The History of the Birthplace
Evidence of Preservation
The history of the bp site shows that it has been the policy of successive leaders of the Islamic world to deliberately preserve the bp. In this chapter, we present evidence of this preservation through an evaluation of the four factors that would have determined whether the bp site was protected, and, if so, how this was likely to be carried out:
--1. Possession of the bp site: Who owned the site, and who was not permitted to. [elaborate ]
--2. The preservation works - A chronology of the major events, renovations, and constructions that affected/related to the bp
site.
--3. Whose agreement was required to carry out these works?
--4. Reasons to preserve the bp
--5. Who could have opposed the preservation, but didn‟t?
1. Possession of the BP site:
Who owned the site - and who was not permitted to.
During its 1400 year history, the bp site has remained in the possession of either the Prophet saw, the Prophet‘s saw relatives, state authorities, or persons of high repute who had demonstrated their suitability to curate the bp site, by having previously been assigned to positions of trust, and leadership of Muslim territories, by the state:
Owner Period Prophet saw 570-571 to 622 AD / 53-52 BH-, ###check Prophet‟s saw Cousin: Aqil bin Abi Talib and Abi Talib‘s sons 622 AD - between 670AD and 680AD Prophet‟s saw birthplcae adjacent neighbour - Governor of Yemen: Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi, and his household . Between 670AD and 680AD to 788AD /171AH State - Al-Khayzuran bint Atta (Queenmother) 788AD /171AH to 1951 Former Mayor of Mecca: Shaykh Abbas bin Yusuf al-Kattan 1951 to ???? State - Ministry of Hajj and Endowments c.???? to Present look at signage when put on
History of the ownership of the BP site
The bp site was continually in the care of parties who had demonstrated a concern for the promulgation of the Islamic faith or the welfare of its peoples and lands. Each had a vested interest in preserving the bp site: either to honour the memory of the Prophet saw and his mission, or to maintain the sacred character of Mecca - the spiritual centre of the Islamic world and the destination for millions of pilgrims.
We know from the expansion history of the gm, that the bp site has never had a ,material change of use or been redeveloped for any other purpose, be it residential, commercial, or state use - until it came under wahhabi control ???ot was used as the offices of the ministry of haj. The plots adjacent to the bp site, and throughout the central Mecca area, have been repeatedly developed over the centuries. The bp site‗s proximity to the gm, has meant that it has been considered prime real estate since the 1st century of Islam. Yet, it was never made available to developers for exploitation. Rather, its treatment has mirrored that of the gm, preservation and embellishment. This did not occur by happenstance, rather it appears to be the result of a long-standing consensus which viewed the bp site as of such high religious significance, that it deserved to be preserved, and often with the direct involvement of the caliph/king himself
2. The preservation works
The chronology of major events, renovations, and constructions that affected the bp site:
1. Prophet‟s saw Father 560 AD
1. The Prophet (pbuh) was born in the home of his father `Abdullah ibn `Abdul-Muttalib. The house previously belonged to the Prophet‘s saw grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib (also known as Shaybah ibn Hashim), and who was Chief of the Banu Hashim Clan (d. 578). After becoming blind, Abdul-Muttalib fn1 decided to divide his wealth amongst his children during his lifetime, by granting each of them a share as a gift. This allowed each child to take possession of his/her share before their father‘s death. The birthplace of the Prophet (pbuh), together with the land surrounding the house, was granted to the Prophet‘s saw father Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib.
Fn1 [old and blind]. The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca By Michael Wolfe 2013
2. Prophet saw 570-571 AD / 53-52 BH,
Possession of the birthplace house passed to the Prophet saw after the demise of his parents: his father Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib in 570-571 AD / 53-52 BH, and his mother Aminah bint Wahb 577 CE / 46 BH. The house remained in the ownership of the Prophet saw until 622AD, when he was forced to leave Mecca to escape persecution. The Prophet saw and his family migrated to Madinah.
