Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Building of Tombs In the Light of Qur’an &Hadith

Author(s):Sayyid Murtadha al-'Askari

Translator(s): Al-Qalam Translators and Writers Bureau

Publisher(s): World Islamic Network (WIN)

wwwa.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Preface 3

Introduction 4

An Outline of the Discussion 5

Arguments Of Those Who Consider It Haraam To Build Tombs 6

Notes 6

Purpose of the first Tradition 7

Notes 7

Purpose of the second tradition 8

Firstly: Graves of the Prophets of Bani Israel 8

Secondly: Place of worship of the Jews 9

Notes 10

Arguments Of Those Who Consider It Permissible To Construct Tombs Over The Graves Of Prophets 11

Firstly: From the Book of Allah 11

Maqaam-e-Ibrahim 11

Conclusion 11

Secondly: Referring To The Sunnat Of The Prophet (S) 12

Notes 14

The Grave Of The Mother Of The Holy Prophet (S) At Abwaa And The Visitation Of The Prophet (S) To Her Grave 15

Notes 15

The Grave Of The Holy Prophet (S) At Madinah 16

Notes 16

The Merits Of Visiting The Grave Of The Prophet (S) 17

Notes 17

Members Of The Prophet’s Household (Ahlul Bayt) And His Companions Visited His Grave 18

Notes 18

The Conclusion of the Discussion 19

Preface

In the Name of AllahThe Compassionate, the Merciful

May Allah shower His blessings upon Muhammad (S) and his Purified Progeny (a.s )

ImamJafar as-Sadiq (a.s ) says:

‘Write (down the traditions) and propagate the knowledge among your brothers. When you die, bequeath these books as your legacy to your sons. Verily, there will come on the people a time of disturbance, when nothing will give them any satisfaction and to nothing will they pay any heed except to their books.’ (Al-Kafi )

In the light of the above tradition, World Islamic Network (WIN) has taken up the task of diffusing Islamic teachings according to the School ofAhlul Bayt (a.s .). This booklet is the fourth of the series titled: In The Light Of QuranAnd Hadith .

Compiled by the great scholarAllama Sayyid Murtaza Askari these booklets deal with some of the important issues of faith. We pray that May Allah give us thetawfeeq to continue this nobleendeavour .

World Islamic Network

Introduction

In The Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praisebe to Allah the Lord of the worlds. Benedictionsbe upon Muhammad (S) and his Purified Progeny (a.s ).

Peacebe upon the righteous companions.

Some of the controversial issues have divided the Muslims. These issues have been misused by the enemies of Islam to divide the Muslims and to weaken them. Therefore in order to unite the Muslims and to defend the boundaries of Islam it is necessary to clear the misunderstandings regarding these differences. In sorting out these issues we have been ordered to confine ourselves within some limits. As the Almighty Allah says:

‘And obey Allah and His Apostle and do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart...’ (Sura Anfal 8: 46)

It is a must for us today, and for all times to refer to Quran andHadith in case of any difference of opinion. As the Almighty Allah says:

‘...then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle...’ (Sura Nisa 4:59).

In these series we shall refer to the Quran andHadith to guide us on the correct path in various controversial topics. We seek the help of the Almighty in this.

AlAskari

An Outline of the Discussion

1. Arguments of those who consider itharaam to construct a building over graves and that it is necessary to raze them to the ground.

2. Arguments of those who consider the tombs of Prophets (a.s ) as places of worship.

a) The Holy verse of Quran:

“Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing place of Ibrahim.” (Surah Baqarah 2:125) and

“Those who prevailed in their affair said: We will certainly raise amasjid over them.” (Surah Kahf 18:21)

b) The graves of Prophet Ismail (a.s ) and his motherHajra (s.a .) and the construction of ‘Hajre Ismail’ andcircumbulation around it.

c) Graves of Prophets (a.s ) in the vicinity ofKaaba .

d) The Prophet (S) visited the grave of his mother.

e) The Prophet’s (s.a .) grave inMadinah and the Divine rewards for those who visit it.

f) Fatima (s.a .) the daughter of the Prophet (S) visited his grave and the Prophet’s companion AbuAyyub Ansari (r.a ) also visited it.

g) Discussion of the arguments and conclusions.

ArgumentsOf Those Who Consider ItHaraam To Build Tombs

There is disagreement among Muslims as regards the construction of buildings over the graves of prophets and saints; andcircumbulating them and considering them as places of worship.

