The oppression on Janab E fatima (sa) continues till today
HISTORY OF THE CEMETERY OF JANNAT AL-BAQI
JANAB E FATIMA (SA) IMAM HASAN B. ALI (2ND IMAM), IMAM ALI B. AL-HUSAYN (4TH IMAM), IMAM MUHAMMAD B. ALI (5TH IMAM), & IMAM JA'FAR B. MUHAMMAD (6TH IMAM), PEACE BE UPON THEM, ARE BURIED
JANAB E FATIMA (SA) IMAM HASAN B. ALI (2ND IMAM), IMAM ALI B. AL-HUSAYN (4TH IMAM), IMAM MUHAMMAD B. ALI (5TH IMAM), & IMAM JA'FAR B. MUHAMMAD (6TH IMAM), PEACE BE UPON THEM, ARE BURIED
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.
Destruction
of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi Wahhabis 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.
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 b. 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 b. Ali (a), Imam
Ali b. 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 bin 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
bin 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 panelled 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 pre-condition 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
alongwith 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?