3. Aqil bin Abi Talib - Prophet's saw Cousin 622 AD
In the Prophet‘s saw absence, responsibility for the bp house and its contents was passed to the Prophet‘s saw relatives. Aqil bin Abi Talib - the first cousin of the Prophet saw - fn2 was given possession of the house, and the responsibility of safekeeping it.. The Prophet saw is believed to have returned and lived in the house again in 632AD, the year of the Farewell Speech fn1. During his management of the bp site, Aqil bin Abi Talib would neither develop nor sell the house.
Fn2 aquil ownership ---*Shaykh Abu Bakr bin „Ali bin Tahirah
Shaykh Abu Bakr bin ‗Ali bin Tahirah in his book, al-Jam‘i al-Latif fi Fall Makkah wa Ahliha wa Bana’ al-Bait ash-Sharif: Aqil bin Abi Talib died in 670AD. Aqil had 4 sons: Muslim ibn Aqil, Jafar ibn Aqil, Muhammad ibn Aqil, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Aqil. Muslim ibn Aqil died in September 680 AD in Kufa, while his three brothers were killed in the Battle of Karbala in October 680AD. Therefore, the transfer the bp house to Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi by one of Aqil‘s sons (after Aqil‘s death) must have occurred between 670AD - 680AD.
Fn1 live again farewell speech *Abi al-Walid Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Azraqi (d.223H/837CE) The Shaykh of the Makkan historians, Abi al-Walid Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Azraqi in his Book: Akhbar Makkah Wa Ma Ja‘a Fiha Min al-Athar In the course of discussing the historical places in Makkah he said (2/199),
4. Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi - Prophet‟s saw birthplace‟s neighbour 670-680AD
After Aqil bin Abi Talib‘s demise in 670AD, his sons - Muslim ibn Aqil, Jafar ibn Aqil, Muhammad ibn Aqil, and Abd al-Rahman ibn Aqil - continued the role of curator. In the period between 670AD and 680AD, the sons agreed to let the Prophet‘s saw adjoining neighbour, Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi, acquire the bp site fn3. Al-Thaqafi served as the deputy governor for Fars (Iran) and later served as governor for Yemen; his brother was al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the powerful governor of Medina and then governor of Iraq. Al-Thaqafi, who lived in a substantial property next to the Prophet saw house, kept the bp house preserved and intact, and the site became known locally as 'al-Bayda‘ - the Luminous fn4.
It is noteworthy that Aqil‘s sons only relinquished control of the bp [[shortly before all 4 were killed in various conflicts in 680AD. Furthermore,]] the house was specifically given to someone who was not only known to them, being a close neighbour, but also a person who could be considered capable - due to his wealth and position of power - of preserving the bp and shielding it from exploitation.
Fn3sold to my
*Shaykh Abu Bakr bin „Ali bin Tahirah
Shaykh Abu Bakr bin ‗Ali bin Tahirah in his book, al-Jam‘i al-Latif fi Fall Makkah wa Ahliha wa Bana’ al-Bait ash-Sharif:
F4luminous
Shaykh Abu Bakr bin „Ali bin Tahirah
Shaykh Abu Bakr bin ‗Ali bin Tahirah in his book, al-Jam‘i al-Latif fi Fall Makkah wa Ahliha wa Bana’ al-Bait ash-Sharif:
5. Al-Khayzuran bint Atta 788AD /171AH
Al-Khayzuran bint Atta, the wife of the Caliph Al-Mahdi and mother of both Caliphs Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid, ordered that the bp site to be brought into the public domain. She compulsorily purchased the whole site from al-Thaqafi‘s family and separated al-Thaqafi‘s plot from the bp. Al-Khayzuran also introduced preservation measures for the protection of the bp site by consecrating the birthplace into a mosque fn5. This allowed, and gave two reasons for, the public to visit the birthplace: (i) to perform the ritual prayers; (ii) to come to know, and pay homage to, the sacred site. Al-Thaqafi, and his family‘s, safeguarding efforts were successful in maintaining the structural integrity of the bp site, so that even by the time of Al-Khayzuran‘s arrival, more than a hundred and fifty years after the Prophet saw left the house, it could still be recognised, and appreciated, by the wider Muslim world.
