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Makkah Al-Mukarramah, in the west of Saudi Arabia, is
the
holiest place of Muslims around the world along with Madinah Al Munawarah.
Makkah is at a distance of 75 km from the port city of Jeddah (which is the largest city of the province), around 400 km from Madinah, and is at a distance of 1000 km from the capital city
of Riyadh. It is in Makkah where the Grand Mosque, Masjid Al Haram, with the holy shrine of Ka'bah
situates. The only place in the world where a Muslim can go for Pilgrimage
in terms of Hajj.
The Ka'bah in Makkah is the
Qiblah
(direction of prayer) of the Muslims around the world. It was in this
sacred city that the Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him) was born and
brought up. In the outskirts of Makkah, in the cave of Hira, the Prophet
(PBUH) received the first Revelation from God Almighty through the angel
Gabriel.
Every year, around 3 million people visit Makkah during Hajj alone
from all over the world. So,
the word mecca ("Makkah" in Arabic) has been used in English to denote
"a central or popular place that is visited by a great many people".
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City of Security
Makkah is an ancient mountainous city. Even before the
advent of Islam, Makkah was a major trade center, the meeting point of
south-north and east -west caravan trails.
The Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) left his wife, Hajarah (Hager), and his infant son,
Ismail (Ishmael), in a deserted
valley in western Arabia as per the commandment of God with no
sufficient food or drink left in the place. The baby, who was left in
the ground cried out of hunger and thirst. God Almighty sent an agel who
made water to gush out under the feet of Ismail. Hajarah enclosed the
spring, called "zamzam", which later became a well. As word of the water
source spread, Arab tribes began to settle in the area, and so was born
the city of Makkah.
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The changing face of Makkah is that of an ultra
modern city. It is one of the fast developing and expanding cosmopolitan cities
around the world with high rising buildings and modern
amenities that are made available for the thousands of pilgrims who
visit Makkah daily.
Immigrants who settled in Makkah in the past, built their houses on
slopes and hilltops due to shortage of land in the valley and the
problem of seasonal flooding those days. These structures are very
slowly affected by the uninterrupted expansion projects of
Makkah.
The city is called by different names in the Holy Quran, such as Mother
of Towns (6:92), Makkah (48:24), Bakkah (3:96), The Sacred House (5:2),
the Ancient House (22:29) and City of Security (95:3). |
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Masjid Al Haram (The Haram Mosque)
Masjid Al Haram has a capacity to host 72,000 pilgrims
at a time. The Haram, meaning "sanctury" has a set boundary
with an area of 550 sq. kilometers. The Haram Mosque is almost
the center of it. The first one to define the boundaries of the Haram
was Prophet Ibrahim (AS) on the command of Jibril (Gabriel) and he set
up stone markers for them. After the conquest of Makkah, the Messenger
of Allah (PBUH) sent his disciple to renew them.
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Islam is based on 5 pillars of which the last is Hajj. In Islamic terminology, Hajj means to visit the
Sacred House of Allah in Makkah to perform certain rituals that Allah
has legislated in His Book (the Holy Qur'an) during the 12th month (Dhul
Hajj) of Arabic Calendar . It is an obligation once in a lifetime for
those Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it.
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