لطفا منتظر باشید ...
History of Al-Baqi in
Madinatul Munawwarah (Saudi)
By Sayyed Hassan
Tabatabai
Canada
7th April, 2003
Introduction
On 8th Shawwal,
Wednesday, in the year 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), mausoleums in
Jannatul al-Baqi (Madina) were demolished by King Ibn Saud. In
the same year (1925), he also demolished the tombs of holy
personages at Jannat al-Mualla (Makkah) where the Holy Prophet
(s)''''s mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are
buried. Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi
Wahhabis continues even today. According to some scholars what
is happening in Hijaz is actually a conspiracy plotted by the
Jews against Islam, under the guise of Tawheed. The idea is to
eradicate the Islamic legacy and heritage and to
systematically remove all its vestiges so that in the days to
come, Muslims will have no affiliation with their religious
history.
The Origins Of Al-Baqi
Literally "al-Baqi"
means a tree garden. It is also known as "Jannat al-Baqi"
due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our
Prophet''''s relatives and companions.
The first companion
buried in al-Baqi was Uthman b. Madhoon who died on the 3rd of
Sha''''ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. The Prophet (s) ordered
certain trees to be felled, and in its midst, he buried his
dear companion, placing two stones over the grave.
On the following
years, the Prophet''''s son Ibrahim, who died in infancy and over
whom the Prophet (s) wept bitterly, was also buried there. The
people of Madina then began to use that site for the burial of
their own dead, because the Prophet (s) used to greet those
who were buried in al-Baqi by saying;
"Peace be upon you,
O abode of the faithful! God willing, we should soon join you.
O'''' Allah, forgive the fellows of al-Baqi".
The site of the
burial ground at al-Baqi was gradually extended. Nearly seven
thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (s) were buried there,
not to mention those of the Ahlul Bayt (a). Imam Hasan b. Ali
(a), Imam Ali b. al-Husayn (a), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a),
and Imam Ja''''far al-Sadiq (a) were all buried there.
Among other
relatives of the Prophet (s) who were buried at al-Baqi are:
his aunts Safiya and Aatika, and his aunt Fatima bint al-Asad,
the mother of Imam Ali (a). The third caliph Uthman was buried
outside al-Baqi, but with later extensions, his grave was
included in the area. In later years, great Muslim scholars
like Malik bin Anas and many others, were buried there too.
Thus, did al-Baqi become a well-known place of great historic
significance to all Muslims.
Al-Baqi As Viewed
By Historians
Umar bin Jubair
describes al-Baqi as he saw it during his travel to Madina,
saying "Al-Baqi is situated to the east of Madina. You
enter it through the gate known as the gate of al-Baqi. As you
enter, the first grave you see on your left is that of Safiya,
the Prophet''''s aunt, and further still is the grave of Malik
bin Anas, the Imam of Madina. On his grave is raised a small
dome. In front of it is the grave of Ibrahim son of our
Prophet (s) with a white dome over it, and next to it on the
right is the grave of Abdul-Rahman son of Umar bin al-Khattab,
popularly known as Abu Shahma, whose father had kept punishing
him till death overtook him. Facing it are the graves of Aqeel
bin Abi Talib and Abdullah bin Ja''''far al-Tayyar. There, facing
those graves is a small shrine containing the graves of the
Prophet''''s wives, following by a shrine of Abbas bin Abdul
Muttalib.
The grave of Hasan
bin Ali (a), situated near the gate to it''''s right hand, has an
elevated dome over it. His head lies at the feet of Abbas bin
Abdul Muttalib, and both graves are raised high above the
ground, their walls are panelled with yellow plates and
studded with beautiful star-shaped nails. This is how the
grave of Ibrahim, son of the Prophet (s) has also been
adorned. Behind the shrine of Abbas there is the house
attributed to Fatima, daughter of our Prophet (s), known as
"Bayt al-Ahzaan" (the house of grief) because it is
the house she used to frequent in order to mourn the death of
her father, the chosen one, peace be upon him. At the farthest
end of al-Baqi is the grave of the caliph Uthman, with a small
dome over it, and there, next to it, is the grave of Fatima
bint Asad, mother of Ali b. Abi Talib (a)"
After a century and
a half, the famous traveller Ibn Batuta came to describe al-Baqi
in a way which does not in any way differ from the description
given by Ibn Jubair. He adds saying, "At al-Baqi are the
graves of numerous Muhajirin and Ansar and many companions of
the Prophet (s), except that most of their names are
unknown."
