Places to Visit in Makkah – Zam Zam

May 19, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

The well of Zam Zam

The Bible makes a reference of the miracle of Zamzam when it talks about the passing through of Ismail (upon him be peace) and his mother through the valley: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them who passing through the valley of Bacca make it a well.” [Psalm 84:5-6. Note that the Quran also refers to Makkah as Bakkah]*

Old Zam Zam Well at the Museum in Makkah - Photo Copyright Islamopedia — Old Zam Zam Well at the Museum in Makkah – Photo Copyright Islamopedia

The well of Zam Zam is no longer accessible to the pilgrims. It used to be situated between the Maqam of Ibrahim and the beginning of Mount Safa.

The well of Zam Zam was discovered by the babe Isma’il (AS) and his mother Hagar (AS) whilst she was running between Mount Safa and Marwa looking for water as he, Isma’il (AS), was crying out of hunger and thirst.

They were left there by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) on the command of Allah (SWT). After Hagar (AS) ran seven circuits of Safa and Marwa an Angel appeared by the place where Zam Zam was and started to dig until water appeared. Hagar (AS) continued digging around the well and took the water that she needed for herself and Isma’il (AS).

Due to this new source of water, peoples and tribes started to settle around Isma’il (AS) and Hagar (AS) and around the Zam Zam well. This formed the early Makkan community.

Zam Zam stayed with the tribes of Makkah until it was buried by the tribe of Jurhum upon their expulsion from Makkah. Several hundred years later, the well was rediscovered by ‘Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet’s grandfather, through a series of dreams in which he was directed to dig back up the well of Zam Zam.

It has been with us since then and continues to quench the thirst of millions of pilgrims every year that attend the Minor (Umrah) and Major (Hajj) Pilgrimage.

* Source of quote: http://www.islamiclandmarks.com/saudi/makkah/haram_sharief/zamzam.html

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – Maqam Ibrahim (AS)

May 18, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

Maqam of Ibrahim (AS)

‘When We made the House (Ka‘bah of Makkah) a frequented place for men, and a place of peace! Make from the Station of Ibrāhīm a place of prayer. We gave the (following directive) to Ibrāhīm and Ismā‘īl (Ishmael): “Purify My House for those who are to circumambulate (make Tawāf) and those who stay in I‘tikāf, and those who bow down or prostrate themselves (in prayers).’ [Qur’an 2:125]

Maqam Ibrahim (AS) - Copyright Islamopedia — Maqam Ibrahim (AS) – Copyright Islamopedia

The Maqam of Ibrahim (AS) is the stone on which the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) stood when building the Ka’bah. He stood on it and worked his way around the Ka’bah whilst Isma’il (AS) passed him the stones for the walls of the Ka’bah.

Copy of Ibrahim's Footprint from the Museum in Makkah - Copyright Islamopedia — Copy of Ibrahim’s Footprint from the Museum in Makkah – Copyright Islamopedia

Out of deference to Ibrahim (AS) and the task that he was undertaking, the stone became soft for him and Ibrahim’s (AS) footprint was engraved on the stone.

The stone now sits in a golden enclosure a couple of meters away from the Ka’bah. Pilgrims are required to pray behind the Maqam of Ibrahim once they have completed the Tawaf (Circumambulation) of the Ka’bah.

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – Al Hijr Isma’il (AS)

May 18, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

Al Hijr Isma’il (AS) – Sometimes Also Known as Hateem

Aisha (RA) narrated: “I wanted to enter the House (i.e. Ka’bah) and pray inside. Allah’s Messenger (SAW) took my by the hand and led me inside the Hijr and said: ‘If you want to go inside the House then pray here, for it is part of the House, but your people reduced its area when they rebuilt it.'” [Al-Nasa’i]

Al Hijr - Copyright Unknown — Al Hijr – Copyright Unknown

This area is the semi circular area outside of the Ka’bah located under the Mizab (the Golden Gutter of the Ka’bah). It forms part of the Ka’bah, however, was excluded from the Ka’bah when the Quraish rebuilt the Ka’bah during the time of the Prophet (SAW).

This was because they had run out of sufficient acceptable funds from good sourced to be able to complete the full building. Therefore they built as much as they were able to with the funds available and built a semi circular wall to surround the part that they had missed.

Hijr Isma'il Aka Hateem - Copyright AdminPak — Hijr Isma’il Aka Hateem – Copyright AdminPak

If one prays in this area it is as if you have prayed inside the Ka’bah itself.

It’s a Mercy from Allah that the Hijr was not included in the building because it now means that ordinary pilgrims such as ourselves can pray inside the Ka’bah by praying inside of the Hijr.

May Allah grant everyone Tawfiq to be able to pray in the Hijr Isma’il.

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – Multazam

May 17, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

Multazam

The Multazam is the area between the Black Stone and the Door of the Ka’bah and is another area of the Ka’bah where Dua is accepted.