Those who consider thisharaam , present the following traditions in order to support their arguments:

(a) Ali (a.s ) said that the Messenger of Allah (S) was present at a funeral when he asked:

“Which one of you would go towardsMadinah and not find a single idol but break it, not a single grave but level it, and not a single picture but erase it.

A man asked, “I will, O!Messenger of Allah”. So he departed forMadinah ; but he became fearful of the people, there, and retraced his steps.

Ali (a.s .) said: “O Messenger of Allah, I will go.” The Holy Prophet said, “Go ahead.”

So he went; then returned (after some time) and said, “O Messenger of Allah. I have not found a single idol but I broke it, not a grave but Ilevelled it and not a picture but I erased it.”

This tradition has been quoted many a times in the books of traditions and we have presented the complete text of the same.1

(b) It has been narrated from the Prophet (S) that he said: O Allah, do not make my grave an idol, curse of Allah be upon those who consider the graves of their prophets as places of worship.2

And in another tradition the Messenger of Allah (S) had remarked about those who consider the graves of their prophets as places of worship, saying, “May Allah kill the Jews, they have taken the graves of their prophets as places of worship.3

(c) Conclusion derived from the traditions of the Prophet (S) that prohibit women from theZiarat of graves.

It is mentioned inSunan Abi Dawood ,Tirmizi andIbne Majah from AbuHuraira , Hassan andIbne Abbas that they reported the Messenger of Allah (S) as saying: “Cursebe upon the women who visit the graves.”4

Notes

1.Musnad Ahmed Vol.1, Pgs. 87, 89, 96, 110, 111, 127, 137, 139, 145, 150.Musnad Taylasi , tradition no.96,155

2.Musnad Ahmed 2:246

3.Musnad Ahmed 2:285

4.Sunan Ibne Majah ,Kitabul Janiaz , Chapter of Prohibition of women fromvisting graves.

Sunan Abi Dawood ,Kitabul Janaiz .Musnad Ahmed, Chapter 3,2 : 336, 337.

Sunan Tirmizi ,Bab alJanaiz 2:276.

Purpose of the first Tradition

Firstly: When the people ofMadinah accepted Islam, the Prophet (S) sentMusab binUmayr as his emissary teach them the tenets of religion. This was due to the fact that though some of the people ofMadinah had been present for Hajj and had taken the oath of fealty at the hands of the Messenger of Allah (S), they were quite ignorant of the Islamic teachings. Hence it was necessary to teach them the rules of religion that had been promulgated till then.

The people had come for Hajj and some of them who were Muslims, reachedUqbah and took the oath of fealty at the hands of the Holy Prophet (S). It was at a time when Islam had not spread to other areas. Subsequently, the Holy Prophet (S) migrated toMadinah and Imam Ali (a.s ) followed him after three or more days. The circumstances of their arrival atMadinah are well documented.

The Holy Prophet (S gradually initiated the steps for the governance ofMadinah after signing the treaties with Jews ofQurayza ,Bani Nadir andBani Qainqa .

Gradually, the people ofMadinah entered the fold of Islam. So when the Holy Prophet (S) sent Imam Ali (a.s ) to attend a funeral inMadinah , and to break the idols, level the graves and erase the pictures like a ruler whom no one can disobey. Moreover, the first person who hadgone, returned without achieving anything. Therefore, the Holy Prophet (S) sent Ali (a.s ) and he (Ali) was present at the funeral most of the time so how could he have carried out the commands of the Holy Prophet (S)?

Secondly: In another tradition Imam Ali (a.s ) toldAbil Hayyaj AlAsadi : “I assign you a task which the Messenger of Allah (S) assigned me: Level every grave and obliterate every idol.”1

Imam Ali (a.s ) could not have sentAbil Hayyaj AlAsadi except during the tenure of his Caliphate.

Now, this raises many questions.

When did he order it? Was it during his Caliphate when Islam had triumphed and the three Caliphs had passed away? And towards which city did he sendAbil Hayyaj to carry out the above instructions?

And lastly, even if we consider the traditions to be correct, they must be with regard to the graves of the polytheists. How can we apply them to the graves of Muslims?

Notes

1.Musnad Ahmed 1:89 and 96.

Purpose of the second tradition

Firstly: Graves of the Prophets ofBani Israel

It is mentioned in the Old Testament in the Book of Genesis 25 that:

Abraham breathed his lastIssac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Mach-pelah , in the field ofEphron the son ofZohar the Hittite, east ofMamre There Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife.

