Al-Baqi Cemetery

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Jannat al-Baqī (Template:Langx, "The Baqi'", Script error: No such module "IPA".) is the oldest and first Islamic cemetery of Medina[1] located in the Hejazi[2] region of present-day Saudi Arabia. It is also known as Baqi al-Gharqad (Template:Langx, meaning "Baqiʿ of the Boxthorn").[1]

Al-Baqi is reportedly founded by Prophet Muhammad and serves as the burial place for many of his relatives and companions, establishing it as one of the two holiest cemeteries in Islamic tradition. Monuments and mosques built on or near al-Baqīʿ were demolished under the Emirate of Diriyah in 1806. After their reconstruction, they were again demolished in 1926 under the Sultanate of Nejd, in accordance with their Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law regarding idolatry.[1] These demolitions were condemned across the Islamic world, but the Saudi government has rejected calls for reconstruction.[1]

History

When Muhammad arrived in Medina from Mecca in September 622 CE, al-Baqi' was a land covered with boxthorn. According to historical records, after Muhammad’s arrival, the houses of Medina developed near al-Baqi', which was therefore considered the public tomb. The bramble growth was cleared, and the place was consecrated to be the future cemetery of the Muslims who died in al-Madina.[1] Additionally, al-Baqi’ was introduced as a location with Nakhl on its east side and houses on its west side. In fact, before its demolition, al-Baqi’ was situated behind the houses in the city.[3]

During the construction of the Prophet’s Mosque on the site he purchased from two orphan children after his migration from Mecca to Medina, As'ad ibn Zurarah, one of Muhammad's companions, died. Muhammad chose the spot to be a cemetery, and As'ad was the first individual to be buried in al-Baqi' among the Ansar.

While Muhammad was outside Medina for the Battle of Badr, his daughter Ruqayyah fell ill and died in 624. She was buried in al-Baqi'. Ruqayyah was the first person from the Ahl al-Bayt (Household of Muhammad) to be buried in this cemetery.

Shortly after Muhammad arrived from Badr, Uthman bin Maz'oon died in 3 AH (624/625 CE) and was buried in al-Baqi'.[1] He was considered the first companion of Muhammad from the Muhajirun to be buried in the cemetery. Muhammad also referred to him as the first ‘among us to go to the hereafter,’ and he named the place where Uthman bin Maz’oon is buried as Rawhā.

When his youngest son Ibrahim died, Muhammad commanded that he be buried there as well. He watered the grave and called this place Zawrā.[4] Following his instructions, two of his daughters Zainab and Umm Kulthum, were also buried near the grave of Uthman bin Maz'oon.[5]

Initially, the third caliph, Uthman,[6] was buried in the large neighbouring Jewish graveyard. The first expansion of al-Baqi' was carried out by Muawiyah I, the first Umayyad caliph. To honor Uthman, Muawiyah incorporated the extensive Jewish cemetery into al-Baqi’s burial grounds. The Umayyad Caliphate constructed the first dome over Uthman’s grave in al-Baqi’. Over time, numerous domes and structures were built or reconstructed over various graves in al-Baqi’.

Demolition

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First demolition

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The cemetery was demolished[1] by forces loyal to the Wahhabi-Saudi alliance in 1806 and 1925[7] (or 1926).[1][8]

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, during the Wahhabi control over Mecca and Medina in 1806, many religious buildings, including tombs and mosques,[9] were demolished. This demolition occurred both inside and outside al-Baqi,[10] in accordance with the Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic doctrine that forbids idolatry.[1] These structures were razed to the ground[8][11] due to Wahhabi claims of grave worship.[12]

Second demolition

The House of Saud regained control of the Hijaz in 1924[8] or 1925.[1] The following year, King Ibn Saud granted permission to destroy the site, with religious authorization provided by Qadi Abd Allah ibn Bulayhid. The demolition began on 21 April 1926[8] (or 1925)[7][13] by the Ikhwan ("The Brothers"), a Wahabbi religious militia.[14] The demolition included destroying "even the simplest of the gravestones.".[1] The British convert Eldon Rutter compared the demolition to an earthquake: "All over the cemetery, nothing was to be seen but little indefinite mounds of earth and stones, pieces of timber, iron bars, blocks of stone, and a broken rubble of cement and bricks, strewn about."[8]

The second demolition was discussed in the Majles-e Shora-ye Melli (the National Consultative Assembly of Iran), and a group of representatives was sent to Hijaz to investigate. In recent years (1982),[15] efforts have been made by Iranian religious scholars and political figures to restore the cemetery and its shrines.[8] Both Sunni and Shia communities protested the destruction,[1][13] and rallies are held annually.[1][16] The day is regarded as Yaum-e Gham ("Day of Sorrow").[13] Prominent Sunni theologians and intellectuals have condemned the "unfit" situation of the Baqi cemetery. However, the Saudi authorities have ignored all criticism and rejected any requests for the restoration of the tombs and mausoleums.[8]

