Jannat al-Baqi Cemetery in the Holy
City of Madinah
Jannat-al-Baqi is the
famous burial place of great personalities without whom the history of
Islam is incomplete, in fact, some of them wrote the history of Islam
with their deeds and achievements. The Prophet's companion Usman bin
Mazoon was the first companion to be buried there on instructions by the
Prophet (SA). The Prophet's son, Ibrahim, who died in infancy (and was
very dear to the Prophet) was also buried there. Then the Prophet's
beloved grandson Hazrat Imam Hasan (AS), was also laid to rest in al-Baqi.
Al-Baqi has the graves of three more stars of the Prophet's family, his
grandsons, Hazrat Ali ibn Imam Husain, Hazrat Muhammad Baqir ibn Ali ibn
Imam Hussain, and Hazrat Jafar Sadiq ibn Muhammad Baqir ibn Ali ibn Imam
Hussain.
As you can see these
are all the descendants of Prophet Muhammad through Imam Hussain and the
noble members of his Ahle Bait. These are the Aal-e-Muhammad
(descendants of Muhamamd) on whom you shower Salwat and Durood daily in
your prayers.... The Prophet's aunt, the mother of Imam Ali, Hazrat
Fatima binte Asad also rests here. The grave of the Prophet Muhammad's
uncle, Hazrat Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib also lies here....
This is what Jannat al-Baqi
looked like till sometime back:
Jannat al-Baqi Cemetery in the holy city of Madinah before the
demolition
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.
While the monarchs have bulldozed and razed these symbols and reminders
of the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem to ground, they continue to enjoy a life which
is known to all. Isn't it a matter of shame for the entire Muslim nation
that while they build fancy mausoleums and shrines for their political
leaders, sufi saints and their parents and family members, but they try
to erase the signs and remains of the beloved family of Prophet Muhammad
(may peace be upon him and his progeny)????????????
Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi government 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.
Where are all those champions and "defenders" of the Sahaaba???
Why are they silent when not only the name, but the very graves and
traces of the noble Sahaba are being erased???
Where is the Muslim nation which offers durood and blessings on the
family of Muhammad, five times a day in their prayers????????
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, the
beloved uncle of the Prophet (SA), and the grave of Abdul Muttalib,
grandfather of the Prophet (s)
The grave of Hawa (Eve) in Jeddah
The grave of Hazrat Abdullah, the father of the Prophet (s) in Madina
The house of sorrows (Bayt al-Ahzan) of Sayyida Fatima Zehra (a) in
Madina, where she used to weep and mourn after the Prophet (SA).
The Salman al-Farsi (RA)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 Hazrat Hamza (RA), (the prince of martyrs) and the graves
of the martyrs of Uhud (a)
Why this demolition??????
It is a sorry shame that while nations and countries around the world
spend millions to preserve their cultural heritage and efforts are being
made to preserve the ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harrappa civilizations,
the so-called Muslims do not attach even any "archaelogical"
significance to these remains and traces of the Islamic civilization,
and quite incomprehensibly, are endeavouring to ruin them!!
Some Questions and
their Answers
Q. The excuse is that pilgrims to Mecca and Medina and the lovers of
Ahle Bait visit these sites for "Ziarat" and respect them and perform
acts expressing their love and respect for those names and
personalities, to whom these sites are attributed.
The answer to this may be looked for in the Holy Quran, where Allah
declares the hills of Safa and Marwa as His Signs:
"Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah;
so whoever makes a pilgrimage
to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he
goes round them both; and whoever does good
spontaneously, then surely Allah is Grateful, Knowing." [Quran, 2:158]
Allah and those blessed
with divine knowledge only know why these two landmarks have been
declared as the Signs of Allah???? One popular Islamic significance of
these places is the memory of Bibi Hajira, (wife of Prophet Ibrahim) and
performing Sai. Another reason may be that these landmarks are the
birthplace of Islam, and the light of Islam shone and spread out from
here.. Yet another reason may be that by alluding to Safa and Marwa, the
Quran indicates and hints, that respecting and revering historical and
religious landmarks and symbols, is not prohibited, and indeed, is
highly recommended if they incite love and devotion to Allah, by
reminding us of those "blessed" by Allah, on the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem.
Notice the tone and words of the above Quranic verse, which seem to
allow and permit an act, which might cause some ignorant people to
"Blame" and condemn it, and it has been declared that whoever does good
spontaneously, with good intentions and purity of heart, then his reward
is with Allah, the All-Knowing.