Interestingly, Al-Khayzuran also obtained 'the House of Islam', the property where the Prophet saw and his Companions would meet in the earliest days of Islam. While historically, the bp house is renowned for being the birth site of the Prophet saw and his first place of residence, the House of Islam is recognised as one of the first places where the Prophet saw and his followers practiced their faith and prayed. However, perhaps in recognition of the significance of a prophetic birthplace, Al-Khayzuran decided to use the houses in contrary fashion and chose to preserve the bp house and sanctify it further by converting it into a house of prayer, while turning the House of Islam into a private residence for her stays in Mecca. Despite the fact that she could have stayed in the finest mansions in Mecca, or indeed have had a new palace built in the city, she chose, instead, to live in this small, antiquated house.
[[[; it may be that in Mecca, Al-Khayzuran was not seeking more of the grandeur that she was accustomed to, but the blessings [in this life], and the rewards in the afterlife, which were believed to be bestowed on the custodians and preservers of relics, birthplaces and abodes belonging to the prophets ams of God.fn7 ]]] MAY RAISE WAHAHBI OBJECTION.]]
[[….Interestingly, as with the transfer organised by Aqil‘s sons, the handover of the bp site arranged by Al-Khayzuran from Al-Thaqafi‘s household to state ownership (which also meant Al-Khayzuran‗s ownership/control????), was also carried out shortly before her death in 789 AD / 173 AH.]]
[[Early Makkan historian, al-AzraqI (d.223) mentions the house of the mawlid as among the blessed places in Makkah "where it is desirable to pray." He also mentions that the house was among the most well-known sites amongst the people of Makkah and had been turned into a mosque by the pious mother of the Caliph Harlin aI-RashId. He also reports that Mu'awiyah, the Umayyad Caliph and Companion of the Prophet, had turned the house in which the Prophet used to live and in which his children were born, into a mosque, to honor it. fn120>>> Fn120: Al-AzraqI,Akhbar Makkah, Vol.2,pp.l98-l99. ]]
Fn5mosque---
*Abi Abdullah Muhammad bin Ishaq al-Fakihi (245H/859CE)
Abi Abdullah Muhammad bin Ishaq al-Fakihi in his book: Akhbar Makkah fi Qadim al-Dahr wa Hadithuhu…
Fn6. Muhammad Tahir al-Kurdi al-Makki - 2004
Muhammad Tahir al-Kurdi al-Makki said in his book On the history of Makkah and the Blessed House of God:??????
Fn7 F. E. Peters Mecca: A Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land p117 Princeton University Press, 2017
6. Al-Nasir li-Din Allah 1180-1181AD / 576AH
Al-Nasir was the 34th Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad and ruled from 1180 – 1225. He carried out a renovation of the bp site in 576 (H.E.) [[1180-1181]]fn1. His term as Caliph is marked by attempts to restore the Caliphate to its ancient dominant role by trying to achieve a rapprochement of the different opposite dogmatic trends in Islam, and a policy of friendships or alliances with the Shia, the Zaydi Imams of Yemen, the Ayyubids of Egypt, and with Qatadah ibn Idris, the Sharif of Mecca..
Fn1: Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram,
Fn2: Bibliotheca Orientalis XXXIV No 1 / 2 , Januari-Maart 1077 p108
Fn2/3 Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Fasi
One of the most renowned historians of early and medieval Mecca was Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Fasi (775-832 A.H. /1373-1429 A.C.). He was not only a Maliki qadi (judge) in Mecca, but also a scholar, hafiz, and faqih. He is best known for his works on the history of Mecca, its rulers and notable natives. Of his 16 books on Meccan and Islamic history, two of the most celebrated are: Shifa' al-Garam bi Akhbar al-Balad al-Haram, a comprehensive history of Mecca, and al-'Iqd al-Thamin fi Tarikh al-Balad al-Amin, a collation of the profiles of 3,548 male and female personalities who lived or died in Mecca. In researching his works, al-Fasi was known for going beyond conventional sources and seeking more tangible evidence, such as inscriptions on plaques that recorded the foundation or renewal of buildings or establishments, gravestones, and coinage.
