house was behind this mosque. The Prophet used to go there, riding or on foot, every Saturday and offer a two rak'ah prayer. He advised others to do the same, saying, "Whoever makes ablutions at home and then goes and prays in the Mosque of Quba, he will have a reward like that of an 'Umrah." This hadith is reported by Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim.

[edit] Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem

Main article: Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque (English: The Farthest mosque) is the general and oldest name for the compound of Islamic religious buildings in Jerusalem that includes al-Aqsa congregation mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It is almost universally considered the third holiest site in Islam. The term Al-Aqsa Mosque was coined in the Quran:

“	Glory be to Him Who made His servant (Muhammad) to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.	„
—Qur'an, 17:1

Al-Aqsa Mosque is sacred because the first of the two Qiblas (Arabic: اولى القبلتين) was Jerusalem.^[3][4] In Islamic tradition, Al-Aqsa is said to be the second Masjid (Arabic: ثاني المسجدين). The mosque is also the third holy Sanctuary (Arabic: ثالث الحرمين), under Islamic Law.^[5]

Although there were no mosques in Jerusalem at the time the Qur'an was received, soon after Palestine was conquered by the Arabs under Umar a temporary mosque was built on the Temple Mount area, ca. 640 A.D. The current Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa were first built during the later Umayyad period.^[6] This same area was called at later Islamic periods as the Noble Sanctuary.^[7][8][9] It is believed by many to be the area from where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven,^[10] although other theories claim it had been from a mosque in Medina, Jir'ana or Kufa.^[11][12][13] Al-Aqsa's importance in Islam stems from a long history that extends far before the birth of prophet Muhammad.

Although most political references to the Al Aqsa Mosque date from the 12th century or later due to its occupation by the Crusades, others claim that the Mosque's position in Islam is firmly grounded in a number of hadith dating from the birth of Islam.^[14]

In terms of the virtue of a religious site, and the value of prayers performed within it, Muslims believe that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third most virtuous mosque based on the Hadith narrated by the companion Abu al-Dardaa: "the Prophet of Allah Muhammad said a prayer in the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth 1,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) is worth 500 prayers more than in any other mosque. See also Sahih Bukhari 2:21:288.

The Western Wall which supports the Al Aqsa Mosque is also venerated by Muslims as being the wall to which the prophet tethered his winged steed.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Shi'a shrines

The tombs of the twelve imams are revered by Shi'a Muslims. Shi'ite Muslims often visit these shrines for a pilgrimage.

[edit] Tomb of Imam Ali, Najaf, Iraq

This is where Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph is buried. Because Ali was also Muhammad's cousin, he is considered by Shia tradition to be the first legitimate caliph and the first Imam. It is almost universally considered the third holiest site in Shiite Islam.

Many sources refer to the Imam Ali Mosque, in Najaf, Iraq, as a holy site for the Shia branch of Islam.^[15][16][17] With an estimated 130 to 200 million followers worldwide, this accounts for approximately 15% of all Muslims.^[18] It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims.

It has also been reported in the name of Imam Sardeg (Imam-Jaafar Al-Sadeq, the Sixth Twelver of Shia) that the Imam Ali mosque is the third of five holy places: Mecca, Medina, the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, and the shrine for Fatemah in Qom.^[19]

[edit] Rawze-e-Sharif, Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan

Rawze-e-Sharif located in Mazari Sharif is said by Capt. Emma Schofield ^{[this source's reliability may need verification]} to be the tomb of the Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is claimed that bandits stole his body from Najaf and buried it in Mazari Sharif. However this claim is disputed, see Grave of Ali. According to Capt. Emma Schofield ^{[this source's reliability may need verification]} Rawze-e-Sharif is the third holiest site in Islam.^[20]

[edit] Tomb of Imam Husayn, Karbala, Iraq

The Imam Husayn Shrine is built on the spot where Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, is believed to have been killed during the Battle of Karbala.

[edit] Tomb of Imams al-Hadi and al-Askari, Samarra, Iraq

Main article: Al Askari Mosque

Here the remains of the tenth and eleventh Shī`a Imāms, `Alī l-Hādī and his son Hassan al-`Askarī, known as "the two `Askarīs", are interred. It stands adjacent to a shrine to the Twelfth or "Hidden" Imām, Muħammad al-Mahdī. The `Askariyya Shrine is also known as the "Tomb or Mausoleum of the Two Imāms". Also buried within the Mosque are the remains of Hakimah Khatun, sister of `Alī l-Hādī, and of Narjis Khatun, mother of Muħammad al-Mahdi.

At the time of the Al Askari bombing in Samarra, it was reported that the mosque was one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, only exceeded by the shrines of Najaf and Karbala.^[21]

In an interview published by Abroad Media, Lt. Gen. David Petraeus referred to it as the third holiest shrine in shia Islam.^[22]

[edit] Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Baghdad, Iraq

Al Khadmiyah mosque contains the tomb of the seventh Shia Imam, Musa al-Kazim, along with that of his grandson, the ninth Shia Imam, Muhammad at-Taqi. Many consider the mosque the third holiest in Shi'ite Islam.^[23][24]

[edit] Tomb of Imam Reza, Mashhad, Iran

Imam Reza was the Eighth Imam of Shi'ite Islam, who is believed by members of the Shi'ia to have been poisoned there upon orders of Caliph Al Ma'mun. Among the first major buildings built in Mashad was a mausoleum built by Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi. Today the holy shrine and its museum hold one of the most extensive cultural and artistic treasuries of Iran, in particular manuscript books and paintings. Several important theological schools are associated with the shrine of the Eighth Imam. As a city of great religious significance, it is also a place of pilgrimage. It is said that the rich go to Mecca but the poor journey to Mashhad. Thus, even as those who complete the pilgrimage to Mecca receive the title of Haji, those who make the pilgrimage to Mashhad – and especially to the Imam Reza shrine – are known as Mashtee, a term employed also of its inhabitants. It is thought that over 20 million Muslims a year make the pilgrimage to Mashhad.^[25]

[edit] Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine, Qom, Iran

The shrine of Fatema Mæ'sume, sister of Imam Reza, is located in Qom.

The shrine has attracted to itself dozens of seminaries and religious schools. Shah Abbas I built the shrine complex in the early 17th century.^[15]

[edit] Sites revered by locals

Numerous cities, mosques and tombs throughout the Muslim World are revered locally.

Chinguetti, Mauritania is revered by many African Muslims.^[26] The city is home to five important manuscript libraries of scientific and Qur'anic texts, and a principal gathering place for pilgrims of the Maghreb to gather on the way to Mecca. It was once a center of Islamic religious and scientific scholarship in West Africa.

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Located in the old city of Damascus, it is of great importance to Islamic architecture. The mosque holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist, honoured as a prophet by Muslims. The head was supposedly found during the excavations for the building of the mosque. The tomb of Saladin stands in a small garden adjoining the north wall of the mosque.^{[citation needed]}

The city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia, is locally considered to be "the fourth holiest city of Islam." The city hosts 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines. For centuries, Harar has been a major commercial center, linked by the trade routes with the rest of Ethiopia, the entire Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and, through its ports, the outside world. Harar Jugol was included in the World Heritage List in 2006 by UNESCO in recognition of its cultural heritage.^[27][28][29]

Constructed by Arabs in 675, Kairouan became a holy site of Islam in the medieval period. The city gained importance as the centre of Islamic faith in the Maghreb.^[30] According to Kwesi Prah, the city on the coast of Mediterranean became the "third-holiest site" in Islam.^[31]

[edit] References