Makkah and its Holy Places

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Makkah and its Holy Places. AssalamuAlaikum, in this article I will tell you about Makkah and its Holy Places. If you want to watch this article’s video “Click the image above or click on the above link.

Makkah and its Holy Places

The holy city of Makkah, located in the Hijaz Valley of Saudi Arabia is one of the most Respected Holiest, and Central Cities on earth. This holy city has the honor of being related to three Glorious Prophets, Hazrat Ibrahim (as), Hazrat Ismail (as), and Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The city has the privilege of the blessed birth and apostleship of the last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) spent 53 springs of his life in this city. The greatness and the historical significance of Makkah can be measured from That the Creator of the universe chose this holy city for his holy Kaaba and then ordered to perform Hajj here.

Allah says

وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْناً وَاتَّخِذُواْ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى وَعَهِدْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ أَن طَهِّرَا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْعَاكِفِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ

(Al-Baqra 2,125)

And when We made the House (at Makka) a resort for mankind and sanctuary, (saying): Take as your place of prayer the place where Abraham stood (to pray). And We imposed a duty upon Abraham and Ishmael, (saying): Purify My house for those who go around and those who meditate therein and those who bow down and prostrate themselves (in worship).

English translation by (Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (

Muslims, as a spiritual center, cherish this sacred land and long for the Hajj at least once in their lives. And when the believers are called then, they leave the worldly adornments and are drawn towards this holy land as an image of humility and submission, dressed in white ihram only. Every year, millions of Muslims around the world, irrespective of race or color, are blessed to perform the Hajj Baitullah.  Which is one of the most important worship included in pillars of Islam?

In Makkah Mukarma there are still visible signs of the presence of Almighty Allah.

The Kaaba

The Kaaba is the Qiblah of the Muslims. All the Muslims of the world pray facing five times a day. While one prayer offered in the Kaaba has the reward of one lakh prayers.

The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) said:

Praying in my mosque is better than thousands of prayers in any mosque except Masjid Haram. and offering one prayer in the Masjid Haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers in another mosque.

Sahih Ibn Majah: 1163

Safa and Marwah

Between the hills of Safa and Marwah, Hazrat Hajara (AS) the mother of Hazrat Ismail (AS) kept running in search of water. Allah Almighty liked her quest so much that He made it an integral part of Hajj and Umrah. After the expansion of the Haram, these two hills have now become part of the Masjid Haram.

The distance of Safa Hill from Kaaba is 100 meters / 328 feet while the distance of Marwah hill is 330 meters / 1083 feet. The distance between Safa and Marwah is 450 meters / 1476 feet. Pilgrims make seven rounds of Sa'i between Safa and Marwah. Moving from Safa to Marwa is called one Cycle and then coming back from Marwa to Safa is another Cycle.

The completion of the seventh cycle at Marwa makes a total distance of 3.15 km of Sa'i.

Zam Zam Well

Here is the well of Zamzam water, whose water is better and more blessed than the waters of the world.

Zamzam water has the power to cure all diseases.

• It boosts the immune system by flushing out toxins from the body.
• It contains the required amount of Calcium and Magnesium. It is naturally bactericidal due to the presence of fluorides.
• Increases (WBCs) white blood cells and (RBCs) red blood cells in the blood. 

The Zamzam Well is located at a distance of 20 meters from Kaaba Sharif while its depth is 30 meters.

The black stone (Hijr e Aswad)
The Hijr e Aswad is the stone of Paradise which is installed in the southeast wall of the Kabaa at a height of 1.10 meters. Every Muslim considers kissing or touching it a source of happiness.

This paradise stone was brought by Gabriel at that time. When Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and Hazrat Ishmael (as) were building the Kaaba. Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) installed it in the wall of the Kaaba with his own hands.

In 606 AD, when the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) was 35 years old, the Quraysh rebuilt the Kaaba. When it came to installing the Black Stone in the Kaaba wall, the tribes quarreled. On this occasion, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used this method to settle the dispute he kept the black stone in a sheet and asked all the tribal chiefs to lift it by holding the corners of that cloth.

So they all picked up the sheet together and when the sheet reached the place where the black stone was to be placed So Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) installed it in the wall of the Kaaba with his blessed hands.

During Tawaf, it is obligatory to kiss the Black Stone in every cycle, but if the crowd is large, it can be greeted with a hand gesture (ISTILAM).

Maqam Ibrahim

Maqam-e-Ibrahim is the stone on which Hazrat Ibrahim (SWS) stood to build the walls of the Kaaba and even his footprints were mapped on it. This Stone is still present in a Brass Shell about 13 meters to the east of the Kaaba. It is obligatory for the pilgrims to offer two Nawafils after each Tawaf here.

Multazim
Multazim is about 2 meters long of the eastern wall between the Black Stone and the door of the Kaaba. The places of Baitullah where prayers are accepted, among them, the Multazam is of special importance. Pilgrims come here and place their chests, faces, arms, and palms and pray to Allah Almighty.

Jabal-e-Noor
The holy and blessed mountain Jabal-e-Noor is located in the same city۔ In the Hira Cave on the top of this mountain before the proclamation of Prophethood, the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) used to meditate and engage in worship.

