Most Beautiful and sacred
Mosques
The Mosque not only provides the believers
spiritual gratification but is also tour de force of the Muslim architecture. Mosque
is a Holy place for Muslims. It refers to its Arabic name – Masjid. A Mosque is
a place for worship for all the followers of Islam. Masjid is considered
as Home Of Allah .
Quba Mosque is the first mosque in Islamic history and mosques have developed
significantly since Quba mosque. Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets,
and prayer halls. Mosques all around the world are well known for the general
importance to Muslims as well as for Islamic architecture and representation of
Islamic culture. Although Mosque is the place where all the Muslims of the
community come together and have their prayers, Mosque can also be the place of
beautiful architecture that is famous all around the world.
1.
Masjid al Haram (The Holy
Mosque) – Saudi Arabia
Al-Masjid al-Haram, the most Sacred Mosque is
situated in Makkah, a city in the Arabian Peninsula 330 meters above sea-level.
The history of the mosque goes back to its founding at the time of Hazrat
Ibrahim (AS) and his son Hazrat Ismaa’eel (AS). Makkah is the place where the
Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) was born and where the Revelation
began, and from which the light of Islam spread.
. This is the first mosque that was built for
people on earth, as Allah says in the Qur’an :
“Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at
Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for al-‘aalameen (mankind and
jinns).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:96].
It was reported in Sahih Muslim that Abu Dharr said: “I asked the Messenger of
Allah (SAW) about the first mosque to be built for people on earth. He said,
‘Al-Masjid al-Haram.’ I asked, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Aqsaa [The
Furthest Mosque, in Jerusalem].’ I asked, ‘How long between them?’ He said,
‘Forty years.’”
The
Ka’bah – which is the direction of prayer for all Muslims throughout the world
– is situated roughly in the middle of al-Masjid al-Haram. It is a 15-meter
high stone structure more or less in the shape of a cube. It was built by
Ibrahim (AS) on the command of Allah. Allah says:
“And
(remember) when we showed Ibrahim the site of the (Sacred) House (the Ka’bah at
Makkah) (saying): ‘Associate not anything (in worship) with Me, and sanctify My
House for those who circumambulate it, and those who bow and make prostration.”
[al-Hajj 22:26]
Allah also says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Ismaa’eel were raising the
foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah)…” [al-Baqarah 2:127]
History of Makkah
· Hazrat Wahb ibn Munbih said: “ It was built by Hazrat
Ibrahim (AS), then [rebuilt] by the Amalekites, then by Jurham, then by Qusayy
ibn Kilaab. Its rebuilding by Quraysh is well known… They began to rebuild it
with the stones of the valley, which Quraysh carried on their shoulders, and
they built it up, 20 cubits high… Between the rebuilding of the Ka’bah and the
beginning of the Revelation there were five years, and between the rebuilding
and the Hijrah there were fifteen years. ‘Abd al-Razzaaq reported from Mu’ammar
from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Uthmaan from Abu’l-Tufayl, and from Mu’ammar from
al-Zuhri: ‘They were building it and when they reached al-Rukn, Quraysh argued
about which tribe should lift it up. Then they said, “Let us ask the first
person who comes from this direction to judge between us.” They agreed on that,
then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
to them, and he was a young man wearing a spotted sash. They asked him to judge
between them, and he told them to place al-Rukn on a piece of cloth, then he
told the chief of every tribe to hold the edge of the cloth, then he climbed up
and they lifted al-Rukn up to him, and he himself (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) put it into its place.” (Taareekh Makkah by al-Azraqi, 1/161-164)
· Muslim (2374) reported that ‘Aa’ishah said: “I
asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW) about al-Jadr [the wall] and whether it was
part of the House [the Ka’bah]. He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘So why is it not
incorporated into the House?’ He said, ‘Your people ran out of money.’ I asked,
‘What about the door? Why is it high up?’ He said, ‘Your people did that so
they could let in whomever they wanted and keep out whomever they wanted. If it
were not for the fact that your people are still new [in Islam] and too close
to their Jaahiliyyah, and I am afraid that they would resent it, I would think
of incorporating al-Jadr into the House and bringing the door down to ground
level.’”
· Before Islam (in the year in which the Prophet (SAW)
was born), the Ka’bah was subjected to an attack by the Ethiopian Abrahah, who
had built al-Qulays, a church to which he wanted the Arabs to make their
pilgrimage. He set out with his army, with whom was the elephant, and when they
reached Makkah, Allah sent flocks of birds against them; each bird was carrying
three stones like chickpeas or lentils, one in its beak and two in its claws.
Every man who was struck by a stone was killed, so the army was destroyed, by
the command of Allah.