7. Sultan Al Malik al-Muzaffar Yusuf 1268 AD / 666AH
Al Malik al-Muzaffar was the King of Yemen (1250–1295 AD / 647–694 AH) and part of the Rasulid dynasty that ruled Yemen from 1229 to 1454. He undertook preservation works on the bp house in 1268AD / 666AH fn1. By 1264, Al Malik al-Muzffar had partial control over Mecca, but faced competition from al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt and Syria:
“The independent ruler of the Yemen, Al Malik al-Muzaffar…. declared his own sovereignty over Mecca by sending and draping the kiswa over the Kaaba, a Caliphal prerogative from the earliest days of the Abbasids. Two years later, Baybars repeated the gesture from Cairo, and thereafter, for nearly twenty years, the rulers of Egypt and the Yemen were locked in a protocol battle for Mecca and the Hajj, in 1268 and 1273 the kiswa was supplied by the Yemen, while in 1269 and 1270 it was sent from Egypt. More, there was a marked increase in the number and substance of the gifts sent by the two Sultans for the notables of the Hijaz, who were, as usual, the prime beneficiaries of such a contest.” fn2
Fn1 Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram,
Fn2: F.E. Peters, Mecca: A Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land, p 149, Princeton University Press, 14 Mar 2017
Sultan al-Mujahid Ali 1339-1340AD / 740AH
The Rasulid Sultan al-Mujahid Ali reigned 1322–1363. He continued the philanthropic policies of his grandfather, Sultan Al Malik al-Muzaffar Yusuf, who encouraged works of public interest. Al-Mujahid Ali built mosques, monuments, citadels, roads, and water channels throughout the Rasulid domain, as well as a number of projects in Mecca fn1. In 1339-1340 / 740, Al-Mujahid Ali oversaw a refurbishment of the bp site.fn2
Fn1 Josef W. Meri; Jere L. Bacharach (2006). Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, index. Taylor & Francis. p. 669.
Fn2 Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram,
Shaykhu 1357AD / 758AH
Shaykhu al-Umari an-Nasiri was a high-ranking Mamluk emir during the reigns of Muzaffar Hajji (1346–1347), an-Nasir Hasan (1347–1351, 1355–1361), and as-Salih Salih (1351–1355). During the second reign of an-Nasir Hasan, Shaykhu was promoted to the office of emir kabir (great commander) and had a key role in directing the affairs of the state.fn1 Shaykhu carried out a series of repairs and embellishments of the bp site in 1357AD/ 758 H.E
Fn1: Howyda N. Al-Harithy. "The Complex of Sultan Hasan in Cairo: Reading Between the Lines". In Necipoglu, Gülru. Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, Vol.13, 1996
Fn2 Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram. AL-Fasi describes Shaykhu - perhaps to reflect his true status within the Mamluk power structure -as: ―"Prince Shaykhun, one of the leaders of the state of Egypt".
King al-Ashraf Sh'aban 1363–1366
Al-Ashraf Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Ma'ali Sha'ban ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Qalawun, better known as al-Ashraf Sha'ban or Sha'ban II, was a Mamluk sultan. During his reign (1363–1377) numerous celebrated architectural works were commissioned, including. the Salahya minaret (also known as the Tribes Gates minaret) on the northern edge of Masjid al-Aqsa, Jerusalem fn1; the Madrasa Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban in Cairo, Egypt; and the overhaul and restorative works on the bp site in the period between 1363-1366 AD fn4. Al Fasi‘s record of al-Ashraf Sha'ban‘s safeguarding efforts on the bp site, documents that while the works took place during al-Ashraf Sha'ban‘s reign and were attributed to him, such was the leadership structure in al-Ashraf Sha'ban‘s tenure, that the work also required, and received, the consent of Yalbugha al-Khasaki, al-Ashraf Sha'ban‘s powerful vice-regent: “During the sovereignty of the King al-Ashraf Sh„aban, the ruler of Egypt with the authority of a director of the state Yulbagha al-Khasaki”fn2
Al-Ashraf Sha'ban reign was known for his distribution of food and money to Meccans: a large scale effort was carried out to alleviate food shortages and resultant starvation in Mecca in 1365. Caravans were sent to Mecca carrying hundreds of tons of wheat to distribute among the inhabitants to stem increasing emigration from the city. Taxes on Hajj pilgrims were decreased, and the Mamluk emirs of Mecca who depended on the pilgrim tax, were compensated with revenue from iqta in Egypt; 40,000 silver dihams was granted to the governor of Mecca. This decree was inscribed on a stone column in the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca.fn3
Fn1: www.islamiclandmarks.com
Fn2: Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram,
Fn3: Steenbergen, Jo Van (September 2011). "The Amir Yalbugha al-Khassaki, the Qalawunid Sultanate, and the Cultural Matrix of Mamluk Society: A Reassessment of Mamluk Politics in the 1360s". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 131 (3): 423–443.
