Holy Places in Makkah City

Holy Places in Makkah City.

Makkah is a city in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. The city is located 70 km inland from Jeddah, 340 km south of Medina. It is the birthplace of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Makkah is home to the Kaaba, one of the holiest sites in Islam and the direction of Muslim's prayer, and therefore Makkah is considered the holiest city in the Muslim world. In this article, I will cover all the holy places in Makkah City like Masjid-e-Nimra, Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat, Jamarat, Jabil-e-Rahmat, Masjid-e- Jinn, Masjid-e- Shajar, Masjid -e -Qamar, Jannat-al-Moulla, Jabil-e-Noor (Ghar-e-Hira), and Jabil-e-Sour (Ghar-e-sour).

Masjid-e-Nimra.

Masjid Nimrah and is located in the plain of Arafat. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was in Arafat during his farewell Hajj on the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah 10 AH (632 CE), he camped here. In the afternoon, he delivered his famous sermon to nearby Waadi Urana, seated on his camel, after which he led the salah. Over 100,000 Sahabah accompanied him on this Hajj.

Mina.

Mina, seven kilometers east of Masjid al-Haram, that Hajj pilgrims sleep at night on 8, 11, 12 (and some even on 13) from Dhul Hijjah. It contains the Jamarat, the three stone pillars that are bombarded by pilgrims as part of the Hajj rituals.

Jabil-e-Rahmat.

Jabil-e-Rehmat is also known as Jabal-Ar-Rahmah or the Mount of Mercy, Mount Arafat is a hill in the Arafat Valley outside of Makkah where the Prophet (PBUH) delivered his last sermon after finished the Hajj. It is mandatory for pilgrims to leave Mina and reach Mount Arafat on 9 Dhu’al Hijjah and spend the day praying, doing Dhik’r, and asking forgiveness from Allah (SWT). Standing at Arafat is an essential part of Hajj and it is considered invalid if a pilgrim fails to reach here.

Muzdalifah.

Muzdalifah (مُزْدَلِفَة) is an open and flat area near Makkah in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia which is associated with Ḥajj ("pilgrimage"). It is located just southeast of Mina, on the road between Mina and Arafat. The stay in Muzdalifah is preceded by a day in Arafat, consisting of glorifying Allah by repeating the Dua, repenting of Allah and asking forgiveness. At Arafat, the prayers Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr are performed in a combined and abbreviated form during the time of Zuhr. After sunset, the ninth day of the Islamic month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah, Muslim pilgrims travel to Muzdalifah, sometimes arriving at night due to overcrowding. After arriving in Muzdalifah, pilgrims jointly pray the Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ prayers, while the Isha prayer is shortened to 2 rakats.

Mount Thawr.

Mount Thawr (or Jabal Thawr) is the mountain that contains the cave in which the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sought refuge for three days and nights from the Quraysh, while they left Makkah and emigrated to Medina. 

Jabal-e-Noor.

Mount Hira (Jabal Hira), which is about three kilometers from the Kaaba. Near the summit is a small cave, just under four meters long and just over 1.5 meters wide. It is here that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) received the first revelations of the Holy Quran during the month of Ramadan in 610 CE. The mountain is also known as Jabal Noor (the mountain of light).

Masjid Jinn.

Masjid Jinn, also known as Masjid Haras, is built where the Prophet (ﷺ) drew a line for Abdullah bin Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who accompanied him after 'He was ordered to recite the Quran' one at the Jinn.

Jamarat Bridge.

The Jamarat are three stone pillars that are bombarded as an obligatory Hajj ritual in the emulation of the Prophet Ebrahim (peace be upon him). They represent the three places where Ebrahim (peace be upon him) bombarded the Shaitan (Satan) with stones when he tried to dissuade him from sacrificing his son Ismail (peace be upon him). The pillars are called "Jamarat-al-Ula", "Jamarat-al-Wusta" and "Jamarat-al-Aqaba".