City of Makkah

Makkat Al Mukarramah

Makkat al-Mukarramah or Makkah, is a city in the Makkah province of Saudi Arabia. Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants. Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in Islam. Every year more than 13 million Muslims visit Mecca annually, including several million who perform the Hajj (pilgrimage).  As a result, Mecca has become one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in the Muslim world. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city. Mecca and Medina are the only two places where the Quran was revealed.

Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage to Mecca attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world. There are two pilgrimages: the Hajj, and the Umrah.

The Hajj, the 'greater' pilgrimage is performed annually. Once a year, the Hajj, the greater pilgrimage, takes place in Mecca and nearby sites. During the Hajj, several million people of varying nationalities worship in unison. Every adult, healthy, sane Muslim who has the financial and physical capacity to travel to Mecca and can make arrangements for the care of his/her dependents during the trip, must perform the Hajj once in a lifetime.

Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, is not obligatory, but is recommended in the Qur'an. Often, they perform the Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, while visiting the Masjid al-Haram.

Kaaba

The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, after Ishmael had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are.

One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they are able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a anticlockwise direction (as viewed from above). This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when about 6 million (officially) pilgrims simultaneously gather to circle the building on the same day. 

The Kaaba is covered by a black silk and gold curtain known as the kiswah, which is replaced annually. About two-thirds of the way up runs a band of gold-embroidered calligraphy with Qur'anic text, including the Islamic declaration of faith, the Shahada.

Muslims throughout the world face the Kaaba during prayers, which occur five times a day. For most places around the world, coordinates for Mecca suffice. Worshippers in the Sacred Mosque pray in concentric circles around the Kaaba.

Black Stone

The Black Stone is a significant feature of the Kaaba, supposedly placed there by Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ismail (Ishmael), a stone from paradise sent by the angels to Ibrahim.

The following passage gives an insight to the significance of the Black Stone in Islam:

    Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia: Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said, "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen God's Apostle kissing you, I would not have kissed you."

Large crowds can make kissing the Stone impossible, so as pilgrims walk round the Kaaba they point to the Stone on each pass.

Zamzam Well

The Well of Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. According to Islamic belief, it was a miraculously-generated source of water from God, which began thousands of years ago when Abraham's infant son Ishmael was thirsty and kept crying for water and was kicking at the ground when water gushed out. Millions of pilgrims visit the well each year while performing the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages, in order to drink its water.

Origin of Zamzam

Islamic history states that Zamzam well was revealed to Hagar the wife of Abraham and mother of Ishmael around the year 2000 BC.According to Islamic tradition, she was desperately seeking water for her infant son, but could find none, as Mecca is located in a hot dry valley with few sources of water. Muslim traditions say that Hagar ran seven times back and forth in the scorching heat between the two hills of Safa and Marwah, looking for water. Getting thirstier by the second, her son, Ismael scraped the land with his feet, where suddenly water sprang out. There are other versions of the story involving God sending his angel, Gabriel (Jibreel), who kicked the ground with his heel and the water rose.

The name of the well comes from the phrase Zomë Zomë, meaning 'stop', a command repeated by Hagar during her attempt to contain the spring water.

Ghar Hira

Hira is Laurel, who was worshiping when Mohamed «peace be upon him» every night before he came down upon revelation, a place where the revelation first him, and when I got the first verse of the Koran (read the name of your Lord who created) on the Mohammed bin Abdullah, and it fell Gabriel peace be upon him. and located the cave of Hira on Mount Hira north-east of Mecca, on the left going to the Arafat, overlooking the path of justice, and is approximately four kilometers from the Haram al-Sharif. and Mount Hira has many names, including Mount the Koran, Islam and the Mount, but it is currently known mountain light, and was named to the appearance of the lights of prophecy, The Prophet «peace be upon him» «worship before the mission .

The advantage of Mount Hira for the rest of the mountains that the foundation of the old Kaaba was stones, in addition to the Apostle «peace be upon him» he worships the pre-mission and was the beginning of the revelation and the support of Jibreel cave is located in, and can standing on this mountain to see Mecca and buildings clearly, can also see many mountains and Mount Thor Jebel Thbyr.

The historical sources that there is no mountain in Mecca and the Hijaz in this world are like Mount Hira, he is a unique shape and image as the fez-like top which is worn on the head or Xanam sentences, or Kalqubh smooth.

And agree a lot of historical sources that the revelation to the Messenger of Allah «peace be upon him» was in the month of Ramadan of the third year of solitude in the cave of Hira, and specifically on the evening of Monday, 21 of the month of Ramadan and approved 10 of August year 610 AD, the age of «peace be upon him» lunar forty years and six months and 12 days, which is approved by 39 years and three solar months and 12 days.

On the evening of that day, while the Holy Prophet speculate in the creation of the heavens and the earth, God sent down by the Angel Gabriel, and said to the Prophet: «Read» and repeated it several times, until I got Surat « Read »This was the sura The first thing that came down from the Koran.

Ghar Thor

Is the laurel, which was home to the Prophet peace be upon him, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him on their way to the city on a journey of the Prophet.

In the course of their existence in the cave of Quraish came looking for them, so I stood at the mouth of the cave, only reply that God by His grace and ability, says Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him: if someone looked at his feet to see us under his feet. Said to him, the Prophet peace be upon him: (O Abu Bakr, what do you think two is the third one) narrated by Bukhari and Muslim.Allaah has mentioned this incident in his book he says: “But Tansrōh may God assist him, as narrated by those who disbelieve second two as the two in the cave says to its owner does not grieve that God is with us revealed God's tranquility was supported by soldiers not see and make the word of the infidels the lower and the word of God are the upper and Allah is Mighty, Wise” (Repentance: 40).

It is located Ghar Thor, about four kilometers from Mecca in the south of the Grand Mosque, and a height of about 748 m from the sea, a rock hollow height 1.25 m, and has slots opening in the west is that the income of the Prophet him, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him and opening of the east.