Great Mosque of Kufa

The Great Mosque of Kufa, or Masjid al-Kūfa (Arabic: مسجد الكوفة المعظم‎),or Masjid-al-Azam located in Kūfa, Iraq, is one of the earliest mosques in Islam. The mosque, built in the 7th century, contains the remains of Muslim ibn ‘Aqīl - first cousin of Husayn ibn ‘Alī, his companion Hānī ibn ‘Urwa, and the revolutionary Mukhtār al-Thaqafī.

Dimensions

Today the area of the building measures approximately 11,000sqm.^[1]

The mosque contains nine sanctuaries and four traditional locations. It has four minarets and is served by five gates.^[1]

Renovation

The 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq of Dawoodi Bohra Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin undertook the renovation of the mosque, which was then completed in early 2010. It has many special features: 1)The mosque has been decorated with gold and silver and precious stones such as diamonds, rubies and in every corner of the mosque one will find Ya Ali written. 2)The Qibla in which maula Ali was martyrd has been made with a gold zari. It is made up of gold, silver, rubies, diamonds. Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin has made The zari of qibla. 3)The whole interior of the Mosque has verses of quran surrounded in gold in unique arabic writing. 4)In the section of the qibla there are tear shaped engravings in marble bordered with gold and rubies. 5)The whole mosque has marbles and tiles which have been brought from Greece. These tiles are also being used at Kabatullah in Mecca. The special feature of these tiles is that it is cool in bright sunlight and in summers especially in places with dry climate like in Iraq. 6)Special Rugs have been brought from Iran which are used inside the mosque.

Significance

The Mosque is revered for many reasons:

• It was the place where ‘Alī was fatally struck on the head while in Sujood
• Contains the tombs of Muslim ibn ‘Aqīl, Hānī ibn ‘Urwa, and Mukhtār al-Thaqafī
• There are markers within the mosque indicating the locations for where the court of ‘Alī used to preside, where he was claimed to perform miracles, and where ‘Alī ibn Husayn and Ja‘far as-Sādiq used to perform Salah
• Islamic traditions relate that Adam established the mosque, that it was later the dwelling place of Noah and that this was the place where he built the Ark^[2]
• Traditions say that 12,000 Prophets had performed Salah within this mosque, including Abraham, Noah, and Muhammad on the Night of Ascension^[2] - all are marked within the mosque
• According to Shia belief. it was from this mosque that the diluvium of Noah started submerging earth, as well as being the place from where the water was re-absorbed ^[3] - also marked within the Mosque
• Shia Imām Ja‘far as-Sādiq said that up to twelve miles of land in all directions from the mosque are blessed by its holiness.^[2]
• Ja'far al-Sadiq was also recorded as remarking that the "mosque in Kufa is superior to that of Jerusalem"^[4] and that "performing two prostrations of prayer here would be better for me than ten others at any mosque."^[2]
• There are also traditions which state that performing one prayer in this mosque is the same as having performed one thousand prayers elsewhere,^[5] and performing one obligatory prayer here is equal to having performed an accepted Hajj^[6]
• The secretariat of Al-Kufa Mosque and its shrines describes the mosque as being one of the sole four dignified mosques to which Muslims must travel, and that it comes in third place after the Kaaba and the mosque of Prophet."^[7]

See also

• Holiest sites in Islam (Shia)

References

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Great_Mosque_of_Kufa Great Mosque of Kufa] at Wikimedia Commons

• The Official Website of The Grand Moqsue of Kufa