Thus, over the
centuries, al-Baqi remained a sacred site with renovations
being carried out as and when needed till the Wahhabis rose to
power in the early nineteenth century. The latter desecrated
the tombs and demonstrated disrespect to the martyrs and the
companions of the Prophet (s) buried there. Muslims who
disagreed with them were branded as "infidels" and
were subsequently killed.
The First
Destruction Of Al-Baqi
The Wahhabis
believed that visiting the graves and the shrines of the
Prophets, the Imams, or the saints was a form of idolatry and
totally un-Islamic. Those who did not conform with their
belief were killed and their property was confiscated. Since
their first invasion of Iraq, and till nowadays, in fact, the
Wahhabis, as well as other rulers of the Gulf States, having
been carrying out massacres from which no Muslim who disagreed
with them was spared. Obviously, the rest of the Islamic World
viewed those graves with deep reverence. Had it not been so,
the two caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar would not have expressed
their desire for burial near the grave of the Prophet (s).
From 1205 AH to
1217 AH, the Wahhabis made several attempts to gain a foothold
in Hijaz but failed. Finally, in 1217 AH, they somehow emerged
victorious in Taif where they spilled the innocent blood of
Muslims. In 1218 AH, they entered Makkah and destroyed all
sacred places and domes there, including the one which served
as a canopy over the well of Zamzam.
In 1221, the
Wahhabis entered Madina to desecrate al-Baqi as well as every
mosque they came across. An attempt was even made to demolish
the Prophet''''s tomb, but for one reason or another, the idea
was abandoned. In subsequent years, Muslims from Iraq, Syria,
and Egypt were refused entry into Makkah for Hajj. King
Al-Saud set a pre-condition that those who wished to perform
the pilgrimage would have to accept Wahhabism or else be
branded as non-Muslims, becoming ineligible for entry into the
Haram.
Al-Baqi was razed
to the ground, with no sign of any grave or tomb whatsoever.
But the Saudis were still not quite satisfied with doing all
of that. Their king ordered three black attendants at the
Prophet''''s shrine to show him where the treasure of valuable
gifts were stored. The Wahhabis plundered the treasure for
their own use.
Thousands of
Muslims fled Makkah and Madina in a bid to save their lives
and escape from the mounting pressure and persecution at the
hands of the Wahhabis. Muslims from all over the world
denounced this Saudi savagery and exhorted the Caliphate of
the Ottoman Empire to save the sacred shrines from total
destruction. Then, as it is known, Muhammad Ali Basha attacked
Hijaz and, with the support of local tribes, managed to
restore law and order in Madina and Makkah, dislodging the
Al-Saud clansmen. The entire Muslim world celebrated this
victory with great fanfare and rejoicing. In Cairo, the
celebrations continued for five days. No doubt, the joy was
due to the fact that pilgrims were once more allowed freely to
go for Hajj, and the sacred shrines were once again restored.
In 1818 AD, the
Ottaman Caliph Abdul Majid and his successors, Caliphs Abdul
Hamid and Mohammed, carried out the reconstruction of all
sacred places, restoring the Islamic heritage at all important
sites. In 1848 and 1860 AD, further renovations were made at
the expense of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds, most of
which came from the donations collected at the Prophet''''s tomb.
The Second
Plunder By The Wahabis
The Ottoman Empire
had added to the splendour of Madina and Makkah by building
religious structures of great beauty and architectural value.
Richard Burton, who visited the holy shrines in 1853 AD
disguised as an Afghan Muslim and adopting the Muslim name
Abdullah, speaks of Madina boasting 55 mosques and holy
shrines. Another English adventurer who visited Madina in
1877-1878 AD describes it as a small beautiful city resembling
Istanbul. He writes about its white walls, golden slender
minarets and green fields.