Q. Another excuse which
is often brought up to justify this hideous act is that pilgrims to
these sites performed "inappropriate" actions and even went to the
extent of performing prostration, Sajdah to these graves, which is shirk
and a sin, and therefore, it must be prevented.
A very simple answer to
this question is that IF the Sajdah is wrong, then it should be
prevented and the people should be stopped, instead of bulldozing the
cemtries! If today out of love and veneration, Muslims start performing
Sajdah at Prophet Muhammad's rauza, will they go out and bulldoze the
entire Masjid-e-Nabavi to ground, in order to prevent Muslims from
shirk?????????
To explain the "IF" in
the above paragraph, I will mention two incidents from the Quran. It may
be said that Sajdah is a symbolic act, of love and veneration. And every
act has an outer form and an inner form to it. The Sajdah which we
perform for Allah, the Al-Mighty and Sustainer, is the Sajdah of
submission, devotion and an acknowledgement of His Mastership, His Power
and His Authority. This Sajdah is reserved only for Allah, and
performing it for anyone else, is a shirk and a sin.
However we find in Quran that Allah ordered the angels (and Iblis) to
prostrate to Hazrat Adam?? All complied except Iblis, who was condemned
and punished for not obeying. Surely this Sajdah was not the one which
is reserved for Allah, rather one of love and respect to the Khalifa of
Allah.
Again in Quran we find
that Hazrat Yaqub and the brothers of Hazrat Yusuf prostrated before
him. First we see that Hazrat Yusuf mentioned his dream to his father,
"When Yusuf said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream
eleven planets and the sun and the moon,
I saw them prostrating themselves unto me." [Quran, 12:4.2]
and then the realization and fulfilment of this vision:
"And he raised his parents upon the throne and they fell down in
prostration before him, and he said: O my
father! This is the significance of my vision of old; my Lord has indeed
made it to be true; and He was indeed kind to me...." [Yusuf 12:100]
We can see that even
Hazrat Yaqub, a Prophet himself performed this prostration alongwith his
sons, to Hazrat Yusuf. Therefore, since one cannot dare attribute their
actions to "shirk", we can safely conclude that the Sajdah, the
prostration, can also be performed out of love, and as a token of
respect and veneration, and is different in intentions and spirit from
the Sajdah reserved for Allah, the Al-Mighty.
Therefore, without understanding the intentions, emotions and feelings
of the lovers and pilgrims, one has got absolutely no right to violate
the sanctity of the religious landmarks....
A point which I would
like my friends to notice, (as they must have observed in the above list
of demolished signs) that there is particular emphasis on demolishing
the graves, cemetries, mosques and houses of the close family of Prophet
Muhammad (SA). It is strange that the sites attributed to his grandsons,
his beloved daughter, his uncle, his parents and grandfather and his
noble companions, are being destroyed and demolished instead of being
preserved???? Aren't these the very "near relatives", loving whom is our
"attempted" reward for the services of the Prophet Muhammad?????
Say (O Muhammad) : I do not ask of you any reward (or fee) for it (my
service to you) but love for my near relatives" [Quran, 42:23]
Is this how the
so-called Muslims attempt to reward their Prophet???
Will any muslim bulldoze his son's grave out of love and respect???? Why
this harsh treatment to the family of Prophet Muhammad then???????
Why this bias and hatred against the family of Prophet Muhammad
(SA)?????
The answer is quite simple. One who hates the family of Prophet Muhammad
cannot be a Muslim, since his durood, his salams and his prayers are all
void without loving Prophet Muhammad and his blessed family.
Therefore, in the first place, these ruins of al-Baqi identify and
expose the hypocrates and the black-sheep amongst the Muslim ranks,
snatching away the masks from their faces and revealing their true
intentions and feelings of hatred for Islam and its heritage..... and
very appropriately so, since exposing tyranny and evil is a tradition of
the family of Prophet Muhammad, which reached its apogee in the supreme
sacrifice of the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the plains of
Karbala. It is only to be expected of the sites attributed to them to
carry on their noble task.....
The people who today
take out their hatred and bitternes over these cemtries and shrines, are
the same, who brutally martyred the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad
(SA), barely 50 years after his death.....