Notable early burials

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Chronological list of distinguished members of the Ahl al-Bayt and companions of the Prophet interred at Jannat al-Baqi:

Name Death year (CE) Notes
Notable members of Ahl al-Bayt
Ruqayya bint Muhammad March 624 Daughter of the Prophet and wife of Uthman
Zaynab bint Khuzayma 625 Fifth wife of the Prophet, also known as Umm al-Masakin (mother of the poor)
Zainab bint Muhammad 629 Eldest daughter of the Prophet
Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad 630 Daughter of the Prophet and also wife of Uthman
Rayhana bint Zayd c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Wife or concubine of the Prophet, was a Jewish convert to Islam from the Banu Nadir
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Son of the Prophet Muhammad; died in infancy
Fatima bint Muhammad 632 Daughter of Muhammad, wife of Ali.

The exact burial place is not known, though many traditions hold that her grave is in Jannat al-Baqī

Maria al-Qibtiyya c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Twelfth wife of the Prophet. She was an Egyptian (Copt) woman gifted to Muhammad in 628 as a slave
Zaynab bint Jahsh 640 / 641 Seventh wife of the Prophet
Sawdah bint Zam'ah c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Second wife of the Prophet
Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Paternal uncle of the Prophet
Umm Habiba 664 Ninth wife of the Prophet
Safiyya bint Huyayy c. Template:Trim – c. 672Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Tenth wife of the Prophet, originating from a Jewish tribe Banu Nadir
Hafsa bint Umar c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Fourth wife of Muhammad and daughter of Umar
Hasan ibn Ali 670 Grandson of the Prophet and son of Ali and Fatima.

Briefly caliph in early Islamic history

Aqil ibn Abi Talib 670 or 683 Cousin of the Prophet and elder brother of Ali
Juwayriya bint al-Harith 676 Eighth wife of the Prophet
Aisha c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Third and youngest wife of Prophet Muhammad and daughter of first caliph Abu Bakr
Umm Salama c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Sixth wife of the Prophet
Ali al-Sajjad c. Template:Trim – c. 714Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 4th Shia Imam; great-grandson of Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad al-Baqir c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 5th Shia Imam, known for transmitting knowledge
Ja'far al-Sadiq 765 6th Shia Imam, renowned scholar of hadith, Fiqh, and science
Isma'il ibn Ja'far c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 7th Ismaili Shia Imam; son of Ja'far al-Sadiq. Isma'ili sources hold that he was buried in Salamiyah, while other sources place his burial in al-Baqī[17]
Notable Companions of the Prophet Muhammad
As'ad ibn Zurara 623 He suffered from an illness resembling diphtheria or meningitis. He is reported to be the first man buried in al-Baqi[18]
Uthman ibn Maz'un 624 Was either the first Companion or the first Muhajir to be buried in the al-Baqi'
Khunays ibn Hudhafa c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Died 25 months after the Hijra. His funeral prayer was led by Muhammad.[19]
Abu Salama 625 He was also a cousin and a foster-brother of Muhammad.
Nusaybah bint Ka'ab 634 One of the early women to convert to Islam and a warrior who participated in the battles of Uhud, Hunain, and Yamamah.[20][21]
Halima bint Abi Dhu'ayb c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Foster-mother and Wet nurse of the Prophet
Ubayy ibn Ka'b c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". He is notable for the Quran codex he compiled.
Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Regarded by Sunni tradition as one of the greatest early interpreters of the Quran[22][23]He was buried at night in al-Baqi[24]
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". A prominent opponent-turned companion of the Prophet
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". One of the wealthiest among the companions, he is known for being one of the ten to whom Paradise was promised.
Uthman 656 Son-in-law of the Prophet and the 3rd Caliphate

He was initially reportedly to be buried in al-Baqī, but due to local resistance, was instead interred in a Jewish cemetery, which was later incorporated into al-Baqī by the Umayyads.

Zayd ibn Thabit c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Personal scribe of the prophet Muhammad, serving as the chief recorder of the Quranic text
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas 674 Military Commander and Governor of Kufa[25]
Hakim ibn Hizam c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Respected merchant and a key figure in the Quraysh tribe and nephew of Khadija bint Khuwaylid
Hassan ibn Thabit c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Arabian poet, who was best known for poems in defence of the prophet.
Abu Hurayra 679 Companion of the prophet and considered the most prolific hadith narrator[26]
Abu Sa'īd al-Khūdrī 7th-Century Prominent companion of the Prophet and prolific hadith narrator, He is believed to have died around 693, though some sources suggest 683.

Gallery

See also

References

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  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Template:EI3
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  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Textual Sources for the Study of Islam, by Knappert, Jan, and Andrew Rippin
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  19. ↑ Ibn Saad/Bewley vol. 3 p. 307.
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.134. Scarecrow Press. Template:ISBN.
  24. ↑ Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr. Loon:TaHa Publishers.
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Abgad Elulm, pp.2, 179.

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External links

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