Al-Baqi'

مقبرة البقيع

Jannat-ul-Baqi
Details
Year established C.E. 622
Country Saudi Arabia
Location Medina
Type Muslim
Owned by State
Size State Secret
Number of graves State Secret

Maqbaratu l-Baqī' (Arabic: مقبرة البقيع‎, Al-Baqi' Cemetery) is a cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia, located to the southeast of the Masjid al-Nabawi. The mosque is built where the Islamic prophet Muhammad used to live, built a mosque, and is currently buried. The cemetery therefore holds much significance. It contains many of Muhammad's relatives and companions. Many traditions relate Muhammad issuing a prayer every time he passed it.

The cemetery is also known as Jannatu l-Baqi' (جنة البقيع), meaning "The Garden of Heaven" and Baqi'u l-Qarqad, which means "Orchard of the Boxthorn Trees".

A Jewish graveyard was once located behind Jannatu l-Baqi'. The Umayyad rulers took down the wall of the Jewish cemetery and widened the Muslim graveyard to enclose the tomb of Uthman ibn Affan within it.[1]

Contents

[hide]

History

When Muhammad arrived at Medina from Makkah in September 622, al-Baqi was a land covered with Lycium shawii boxthorn trees.

During the construction of the al-Masjid al-Nabawi, on the site he purchased from two orphan children when he arrived after his migration from Mecca to Medina, Asa'ad Bin Zararah, one of Muhammad's companions died. Muhammad chose the spot to be a cemetery and Asa'ad was the first individual to be buried in Al-Baqi cemetery among the Ansar.

While Muhammad was outside Medina for the Battle of Badr, his daughter Ruqayyah fell sick and died in 624.

Shortly after Muhammad arrived from Badr, Uthman bin Maz'oon died and was buried in al-Baqi'. He was considered the first companion of Muhammad from the Muhajirun to be buried in Al-Baqi' Cemetery.

The first enlargement of the cemetery in history was made by Muawiyah I, the first Umayyad leader. He bought the huge neighbouring farm where Uthman ibn Affan was buried inside Al-Baqi' cemetery. The Umayyad Caliphate built the first dome in Al-Baqi' over his grave. During different times of history many domes and structures were built or rebuilt over many famous graves in Al-Baqi'.

Demolition

On May 1, 1925, mausoleums in al-Baqi' were demolished by King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia. In the same year, he also demolished the tombs of holy personalities at Jannatul Mualla in Mecca where Muhammad's mother, wife, grandfather, and other ancestors are buried. This happened despite protest by the international Islamic community.

The destruction of sacred sites in the Hejaz initiated by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab continues today to prevent what some consider to be the practice of grave-worshipping, revering the dead and asking favours of the dead buried there.[2] Many of these mausoleums, domes and structures, originally intended to identify famous companions of Muhammad, were destroyed upon the urging of Wahhabi scholars who argued, in accordance with Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's ideology, that Muhammad forbade the building of structures over any grave.[3][4] According to these scholars, adornment or beautification of graves is forbidden in order to prevent people from seeking a means of approach to God through the dead and to directly seek help from the dead. Despite this, the graves of many historic figures continue to be visited by numerous pilgrims, and burials continue at the cemetery to this day.

Many Shi'i Muslims continue to mourn the day the House of Saud demolished shrines in al-Baqi'. They remember it as yaum e gham or "Day of Sorrow". Shi'i Muslims continue to protest the Saudi government's demolition of these shrines.

Notable interments

Kin of Muhammad

Other notable figures

See also

References

  1. ^ Textual Sources for the Study of Islam By Knappert, Jan, Andrew Rippin
  2. ^ Destruction of graves
  3. ^ Sahih Muslim Volume 5 Page 90
  4. ^ Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad. Musnad Ahmad. Volume 5 pg. 183

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Jannatul_Baqi Jannatul Baqi] at Wikimedia Commons