Fn4: Since al-Ashraf Sha'ban‘s reign began in May 1363, and Yalbugha al-Khasaki died in December 1366, therefore, the date on which the decision was taken to instigate preservation works - if not the actual commencement date of the work itself - must have been between May 1363 and December 1366.
King al-Zhahir al-Barquq - 1399AD / 801AH
Al-Malik Az-Zahir Sayf ad-Din Barquq was the first Sultan of the Mamluk Burji dynasty. and ruled 1382–1389 and 1390–1399). Barquq was of Circassian origin, and was initially acquired as a slave for the household of King Al-Hajji Ibn Al-Ashraf Ibn Sha'ban. fn1 After gaining his freedom in 1363AD, Barquq commenced his ascent to the sultanate. During his second reign, Barquq undertook the restoration or re-building of a number Islamic heritage sites in Mecca, including the bp site. Al-fasi states that the preservation works on the bp site were completed in the months after Barquq‘s death ( d. June 1399AD / 801 HE): “The last part of the year of 801 (H.E) or after it from wealth which the King al-Zhahir al-Barquq dispensed generously for the re-construction al-Masjid al-Haram and other places in Makkah and the erection [of the monument] to the birthplace of the Prophet (pbuh) which took place after his death.”
Fn1: Martin W. Daly, The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume 1, Cambridge University Press,1998, p. 290
Fn2: Taqi ad-Din al-Fasi (775-832 H.E.) Shifa al-Gharam bi-Akhbari al-Balad al-haram
Sultan Suleyman 1525AD / 931AH
Sultan Suleyman was the longest-reigning Ottoman Sultan, ruling from 1520-1566. He had a refurbishment of the Bp site carried out in 1525AD / 931AH. The work was overseen by Abd al-Karim Yaziji, one of the sultan‘s chief officials.fn1 The renovation was studied and documented by the Meccan jurist, hadith scholar, and chronicler Jar Allah Muhammad Ibn Fahd (d. 1547). In 1543, Ibn Fahd completed his account of the refurbishment and construction projects undertaken in the city by the Ottoman sultans Selim I (r. 1512–20) and his son Süleyman (r. 1520–66). The work, titled Nukhbat bahjat al-zaman bi-imarat Makka li-muluk Bani ‗Uthman (The Best of Joy of the Time for the Construction of Mecca by the Kings of the Ottoman Dynasty), provides a detailed description of the buildings and of Ottoman construction techniques.
Fn1: Jar Allah Muhammad Ibn Fahd, Nukhbat bahjat al-zaman bi-imarat Makka li-muluk Bani Uthman (The Best of Joy of the Time for the Construction of Mecca by the Kings of the Ottoman Dynasty) Pp.126–30 file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Arif%20Khan/My%20Documents/Downloads/Between_Istanbul _and_Gujarat.pdf
Sultan Suleyman 1556-1557AD / 964AH
PICTURE HERE CRENALLATIONS
Suq al-Layl (night market) - St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum
The early image of the building [bp] as a large two-storey dwelling, with crenellations on the roof and trees in the backyard, turned into a domed monument after a reconstruction ordered by Sultan Suleyman in 964/1556-57fn1,fn2
Fn1 Picture and details sourced from: Mamluks and Ottomans: Studies in Honour of Michael Winter, edited by David J Wasserstein, Ami Ayalon, Routledge 2013 p. 174. Searched google books
Fn2: Suq al-Layl (night market) from the St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum Inv. no. VR - 491, fol. 20a
Sultan Suleyman had a dome built on top of the bp house in 1556-1557AD / 964AH.(fn7) He also carried out a number of other restorations and new developments in Mecca and Medina during his reign: the Quba Mosque and Masjid al-Qiblatain in Medina were renovated; four madrassas were built for the four schools of Islam: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali in Mecca; the Kaaba and Zamzam Well were renovated and a pool was built for the well water. As well as the dome constructed on the bp, the interior ornaments of the other existing domes were also renovated. Later, a dome was also added on top of the Zamam pool by Sultan Mehmed IV.