The Prophet (SAW) made Dua in this area after the conquest of Makkah. The companions also made Du’a in this area clinging onto the Ka’bah and in some cases rubbing their bodies / faces against it.

For more photos of the Multazam, see:
http://aswjmedia.com.au/al-multazam-photos-and-information/

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – The Black Stone

May 17, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

The Black Stone (Hajr Aswad)

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The Black Stone came down from Paradise and it was whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam turned it black.” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi]

The Black Stone - Copyright Unknown — The Black Stone – Copyright Unknown

The Black Stone is set in the one of the Southern corners of the Ka’bah. It is a blessed stone from one of the stones of Paradise. The Prophet (SAW) touched it and kissed it when starting each round of Tawaf (circumambulation) of the House and therefore we are also commanded to touch it and kiss it if possible.

Due to the large number of pilgrims, in most cases, it is almost impossible to touch and kiss the Black Stone unless you push and shove your way through. It is sufficient to just raise your hands to it, kiss the hands and start the Tawaf by saying Bismillah Allahu Akbar.

When the Black Stone came down from Paradise it was a white as milk, but it soon turned black due to the sins of Mankind.

It is currently in a silver casing because it was stolen by a heretical group called the Qarmatians in the middle ages and was broken to pieces before being recovered by the Caliph. The silver casing is there to hold all the broken pieces together.

The Black Stone will come with eyes and a tounge on the day of Judgement and will intercede to Allah on behalf of everyone that touched it and kissed it.

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – The Ka’bah

May 17, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

Ka’bah

‘God has appointed the Ka’bah, the Sacred House as an [enduring] institution for mankind, and the sacred month, the offering and the garlands; that is so that you may know that God knows all that is in the heavens and in the earth, and that God has knowledge of all things.’ [Qur’an 5:97]

The Ka’bah is the Sacred House of Allah. It was the first House to be built for the worship of Allah and continues to be the direction of prayer for the Muslims until the day of Judgement.

It was first built by the Angels before the advent of Man. Then it was built by Adam (AS). The Ka’bah was lost for a period of time after Adam (AS) until it was re-built again by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and Prophet Isma’il (AS).

Old Sketch of the Ka'bah - Copyright Unknown — Old Sketch of the Ka’bah – Copyright Unknown

It has been with Mankind since the time of Ibrahim (AS) and will continue to be here until the end of time.

It’s a beautiful sight to see how thousands upon thousands of people circle the House every day and to know that despite our own heedlessness there will always be people worshipping Allah by His House in the Haram.

Millions of Muslims visit the Ka’bah every year as part of the minor (Umrah) and Major (Hajj) pilgrimage.

General, Hajj&Umrah

Places to Visit in Makkah – Masjid Al Haram

May 16, 2014 Islamopedia Leave a comment

Masjid Al Haram

‘Lo! the first Sanctuary appointed for mankind was that at Becca, a blessed place, a guidance to the peoples;’ [Qur’an 3:96]

Masjid Al Haram is the famous Mosque in Makkah that has within it the Ka’bah, the Blackstone, the Multazam, the Hijr Isma’il, the Maqam of Ibrahim, the well of Zam Zam, and the Mountains of Safa and Marwa.

One prayer prayed in Masjid Al Haram is equal to praying a hundred thousand prayers in other Masjids.

Decorative Grill in Masjid Al Haram – Image Copyright of Islamopedia

Millions of pilgrims visit Masjid Al Haram every year in order to fulfill the age old tradition of Hajj and Umrah as established by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and Isma’il (AS) and continued by our Prophet and Master Muhammad (SAW).

For the places where Du’a is accepted in the Haram, see AlMiskeenah’s post below:

http://almiskeenah.com/archives/6000

The proceeding posts will cover each of the special places that are located in the Haram as mentioned above.

General, Hajj&Umrah

Umrah – Places to Visit in Makkah and Madinah

May 15, 2014 Islamopedia 5 Comments

Photo of the two Harams – Photo Copyright Islamopedia

Assalamu ‘Alaikum,

Following our recent Umrah trip, I shall be compiling a list of places to visit in the holy lands based on some of the places that we visited, and others not visited but noted in the History Books.

The posts will form a photo of the place (if available) with a brief description of what it is and it’s virtues.

This will by no means form an exhaustive list or a detailed history, but will provide a brief snippet of the various historic sites. The main sources used are as follows:

A Guide to Visiting Makka and Madina by Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ahmed

History of Makkah by Darussalam Publishers

History of Madinah by Darussalam Publishers

Almiskeenah’s Blog

I hope this is of benefit to those of you looking to visit the blessed lands of Makkah and Madninah.

