Makkah
Makkah, Islam’s birth place and its holiest city, is a place which captures the hearts of millions of Muslims around the world. The ka’bah is adored as Allah’s first creation on Earth, and it is for this reason that the Holy Mosque and the township of Makkah, built around the Ka'abah are so revered. Makkah is the place where Allahfirst sent Divine Revelation to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in the over of Hira, overlooking the Ka’bah. The 5,000 year old turn is also the destination of millions of pilgrims in the month of Hajj and countless visitors throughout the remainder of the year.
In the holy Quran alone there are no less than eleven different names for Makkah. It is referred to as Makkah, Bakkah, Al-Balad, Al-Balad Al-Ameen, Al-Baldah, Al-Haram AL-amain, Um-Al-Qura. Al-masjid Al-Haraam, Al-Haraam, ma`aad, and Al-Qaryah. Muslims all over the world turn their faces in prayer five times a day towards the ka’bah in Makkah. The House of Allah is the holiest and most blessed structure on the face of the earth, and the mosque that surrounds ka’bah is called Masjid Al-Haram. The reward of one prayer with in its sanctum is equivalent to one hundred thousand prayers offered elsewhere.
The city of Makkah around the Sacred Mosque, in fact the whole territory around Makkah to a radius of several kilometers has been declared as a Sacred Haram, a holy sanctuary [ 1, 9].
Makkah was the birth place of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and even in the last years of his life when he was forced to move to Al- Madinah, he retained a thoughtful admiration for Makkah. He is reported to have said:
"O Makkah! Had not my people forced me out from here, I would never have liked to settle elsewhere[1].
With around 200,000 citizens Makkah is the most populous city of the Hijaz. It is at the intersection of latitude 21 to 25 degrees north and longitude 39 to 49 degrees east. It is set in a rugged landscape consisting mostly of solid granite, at approximately 300 meters above sea level. It is flanked by two mountain ranges so that sighting it from a distance can be difficult.
About Us | Contact Us | Ajlan Al-Ajlan at University of De Montfort -1/2006
©
This web site has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise
that its copyright rest with the author and that no quotation from this web site, nor any information
derived therefrom may be published without the author's prior written consent.