Fn7: Sabri, Mir’at al-haramayn, vol.5vii, p.1056
AMAZON TITLE: Mir'at al-Haramayn ( Safarnamah-i Makkah ) by Ayub Sabri Pasha
1981, reprint of the 1925 edition. D. 1308 AH., 1890 AD
Pasha was employed in the Ottoman army in Jejaz in c. 1865, and then became an admiral in the Ottoman navy. He is better known for his descriptive books about Mecca, Medina. and the Arabian Peninsula. His five volume work Mir'at al-Haramayn is considered the most comprehensive encyclopaedia in the Ottoman Turkish about the two holy sanctuaries in the hejaz.
Sultan Mehmed III 1595-1603
During his reign between 1595-1603, Sultan Mehmed III renovated the minaret at the top of Bab al-Salam in Damascus, as well as adding a minaret to the birthplace house.fn1.This suggests that the bp house was still being used as a mosque in the 16th century - more than eight hundred years after it was first converted to a place of communal prayer. The refurbished bp is depicted in the Uppsala Mecca Painting, which was painted approximately a hundred years after the construction of the minaret was completed, in the early 18th century/1700s.
Fn1:Daily SABAH newspaper 10.11.2017
The painting captures a topographical view of Mecca after the Ottoman rebuilding period of the AH 10th century / AD 16th [[sixteenth century]]. The painter has [t. depicted] tried to show the town planning and street patterns, and the sheer density of the old Meccan districts.The GM is in the centre surrounded by the houses of the city and the hills of the Meccan neighbourhood. (fn1)
In the painting, important buildings and places are identified by small labels in red ink (legends), which give information about their name and function. There are 75 of these captions in the painting, which are marked with numerals,
The painting was acquired by the theologian and orientalist Michael Eneman (1676–1714), in Turkey, where he was sent by the Swedish King Charles XII (1682–1718) as his envoy in 1709. The painting was purchased by Uppsala University Library in 1717.
The birthplace of the Prophet saw, [t. which is marked as a] in it's then form of a mosque with a cupola [dome] and a minaret, is in the lower corner to the left of the sanctuary, and indicated with the the author's red triangle mark..
FN 1. Friederike Voigt "Painting" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2019. http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;se;Mus01_A;37;en
Prepared by: Friederike Voigt
DELETE: GOT THE ABOVE PHOTO FROM:
First from: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/98/1d/10/981d10bd82bf9e9a9d567dc8696833bf.jpg
file:///C:/Users/Adamm/Downloads/A_Birds_eye_View_of_Mecca_The_Uppsala_Un.pdf
The rendering/depiction of the bp site in the painting is remarkably accurate, as demonstrated by a photograph of the BP site taken almost three hundred years later - at the beginning of the twentieth century.
This photograph is believed to have been taken between 1901-1910 and was provided by Dr. Meraj Nawab Mirza from The Center of Makkah History at Umm al Qura University in Mecca. (fn1)
Photography Since the 1880s, the city of Mecca has been photographed and filmed.May not need this line.
fn1. Courtesy: Mehmet Tutuncu https://www.academia.edu/37204629/The_Uppsala_Mecca_Painting_A_New_Source_for_the_Cultural_T opography_and_Historiography_for_Mecca
Sultan Mahmud II 1816
Sultan Mahmud reigned 1808 - 1839. He had repairs to the bp site undertaken in1816. In 1802, a military conflict began between the caliphate and Abdul Aziz Ibn Muhammad Ibn Saud. Ibn Saud‘s forces subsequently conquered parts of central Arabia including Mecca in 1803 and Medina in 1804. In accordance with the doctrine espoused by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Saud‘s forces began dismantling, in part or whole, many historic sites in Mecca in 1806. In the case of the bp site, the dome from above the building was removed. Ibn Saud continued to hold the city until 1812, when the Ottoman army entered Mecca and regained control [[ in 1228]]. After Sultan Mahmud II‘s officials resumed governance of Mecca, the Sultan ordered extensive repair and re-building of damaged sites.
