The Beautiful Story and Sanctity of Madina: My Recent Visit to Madina Munawwara
By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age
Islam
5 June 2023
“Act together in your daily efforts and
then share the fruits of your labour among yourselves.”
Recently, this writer got blessed by a
non-obligatory spiritual pilgrimage to Makkah called 'Umrah', a shorter
version of the annual obligatory Hajj. On this sacred occasion, Hajj and Umrah
pilgrims pay a special visit to the holy city of Masjid an-Nabawi in Madina
Munawwara--which is the holiest city after Makka al-Mukarram in Islam. For, it
is the abode of the holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he is reported to have
said in a hadith reported in Sunan al-Daraqutni:
"من زار قبري وجبت له شفاعتي"
(Whoever visits my grave, she/he will be
surely granted my greatest intercession, Shafa'at)
This hadith has been authenticated and
strengthened by Hafidh Taqi al-Din al-Subki highly venerated among the Sufi
Orders as a great Qur'an exegete, Asha'ri scholar and Shafi'i jurist.
Although the followers of Ibn Taymiyah and Ibn Abdul Wahhab i.e. the Salafis
and and Hanbalis particularly in Saudi Arabia dismiss this Prophetic Tradition,
Indian Muslims at large adhere to it with great love and devotion for the holy
Prophet (pbuh). Thus, highly venerated by Indian Muslims, Madina Munawwara
earns greater attention especially during the sacred days of Hajj and Umrah
pilgrimages.
Madinah Munawwara Masjid Nabawi
------
In general, the holy city of Madina
Munawwara is revered by all Muslims across the world because one of the two
holiest sites of Islam, the Prophet’s mosque or Masjid-e-Nabawi is located in
it. After the Ka’abah which is the first place of worship in the
Abrahamic faith traditions built by Hazrat Ibrahim A.S and located in Masjid
al-Haram, Masjid al-Nabawi is the second holiest site in Islam. This is the
main significance of Madina among Muslims which is further sanctified by
another sacred site situated in the same holy city--Masjid-e-Quba--the
first mosque of Islam in Madina Munawwara.
Significantly for Sufi Muslims around the
world and especially in India, the first Sufi seminary of Islam known as "Dar
us-Suffa", is also located within Masjid al-Nabawi.
There was a special group of the mystically
inclined companions (Sahaba) of the holy Prophet (PBUH) called Ashab
us-Suffa. They used to engage in mystical brainstorming in a systematic way
and regularly attended the formal spiritual learning in Dar us-Suffa
provided by the Prophet (pbuh).
Most significantly, the story of the
construction of Masjid-e-Nabawi should move the Muslims of today. As the Prophet
(Pbuh) and his companions were migrants from Makkah, they were called “al-Muhajirin”.
And the local inhabitants of Madinah who welcomed the Muhajirin and
greatly helped them were known as Al-Ansar (the helpers). The Ansar belonged to
the two main tribes of Madinah, the Banu Khazraj and the Banu Aus, who had an
age-old rivalry. But the Holy Prophet (PBUH) established brotherhood (Muwakhat)
and mutual sympathy (Muwasat) between the two adversary tribes. These
were the prophetic ideals which ushered in an era of spiritual bond between the
two different tribes in Madinah- both helping each other, in every way
possible.
The Ansar of Madina assisted the Muhajirin
by hosting them in their homes and providing for their financial and materials
necessities. Remarkably, both the Ansar and Muhajirin took active part in the
construction of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in particular and the entire city of
Madina. This bond of brotherhood among the two different tribes was inspired by
the holy Prophet’s spiritual training and instructions. He exhorted them both:
“Act together in your daily efforts and then share the fruits of your labour
among yourselves.”
While the Ansar and Muhajirin were
labouring and toiling hard in the construction of Masjid-e-Nabawi, the holy
Prophet (pbuh) invoked Allah: “O Allah! Help the Ansar and the Muhajirin in
strengthening a strong relationship between them.”
The Prophet built the brotherly ties not
only between the Ansar and Muhajirin but also among the different religious
tribes of Madina who were earlier at the loggerheads. Consequently, the Ansar
and Muhajirin were strengthened by a third group – the Jews of Madinah.
The holy Prophet (pbuh) thus built a cohesive society in Madina where Muslims
and Jews peacefully coexisted and shared their joys and grief. They professed
and practised two different faiths and yet there was such an amicable
relationship between Muslims and Jews that if anyone harmed a Jew, the first
aid came from the Muslims of Madina – both Ansar and Muhajirin.
This is how a harmonious, affectionate and cohesive society was built in the
city of the holy Prophet – Madinah.
Today, Muslims from across the world,
especially from our country, India visit and venerate the sacred shrine of the
holy Prophet (pbuh) to seek his blessings and find spiritual solace.
The holy Prophet was born in Makka but he
chose to migrate to Madina after he faced religious persecution at the hands of
the Makkan pagans. While he was persecuted in Makka, people of Madina welcomed
the Prophet (pbuh) with open arms and great warmth. Therefore, Madina
Munawwara has great significance and sanctity in the spiritual Islamic
traditions, especially in Sufism. After the completion of the Manasik-e-Haj
(rituals of the Haj), it is highly recommended by the Sufi saints to perform Ziyarat
of Rauza e Rasool (visitation of the Prophet's holy shrine), which
is one of the most magnificent Islamic heritage in Madina.
Besides the sacred shrine of the holy
Prophet and the mosque of the Prophet (Masjid-e-Nabawi), Jannat ul-Baqi
– the graveyard of the Prophet’s noble family, Ahl-e-Bayt and many companions
and early spiritual masters of Islam -- has also a great place in Sufism.
----
Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an
Indo-Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He graduated from a
leading Islamic seminary in India, and acquired a Diploma in Qur'anic sciences
and a Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from the Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic
Studies. He has also participated in the 3-year “Madrasa Discourses” program
initiated by the University of Notre Dame, USA. Presently, he is pursuing his
Ph.D. in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-history/sanctity-madina-munawwara-prophet/d/129924
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in
Islam, Islamic
Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia
in America, Muslim Women
in West, Islam Women
and Feminism