In this cave on the 21st of Ramadan on Monday, August 10, 610 AD when Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Be Upon Him) was 40 years, 6 months and 12 days’ old Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) took the first revelation to the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), through which Allah Almighty appointed him as the final Prophet of End Times.

Jabal Noor is located in the northeast at a distance of three and a half kilometers from Masjid Haram at an altitude of 642 meters above sea level. while Hira Cave is 3.7 meters / 12 feet long and 1.6 meters / 5.2 inches wide. Hira cave is located at an altitude of 639 meters / 2100 feet above the ground level on the opposite side of Jabal e Noor.
to reach Cave Hira, one has to cross 1750 steps.

Jannat ul Muala
The world's second holiest and historic cemetery ‘Jannat ul Muala’ is in this city. Where are the holy shrines of Umm Al-Mu'minin Hazrat Khadijah Al-Kubra, the relatives of the Holy Prophet (SWS), the Companions, the followers, the followers, the saints, and the righteous. This cemetery is located about one to one and a half kilometer west of Baitullah Sharif.

No human being has been able to cover the blessings of this city till today and even will not be able to do so till the Day of Judgment.

Makkah Mukarma and the swear by Allah Almighty

The greatness and virtue of Makkah can also be measured from this that Allah Almighty has mentioned this holy city in many verses of the Holy Qur'an. while at two places, Allah Almighty has sworn by this holy city.

In Surah Al-Balad, Allah Almighty says:

لَآ اُقْسِمُ بِـهٰذَا الْبَلَدِ (1)  وَ اَنْتَ حِلٌّم بِهٰذَا الْبَلَدِ (2)

(1) Nay, I swear by this city  (2) And thou art an indweller of this city.

In Surah Al-Tin, Allah Almighty says:

وَالتِّيْنِ وَالزَّيْتُوْنِ (1) وَطُوْرِ سِيْنِيْنَ (2) وَهٰذَا الْبَلَدِ الْاَمِيْنِ (3)

(1) By the fig and the olive (2) By Mount Sinai (3) And by this land made safe;

Location

Makkah Mukarma is located at an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level, 80 km from the Red Sea in the remote of Faraan. which is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is 430 km south of Madinah, while it is 73 km east from Jeddah Airport. Its west is Mount Qeiqan, in the south Mount Jabal Kudai while in the southeast Thor is located. Jabal al-Hajjun is located northwest of Makkah, from its valley Judai the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) entered the city at the time of the conquest of Makkah Mukarma.

Jabal e Noor is located in the northeast at an altitude of 642 meters above sea level. In the east, near the Masjid al-Haram, is the 420-meter-high Mount Abu Qabees and behind it is Mount Khandama. In the east of Makkah there is Shaab Ali which is also called Shaab Abi Talib. It is connected to Makkah through Aqaba. It was called Shaab Bani Hashim in the pre-Islamic era.

This valley is called Shaab Abi Talib in the Prophet's time and nowadays it is called Shaab Ali. The area south of the Mecca Valley is called Bathaqrish or simply Batha. The lower area below the Haram is called Misfala while the upper area is called Ma'ala or Al Ma'ala.

The real name of Makkah

The real name of Makkah is "Makkah", which is also mentioned in the Qur'an.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُم بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِن بَعْدِ أَنْ أَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ

 وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيراً

Surah Al-Fath, Ayat 24

And He it is Who hath withheld men's hands from you, and hath withheld your hands from them, in the valley of Mecca, after He had made you victors over them. Allah is Seer of what ye do.

English translation by (Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall)

Many names of Makkah Mukarma are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, hadiths and historical books in terms of different attributes. Among them, Umm al-Qura and Bakka are the most famous in history. Apart from these names, according to historians, in history more than fifty names of Makkah are mentioned.

In the Holy Qur'an, Allah Almighty has called Makkah 'Umm Al-Qura'.

Allah Almighty says:

وَهَـذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُّصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا

And this is a blessed Scripture which, We have revealed, confirming that which (was revealed) before it, that thou mayst warn the Mother of Villages and those around her.

Some of the reasons given by the scholars for the name of this great city being Umm Al-Qura:

1. This is the central point from which the rest of the earth was spread
2. According to modern and ancient research, Kaaba is the center of the earth.
3. Being the oldest city, it has been called ‘Umm al-Qura’, the “Mother of Settlements”.
4. Because it is the qiblah of Muslims all over the world, therefore, they all turn towards Makkah while praying.
5. "Um" also means to aim and to turn. Its status is as high as that of other settlements, just as the status of the mother is high.

Saudi government's services in Makkah
After the establishment of Saudi Arabia in the land of Hijaz, every successive ruler gave special importance to Makkah and continued the journey of extraordinary development activities due to which today Makkah has become a very modern city. One aspect of the construction and development of Makkah is related to the facilities for pilgrims. 

Every Saudi government has done more than limits to serve the guests of Allah. In connection with this service, the Saudi ruler is called by the title of 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques'. No other city in the world is equal to Makkah in terms of the largest human gathering. Every year millions of Muslims gathered in Makkah to perform Hajj and Umrah. and they are provided with the best facilities by the Saudi government.