Once all the posts have been uploaded, a single post with all the places and links will be published insha Allah.

was Salam

Abu Zaynah

General

100 most frequent Arabic words from the Qur’an

April 28, 2014 Islamopedia 2 Comments

Assalamu ‘Alaikum,

Please visit/follow our Facebook page for regular posts on the 100 most frequent Arabic words from the Qur’an. Memorising these words and their meanings will go a little way in helping you to understand the meanings of the Qur’an:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Islamopedia-Books/102120912558

Images are courtesy of Tahir Chaudhry and Islamic Experiences

Feel free to share them with friends and family mentioning the sources noted above.

Was Salam

Jashim

General

The Wednesday Circle Bag Miracle

March 20, 2014 Islamopedia 2 Comments

The Wednesday Circle Bag Miracle

This is the ‘Wednesday Circle’ bag. In it I carry the excercise books and the small batch of materials that I use at the Circle every week. The bag is usually left in the boot of my car.

Last Saturday Night (15/03/14) my car was broken into. I discovered the break in on Sunday and upon inspecting the car I noticed that nothing had been taken. My SatNav was still there, as were all my CDs, my in car mobile phone charger and my portable car vaccum. It seems that the thieves broke in and must have been apprehended by someone and therefore left in a rush. There was however one thing taken that I didn’t realise at the time.

I went ahead and boarded up the window with cardboard and black bags and thought about how to get the car repaired and what it would cost.

The following Wednesday (19/03/14) I made my way to the Wednesday Circle as per usual. I got out of the car and went to the boot to get the Wednesday Circle Bag out. Guess what, it wasn’t there. I had another look just to be sure, and it was definitely not there. I thought for a second whether I had taken it out and left it at home. I didn’t think I had. Then it dawned on me, the break in that weekend. Those thieves must have taken the bag.

My brother in law, who is one of the students at the Circle, was with me at the time. As we walked the short distance from the car to the Community Centre where the Circle is held, I told him bow the thieves had taken the Circle Bag and that we have lost all their work from their exercise book. I was pretty gutted as the kids do put in a lot of hard work taking notes at the Circle. Oh well, I thought, it is the Qadr of Allah.

I walked into the Community Centre hoping to explain to the kids what had happened and that I would buy some new exercise books for them for the following week. I was planning to continue with the Circle as usual, the topic of this week being the Fara’id, Sunnas and Mustahab of Wudu. However, as I walked in, I saw the Wednesday Circle Bag on the floor next to the couches at reception with a little old lady sitting by the bag.

The caretaker of the Centre was in reception as we came in. He saw me and asked if that was my bag. I told him that it was, assuming that I had left it behind the week before and he found it and kept it for me. I asked him where he found the bag. He said that he hadn’t, but that this little old lady had brought it in.

We all then turned to the little old lady as she explained how she came across the bag. She said that she had found it outside where she lives on Queensbridge Road in Hackney (a good distance away from where my car was broken into) behind a set of railings. The bag looked important so she looked through it it to see if she could find any reference as to who it belonged to.

It is probably worth noting here that there was nothing in the bag that mentioned any names or contact details of anyone related to the Circle. There was also nothing else in there to easily suggest that the bag was part of the Circle. For someone picking the bag up randomly it would have been difficult to ascertain who the bag belonged to other than to guess that it belonged to some form of a religious/Islamic class.

The lady continued telling her story and stated that she rummaged through the bag and found a letter in the bag. At the footer of the letter it stated that the letter was from the Wednesday Circle and mentioned the day, time and venue of the Wednesday Circle. From that she deduced that the bag must belong to someone from the Circle and therefore came on the Wednesday at 7:30pm to the Community Centre to return it to us.

We were all amazed at how the only thing taken from the car was this bag, how this lady randomly found it outside her home, and how she went through the bag to find a footnote mentioning the Circle which she used to find us and return the bag to us. For us this was not just a coincidence, it was nothing short of a miracle.

I thanked the lady profusely and then went on with the Circle. It was reassuring to know there are still good people out there who upon finding something in the street go the extra mile to find the owners and return the goods back to them. My only regret is that I didn’t take down the lady’s details, otherwise I would have sent her some flowers as a token of my gratitude.

The fact that Allah returned the bag to us, for me, showed that there is a level of Acceptance from Him above of the Circle and the things we do. Those exercise books contained the hard work and notes of the students and I believe Allah did not want all that work to go to waste.

Anyone who knows me well will know how much I care about this Circle. It was a Circle that I attended when I was a youth and now I am the one teaching in it. I have always said that I will try my best and ensure the Circle continues to run even if we only have one person attending. And we have kept our word and have continued to do the Circles week in week out even when it was only two students coming.

May Allah guide her to Islam and accept this deed from her and make this a means for her salvation. May Allah bless the Wednesday Circle, those who teach in it, and those who attend the lessons. May Allah accept it from us and make it a means of good for us in the world and the hereafter.