Virtues of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam

23/09/2010| IslamWeb

Makkah is the ancient House, the sacred and the safe sanctuary which Allah The Almighty honored and elevated. It has a great status and elevated rank that is unequalled.

How could it not be so when it has the first House of worship established for mankind where they could worship Allah The Almighty and get closer to Him. It is the House that was rebuilt by the intimate friend of Allah, Ibraaheem, may Allah exalt his mention. Allah The Almighty elevated the rank of this mosque by sending the Seal of Messengers, Muhammad, there. This House is the place of all virtues and everything that is noble. It is in this mosque that ranks are elevated, sins are forgiven and people compete in good deeds as it is a place of mercy and worship.

The virtues of Makkah are so many and we will present some of them so that Muslims would know the sanctity of this city and its rank in the sight of Allah The Almighty. Among the virtues of Makkah are:

• It has the first House that was established for worshipping Allah on earth: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah -- blessed and a guidance for the worlds.} [Quran 3:96]
• It is a sacred place associated to Allah The Almighty and His Messenger, : Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {[Say, O Muhammad], "I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, Who made it sacred and to Whom [belongs] all things. And I am commanded to be of the Muslims [those who submit to Allah]} [Quran 27:91]
• Allah The Almighty made it prohibited for His slaves to shed blood or oppress any one there, hunt its game or cut its pastures. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Shurayh, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, said: "Allah, and not the people, has made Makkah a sanctuary. Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should neither shed blood in it nor cut down its trees. If anybody argues that fighting is allowed in Makkah as the Messenger of Allah did fight (in Makkah), tell him that Allah gave permission to His Messenger but He did not give it to you. Allah allowed me only a few hours on that day (of the Conquest) and today (now) its sanctity is the same (valid) as it was before. Thus, those who are present must convey this to those who are absent." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
• It is a place of safety and security: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And [mention] when Ibraaheem (Abraham) said, "My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits -- whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day." [Allah] Said, "And whoever disbelieves -- I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination."}[Quran 2:126]
• Abu Ja‘far said, "The word 'secure' means that this place is secure from tyrants and others to have a free hand over it and from being inflicted by the punishment of Allah The Almighty such as being swallowed by earth, drowning or encountering turnabout. This place is safe from being afflicted by the punishment of Allah The Almighty that afflicts all other countries."
• It is the dearest city to Allah The Almighty and His Messenger, : ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Adiyy ibn Hamraa’ Az-Zuhri, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah on his camel in Al-Jarwal saying: 'By Allah! You are the best lands of Allah and the dearest land to Allah and if I had not been expelled from you, I would not have departed.'" [An-Nasaa’i]
• The virtue of praying in its mosque: The virtue of the prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam is unequalled as praying in it equals one hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque. It was narrated that the Prophet, , said: "A prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam is better than a prayer in any other mosque with one hundred thousand prayers and a prayer in the mosque of Al-Madeenah is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque and a prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is better than five hundred prayers in any other mosque." [At-Tabaraani and Ibn Khuzaymah]
•  Fortified against the Antichrist: Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said: "There will be no town which the Antichrist will not enter except Makkah (Mecca) and Al-Madeenah (Medina), and there will be no entrance (road) (of both Mecca and Medina) but the angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him, and then Al-Madeenah will shake with its inhabitants thrice (i.e. three earthquakes will take place) therewith Allah will expel all the disbelievers and the hypocrites from it." [Al-Bukhari]
• Zamzam: It is the miracle of Ismaa‘eel, may Allah exalt his mention, and his mother as Allah The Almighty welled up this spring and it will remain as a permanent source of water up to the Day of Judgment in a deserted country that has no trees or water. The water of Zamzam quenches the thirst of the people and at the same time it cures the sick. Abu Tharr Al-Ghifaari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said: "The water of) Zamzam satisfies hunger and cures illness." [Al-Bazzaar and At-Tabaraani] [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]
• Prohibition of facing or turning the back to the Ka‘bah when answering the call of nature as a kind of honor and elevation to it: It is prohibited for Muslims, when answering the call of nature in a space where nothing separates them from the Qiblah (direction of the Ka'bah), to turn their face or their back to it.  Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , said: "When any one amongst you squats for answering the call of nature, he should neither turn his face towards the Qiblah nor turn his back towards it, but turn your face towards the east or the west." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim and this is the wording of Muslim]
• Makkah is the center of the earth: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Quran that you may warn the Mother of Cities [Makkah] and those around it} [Quran 42:7] Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the "Mother of cities" is Makkah and “those around it” means the whole earth. Modern scientific discoveries indicated that Makkah is the center of the land. This was proved by a number of researchers such as Dr. Husayn Kamaal Ad-Deen, the Egyptian scientist who was trying to draw a map of the world that indicates the direction of the Qiblah to Muslims. He discovered that Makkah is the center of earth in the world and that the land is distributed around Makkah in a regular pattern.
• Makkah is the Qiblah of Muslims: This is another virtue of the virtues of Al-Bayt Al-Haraam of Allah The Almighty as all Muslims all over the world turn their faces towards it. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {We Have certainly Seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We Will surely Turn you to a Qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward Al-Masjid Al-Haraam. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer].} [Quran 2:144]
• In Makkah, people are accounted for intending to do bad deeds: This is peculiar to Makkah as in all other countries people are accounted only for what they actually do or say not what they intend to do. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {,..and [also] whoever intends [a deed] therein of deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing -- We will make him taste of a painful punishment.} [Quran 22:25] The word deviation here means any deviation from religion which includes Shirk (associationism), disbelief, doing anything that Allah The Almighty prohibited, abandoning any of what He ordained or violating the sanctity of Al-Bayt Al-Haraam.