During 1814-15, John Lewis Burckhardt (d. 1817), the Swiss scholar, travelled throughout the western Arabian Peninsula. He is best known for rediscovering the ruins of the ancient Nabataean city of Petra, in Jordan. Burckhardt spent several months studying Mecca, and wrote of his detailed observations of the city and the deportment and culture of the local inhabitants, in his work ‗Travels In Arabia‘fn1. Burckhardt created a map of Mecca, and described in great detail the rites of the Haj, the Ka'bah, the Sacred Mosque, the surrounding heritage sites, and the history of Mecca.
The last year of Burckhardt‘s life was spent editing his journals in Cairo. His account of the Ottoman restoration efforts in Mecca, particularly on the bp site, covers the works carried out up till the end of 1816:
“During the time of the Wahabys, no person dared to visit these places without exposing himself to their hostility; and all the buildings which had been erected on these spots were ruined by them, or their domes were, at least, destroyed…In the autumn of 1816, several artists and workmen, sent from Constantinople, were employed in the Hedjaz to repair all the damage.
[[[“Mouled el Neby, the birth-place of Mohammed, in the quarter named from it. In the time of Fasy a mosque stood near it, called Mesdjed el Mokhtaba. During my stay, workmen were busily employed in re- constructing the building over the Mouled upon its former plan.]]] It consists of a rotunda, the floor of which is about twenty-five feet below the level of the street, with a staircase leading down to it. A small hole is shown in the floor, in which Mohammeds mother sat when she was delivered of him. This is said to have been the house of Abdillah, Mohammeds father…All these Mouleds had undergone complete repair since the retreat of the Wahabys, except that of Mohammed, on which the workmen were still employed.”fn2
MAYBE LEAVE OUT BRACKETS CAUSE SAYS REBUILT
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/9457/pg9457-images.html
Fn1: Title: Travels In Arabia: An Account Of Those Territories In Hedjaz Which The Mohammedans Regard As Sacred
Author: John Lewis Burckhardt, (London: Henry Colburn, 1829)
Fn2: Page 171
Abdülhamid II r.1876-1909
During his reign, Abdülhamid II carried out repairs and embellishments of the gm; renovated the birth place house of the Prophet saw and the birthplace of the Prophet‘s saw daughter, Fatimah, the house of Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid. In addition, water supply networks were built in Mina, and the water lines - put in service by Süleyman - were cleared and extended.fn1
Fn1: Daily SABAH newspaper 10.11.2017
Since the 1880s, the city of Mecca has been photographed and filmed. One of the most notable photographers of the city was Al Sayyid Abd al Ghaffar. Al Ghaffar carried cumbersome equipment throughout the desert city, capturing scenes of thousands of Muslim pilgrims camped in the surrounding hills and valleys during the Hajj.
The birthplace is visible in al Ghaffar's celebrated photograph (figure ?) of the scene from the Jiyād fortress (in the left of the photograph) to the birthplace - located to the right, and marked by the author's red triangle.
King Abdul-Aziz 1926
The armies of King Abdul-Aziz (d. 1953), the founder of the Saudi state, conquered Mecca and Medina in 1924 and 1925, respectively. Early the next year, Abdul-Aziz granted permission to the Ikhwan, a Bedouin tribal army adhering to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab‘s school of thought, to remove the domes on tombs and other religious structures in Mecca. [[[ in accordance with their doctrine.]]] However, while acceding to demands for dome eradication, Abdul-Aziz‘s awareness of broader Muslim sensibilities resulted in him prohibiting the destruction of the remaining structures of these domed buildings. fn1 Hence, while the dome above the bp house was removed, the house itself was left primarily intact.