These people, the party of Yazeed have time and again tried to wipe out
the traces of Aal-e-Muhammad (SA), because they know that this house
will keep exposing them, and continue raising voice against their
tyranny, till Inshallah, the promised victory is attained... Therefore,
these people have always tried to erase the signs of Ghadeer, Khyber and
Karbala, and every time, their hatred itself exposes them..!!!
Hazrat Yusuf's example
and the roots of animosity against Aal-e-Muhammad....
Also, this hatred and bias is due to jealousy and the handiwork of
Shaitaan.. I will give the analogical example of Hazrat Yusuf (AS) once
again. Interestingly, Allah has mentioned Hazrat Yusuf (AS) and his
brothers also as the "Signs" of Allah, probably because their incident,
their feelings and their history has a lot of resemblance to later
events and carry several lessons.
"Verily in Joseph and his brethren are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty)
for the seekers (after Truth)." [Quran, 12:7]
Allah "preferred" him and blessed him with his "grace", and gave him
special knowledge.....
"Thus thy Lord will prefer thee and will teach thee the interpretation
of events, and will perfect His grace upon
thee and upon the family of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy
forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Lo! thy Lord is Knower, Wise." [Quran,
12:6]
Therefore, it is
history that when Allah blesses and "prefers" some of his beloved people
over others, and endows them with knowledge and wisdom, the people
around them become jealous and try to inflict harm on them, and try to
desist other people from loving them, (like the brothers of Yusuf
attempted to do) and to remove their traces....
Then the Quran relates in Hazrat Yusuf's words the cause of this
jealousy and hatred, and identifies the "leader" of the party....
"My Lord was indeed kind to me when He brought me forth from the prison
and brought you from the desert after the Shaitan had sown dissensions
between me and my brothers, surely my Lord is benignant to whom He
pleases; surely He is the Knowing, the Wise. " [Quran, 12:100]
By comparing this
analogy, this rule may be established that wherever you see animosity
and hatred against those "preferred" by Allah and blessed with "divine
knowledge", you will know the "leadership" behind those opposing the
"divine" party, is "Satanic" in nature and origin......
The ruins of Al-Baqi call out to you....
The link from al-Baqi to Karbala is obvious: Hatred against the family
of Prophet Muhammad (SA)....
This very attempt to erase and hide those cemetries and symbols and to
wipe them out of people's hearts and memories is reason for us to
justify that what is it, what is the message, and who are those people,
whose traces are being erased so anxiously and viciously in the 21st
century?? What harm can a few shrines do to these powerful monarchs????
Why in particular, are these so-called Muslims so anxious to wipe away
the traces of Aal-e-Muhammad, the Ahle Bait of the Prophet????? Why in
particular are the graves of 4 grandsons of the Prophet (the Shiite
Imams) have been demolished and not being rebuilt?????
An even greater cause
for concern is the fact that this party virtually rules the "Islamic
kingdom" and heads the Ummah??? Shouldn't we find out their credibility
and reject their leadership if it is un-Islamic??? These
Khadimeen-e-Haramain wa-Sharafain, these greedy monarchs, are weilding
their financial resources also to distort and confuse the real spirit of
Islam.....
Those of you who have been lucky enough to visit Saudi Arabia for
pilgrimage, will confirm that there is a control and restriction on the
books and literature which can be brought in, especially religious
books. Why are they so anxious to block out this literature and these
books????? Shouldn't this opposition and these anxious efforts be enough
reason for you all to investigate and find out????? Shouldn't this
perplexing hatred against the blessed family of Prophet Muhammad appeal
to your intellectual and religious curiosity and motivate to find out
more about them??????? Shouldn't you be interested that why tragical
incidents like Karbala and al-Baqi have occurred again and again in
history???? Why has there always been an opposition group, anxious to
martyr the grandson of the Prophet, anxious to demolish their cemetries,
anxious to wipe away their traces????????
Once you go through
these books, many of the misconceptions and confusions about the
sectarian differences will be understood, and people will realize why
these misconceptions and hateful slogans are directed towards these
sects.....
Muharram has started and the message of Karbala echoes out, despite
being suppressed and crushed in the past....
I invite you all to put aside hesitations, confusions, doubts and
misconceptions and utilise the religious atmosphere around you and the
easily available resources around you to learn and find out for yourself
the truth.... Maybe you will realize that sectarian differences are
nothing, merely some vested interests at work to erase the traces and
message of Prophet Muhammad and his blessed family..... |