1924 AD Wahhabis
entered Hijaz for a second time and carried out another
merciless plunder and massacre. People in streets were killed.
Houses were razed to the ground. Women and children too were
not spared.
Awn bin Hashim (Shairf
of Makkah) writes: "Before me, a valley appeared to have
been paved with corpses, dried blood staining everywhere all
around. There was hardly a tree which didn''''t have one or two
dead bodies near its roots."
1925 Madina
surrendered to the Wahhabi onslaught. All Islamic heritage
were destroyed. The only shrine that remained intact was that
of the Holy Prophet (s).
Ibn Jabhan says:
"We know that the tomb standing on the Prophet''''s grave is
against our principles, and to have his grave in a mosque is
an abominable sin."
Tombs of Hamza and
other martyrs were demolished at Uhud. The Prophet''''s mosque
was bombarded. On protest by Muslims, assurances were given by
Ibn Saud that it will be restored but the promise was never
fulfilled. A promise was given that Hijaz will have an Islamic
multinational government. This was also abandoned.
1925 AD Jannat al-Mu''''alla,
the sacred cemetery at Makkah was destroyed along with the
house where the Holy Prophet (s) was born. Since then, this
day is a day of mourning for all Muslims.
Is it not strange
that the Wahhabis find it offensive to have the tombs, shrines
and other places of importance preserved, while the remains of
their Saudi kings are being guarded at the expense of millions
of dollars?
Protest From
Indian Muslims
1926, protest
gatherings were held by shocked Muslims all over the world.
Resolutions were passed and a statement outlining the crimes
perpetrated by Wahhabis was issued and included the following:
1.
The destruction and desecration of the holy places i.e. the
birth place of the Holy Prophet [s], the graves of Banu Hashim
in Makkah and in Jannat al-Baqi (Madinah), the refusal of the
Wahhabis to allow Muslims to recite Ziyarah or Surah al-Fatiha
at those graves.
2.
The destruction of the places of worship i.e. Masjid Hamza,
Masjid Abu Rasheed, in addition to the tombs of Imams and
Sahaba (Prophet''''s companions).
3.
Interference in the performance of Hajj rituals.
4.
Forcing the Muslims to follow the Wahhabis innovations and to
abandon their own ways according to the guidance of the Imams
they follow.
5.
The massacre of
Sayyids in Taif, Madina, Ahsa, and Qatif.
6.
The demolition of the grave of the Imams at al-Baqi which
deeply offended and grieved all Shias.
Protest From Other
Countries
Similar protests
were lodged by Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Indonesia, and
Turkey. All of them condemn the Saudi Wahhabis for their
barbaric acts. Some scholars wrote tracts and books to tell
the world the fact that what was happening in Hijaz was
actually a conspiracy plotted by the Jews against Islam, under
the guise of Tawheed. The idea was to eradicate the Islamic
legacy and heritage and to systematically remove all its
vestiges so that in the days to come, Muslims will have no
affiliation with their religious history.
A Partial List Of
The Demolished Graves And Shrines
Al-Mualla graveyard in Makkah which includes the grave of
Sayyida Khadija bint Khuwailid (a), wife of the Prophet (s),
the grave of Amina bint Wahab, mother of the Prophet (s), the
grave of Abu Talib, father of Imam Ali (a), and the grave of
Abdul Muttalib, grandfather of the Prophet (s)
The grave of Hawa (Eve) in Jeddah
The grave of the father of the Prophet (s) in Madina
The house of sorrows (bayt al-Ahzan) of Sayyida Fatima (a) in
Madina
The Salman al-Farsi mosque in Madina
The Raj''''at ash-Shams mosque in Madina
The house of the Prophet (s) in Madina, where he lived after
migrating from Makkah
The house of Imam Ja''''far al-Sadiq (a) in Madina
The complex (mahhalla) of Banu Hashim in Madina
The house of Imam Ali (a) where Imam Hasan (a) and Imam Husayn
(a) were born
The house of Hamza and the graves of the martyrs of Uhud (a)