Fn1: Habib, John S., Ibn Sa‟ud‟s Warriors of Islam: The Ikhwan of Najd and their Role in the Creation of the Sa‟udi Kingdom (Leiden, 1978), p. 115
Shaykh Abbas bin Yusuf al-Kattan 1951
The state‘s ownership ended in 1951, when King Abdul-Aziz gave the bp site to Shaykh Abbas bin Yusuf al-Kattan , the former treasurer/mayor of Mecca. Kattan intended to built a public library, the Maktabah library, over the structure of the bp site to both preserve it and as a gesture to honour the Prophet saw by establishing a centre of knowledge - the seeking of which the Prophet saw was immensely passionate about.
The structure of bp house lies beneath the raised plinth of the library. The height of the library‘s foundations was increased so that its base would not interfere with the birthplace house. Large parts of the walls, foundations, and floor of the birthplace house remain intact under the library.
The contents of the famous Majidiyya Library were obtained and used to stock the Maktabah library, while other private collections of Mecca have been donated over the years. [[Coincidently, ]] Kattan began building the library just two months before his death in 1370 H.E. The library was then completed by his son Shaykh Amin fn6.and began service in 1959/ 1379.
[[[The decision by King Abdul-‘Aziz to grant the bp to Kattan, likewise also happened to take place not long/shortly before his death in 1953.]]
Ministry of Hajj and Endowments c.????
The bp site/library was taken back into state control c.????, and now operates under the patronage of the Ministry of Hajj and Endowments (MHE). The MHE has refurbished parts of the library and carried out other essential works such as manuscript binding. The current status of the library is described as ‗Public library (governmental)‘, [[and the library is open throughout the week except Thursdays and Fridays.]]fn1
The exact spot where the birth of the Prophet saw took place is located on the north-east side of the library site, and is distinguished by a covering of marble which has been fixed over the area . Access to this part of the site is prohibited to the public.
Fn1: www.al-furqan.com Telephone: 02/5741812
Kaleeurrahmanqaathiri@gmail.com--Ask for photos
Originally turned into a library, it now lies under a rundown building which was built 70 years ago as a compromise after Wahhabi clerics called for it to be demolished
Historian and researcher Abdul Wahhab Abu Sulaiman presented the Sharia ruling on the proposed development of the birthplace site and preserving historical sites in and around Mecca, arguing that they should be protected under Islamic law.
All these sites date from the 6th century, except for Jabal Qubais.
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https://islam4u.pro/blog/the-lion-of-allah-and-the-lion-of-his-messenger-hamza-ibn-abd-al-muttalib/
This title was given to him by one who does not speak out of desire, as his speech is not influenced by pleasure or anger, nor by love or hatred. Kinship has no role in taking positions. How could it be when he is the Seal of the Prophets, peace be upon him and his family? He takes the appropriate stance for each person and their actions.
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https://hasansagaf.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/tempat-lahir-nabi/
https://hasansagaf.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/tempat-lahir-nabi/
What is meant here does not mean that we worship that place or that it does not mean that he has incarnated in that place, but what is meant is to remember his service in struggle and remind him of the height and nobility of his dignity in the sight of Allah.
"Library of Mecca al-Mukarramah". And Muslims from abroad always crowd the place. As an expression of longing for the Prophet of the end times, the leader who will intercede until the Day of Judgment.
The condition of the birthplace of the Prophet SAW, which measures about 10X18 meters,
This place was once known as the valley of Abu Thalib. When the Prophet migrated to Medina, this house was inhabited by Aqil bin Abi Thalib who was then inhabited by his descendants.
In 1370/1950, the birthplace of the Prophet was made a library waqf at the request of Sheikh Abbas Al-Qattan who was the governor of the city of Mecca at that time. His request was approved by the Saudi government on the condition that this waqf could not be sold or rented, or could not be given as a gift to anyone, or could not be exchanged or lent to anyone.
https://hasansagaf.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/19/
Places In Mecca That Testify
Angawi, who founded the Haj Research Centre in 1975 to study and preserve Mecca and Medina's rich history, claims to have identified a home of the Prophet Mohammed. But he is reluctant to publicise its location fearing it would be demolished like Dar al Arqam -- the first school in Islam where the prophet taught.