AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The
demolition of Jannatul-Baqi (Baqi cemetery) on 8 Shawwal,1345AH (April
21,1925) at the hands of Al-e-Saud was a great tragedy in the history of
Islam.
Jannat-ul-Baqi is simply a graveyard but Muslims all
over the world attach it a high importance because it is situated in
Madinat-ur-Rasool Where besides great companions of prophet Muhammad
(p.b.u.h)his infallible progenitor Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (2nd Imam), Imam
Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (4th imam), Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali (5th imam), &
Imam Ja`far Ibn Muhammad (6th imam), peace be upon them, are buried.
In the same year (1925), King Saud bin Abdul Aziz 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.
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 to eradicate the Islamic legacy and heritage as well
as to systematically remove all its vestiges was with the purpose to
alienate Muslims from their history and pious personalities who have
been torch-bearers to lead them to Right Path.
Even today this
devilish plan is being implemented through ISIL in Iraq and Syria. The
world has already heard that the pious shrines of prophets Yunus and
Shish,peace be up on them have been desecrated and then demolished by
ISIL or so-called Daish. The pious tombs of great companions of prophet
Muhammad (p.b.u.h) such as Ammar bin Yasir and Hujar bin ODAI have been
demolished by the notorious ISIL in Syria. This notorious group namely
Daish which is the mercenary of Saudi Arabia, the number one lackey of
USA and the Zionists in the region is intermittently attacking the the
great shrine of Hazrat Zainab, the grand daughter of prophet Muhammed
(p.b.u.h) and the sister of the leader of the martyrs Imam Hussain
(A.S).
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 Ibn 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
Ibn Ali (a), Imam Ali Ibn 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 Ibn 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 Ibn 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 paneled 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 precondition 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 Wahhabis
The Ottoman Empire had added to the splendor 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)
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