· Allah has mentioned this incident in His Book,
where He says:
“Have
you not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant? Did He not
make their plot go astray? And sent against them birds, in flocks, Striking
them with stones of Sijjeel, And made them like an empty field of slaks (in
which the corn has been eaten up by cattle).” [al-Feel 105:1-5]
·
There
was no fence or wall around the Ka’bah until it became necessary. Yaaqoot
al-Hamawi said in Mu’jam al-Buldaan (5/146):
“The first one to build a wall around the Ka’bah was Hazrat ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
(RA); there was no wall around it during the time of the Prophet (SAW) or
Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA). [The wall was built] because people were building their
houses too close to the Ka’bah and making the space around it too small for
people. Hazrat ‘Umar (RA) said: ‘The Ka’bah is the House of Allah, and a house
needs a courtyard. You have encroached on its space, it has not encroached on
yours.’ So he bought those houses, demolished them and added that space to the
space around the Ka’bah. He also destroyed the houses of people in the vicinity
of the Ka’bah who had refused to sell, and kept the money aside for them until
they came and took it later on. He built a wall around the mosque; lower than
the height of a man, and lamps were placed on it.
· When Hazrat ‘Uthman (RA) was Khalifah, he bought
more houses that were more expensive… It was said that Hazrat ‘Uthman (RA) was the first one to build
porticos around it … When Ibn al-Zubayr was in power, he improved its
appearance, although he did not increase its size, by adding marble pillars,
extra doors and other improvements. When ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan was Khalifah,
he added to the wall of the mosque, and brought columns from Egypt by sea to
Jeddah, which were carried from Jeddah to Makkah on wheels. Al-Hajjaaj ibn
Yoosuf commanded that the Ka’bah should be covered in drapes (al-kiswah) and
when al-Waleed ibn ‘Abd al-Malik was Khalifah, he added to the adornment of the
kiswah and spent money on improvements to the drainage spout and roof… When
al-Mansoor and his son al-Mahdi were khaleefahs, they added more adornments to
the mosque and improved its appearance.”
· There are also other religious monuments in the
Mosque, such as Maqaam Ibrahim (the Station of Ibrahim), which is the rock on
which Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) stood whilst he was building the Ka’bah.
There is also the Well of Zamzam, which is a spring of water brought forth by
Allah for Haajar and her child Ismaa’eel (peace be upon him) when he got
thirsty. We should not forget either the Black Stone and al-Rukn al-Yamaani,
which are two of the precious stones of Paradise. Al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad reported
that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying that the Rukn and the Maqaam are two of
the precious stones of Paradise, whose light has been extinguished by Allaah.
If He had not extinguished their light, it would illuminate everything between
the East and the West.” (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, 804)
·
Near
the Mosque are the two hills of al-Safa and al-Marwah. One of the unique
features of the Mosque is that it is the only mosque in the world to which
people come on pilgrimage (Hajj). Allah says:
“Verily
! Al-Safa and al-Marwah are of the Symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him
who performs Hajj or ‘Umrah (pilgrimage) of the House to perform the going
(tawaaf) between them. And whoever does good voluntarily, then verily, Allah is
All-Recognizer, All-Knower.” [al-Baqarah 2:158]
·
Another
of its unique features is that Allah has made it safe, and one prayer in it is
equal to a hundred thousand prayers elsewhere. Allah says :
“And
(remember) when We made the House a place of resort for mankind and a place of
safety. And take you (people) the Maqaam (place) of Ibrahim as a place of
prayer, and We commanded Ibrahim and Ismaa’eel that they should purify My House
for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I’tikaaf), or bowing or
prostrating themselves.” [al-Baqarah 2:125]
“In it are manifest signs (for example); the
maqaam (place) of Ibrahim; whoever enters it, he attains security. And Hajj to
the House is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the
expenses (for one’s conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever
disbelieves [i.e., denies Hajj, then he is a disbeliever of Allah], then Allah
stands not in need of any of the ‘aalameen (mankind and jinns).” [Aal ‘Imraan
3:97]
In
Short
Al-Masjid al-Haram or the Grand Mosque surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba Shareef is the
largest mosque in the world. Muslims around the world turn toward Kaaba while
performing any prayer. The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square
meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can
accommodate up to 4 million worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the
largest annual gatherings of people in the world. In 2007, the Masjid went
under an extension project which is estimated to last until 2020. King Abdullah
bin Abdul-Aziz plans to increase the Masjid's capacity to 2 million with two
new minarets, bringing their total to 11 minarets. The cost of the project is
10.6-billion Us Dollars and after completion the mosque will house over 2.5
million worshipers. The mataf (the circumambulation areas around the Kaaba) will also see expansion and
all closed spaces will be air-conditioned.