And in Genesis 35:

And Jacob came to his fatherIssac atMamre AndIssac breathed his last; and he died and his sonsEsan and Jacob buried him. And in Genesis 50, we come across the circumstances of the death ofYaqoob (a.s .) when he died in Egypt. His son Yusuf (a.s .) carried him to Mach-pelah and buried him near his grandfather and father.(Ibrahim andIshaq ).

The Old Testament, Book of Numbers: 20, mentions thatHaroon (a.s ) died at MountHor and was buried there by his brother Musa (a.s ).

According to the Old Testament, Book ofDeutronomy : 34

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor : but no man knows the place of his burial to this day.

Old Testament, Joshua: 24

Joshua, the son of Nun died, they buried him in his own inheritance in the hill country ofEphraim ....

and

The bones of Joseph were buried atShechem ”

However, the Old Testament does not mention the places of burial ofDawood (a.s ) andSulayman (a.s ). The author of Al-Qamus also admits: “We do not know the place of burial ofDawood (a.s ) andSulayman (a.s ).

InMojamul Buldan , under the word ‘Khalil ’ is mentioned:

AlKhalil is the name of a place. It is a city which has buildings, forts and markets nearBaitul Muqaddas . Between them is a distance of a day’s travel. At that place is the tomb ofKhalil , Ibrahim (a.s ) in the depth of the earth. It is place of visitation for the people. Caretakers are appointed for the place and there is arrangement for visitors. This place is known asKhalil but its real name is Hebron orHebri . It is mentioned inTaurat (Old Testament) thatKhalil purchased a piece of land fromAafroon binSauhar AlHassi for 400dirhams of silver, and buried Sarah there. Some of thehadith scholars have been associated with this place, (i.e.they are referred to asKhalili ). It is a lovely place which freshens and purifies the soul due to its blessings. It has a fort which was built bySulaiman binDawood (a.s ). AlHarwi says, “I enteredBaitul Muqaddas in 567 A.H. and in the city of al-Khalil gathered the scholars and elders, and held discussions with them. They told me that in the year 513 in the reign ofBardoel , this place had sunk in the valley ofKhalil and a group of French people entered it.

They saw the tombs of Ibrahim,Ishaq andYaqoob (a.s ). Their shrouds were decaying and they were sitting, reclining their backs to the wall. Above their heads, chandeliers (lantern) hung from the ceiling. Their heads were open. The King gave them new shrouds and again covered the place of their repose. AlHarwi continues: A man known as Armani decided to visitKhalil . He brought expensive gifts for the curator and requested him to allow him to see the last remains of Ibrahim (a.s ). The caretaker told him that it was impossible at that time. But it may be possible if he waited till the crowds depart.

So when the crowds dispersed, the caretaker led him to a trap door and lifted it. Taking a lantern, both of them descended the steps (about 70 steps). It was a deep and vast cellar and a soft breeze blew in it. It had a platform where Ibrahim (a.s ) was lying. There was a green cloth over him. The gentle breeze moved the white beard of Ibrahim (a.s ). Besides him wereIshaq andYaqoob (a.s .). After this, the caretaker brought Armani to the wall of the cave and said, “Sarah (s.a .) is behind this wall.” The Armani expressed his desire to see behind the wall but a voice told him “Stop! Do not trespass into the prohibited place.” So they turned back and came up outside.

The following incident is mentioned in the first part ofTarikh Ibne Asakir .

In 86 A.H., when Damascus was being excavated by the order ofWalid Ibne AbdulMalik (died 96 A.H), they found the head ofYahya ibne Zakaria in a basket in a casket below one of the pillars supporting the dome. It was beneath the greater dome.

There is no mention of all the graves of the Prophets ofBani Israel inTaurat and other books. The burial places ofLut (a.s ),Yusha ,Yasa ,Ayyub ,Uzair andZakaria (a.s ) are not known. As far as IsaIbne Maryam is concerned, he was raised up by the Almighty Allah.

These are the details regarding the tombs of the Prophets ofBani Israel - the Jews. Yet we have never heard of the Jews ever considering the graves of their prophets as idols. Paying respect to a grave does not tantamount to worshipping it. They were facing the graves during prayers like we face theKaaba during our prayers. So how can it be equated with idol-worship?

Secondly: Place of worship of the Jews

The place of worship of theBani Israel was also Tent of Worship.

Known as the Tent of worship. it housed the Ark of Covenant of Musa (a.s ). It is mentioned in Exodus 25-27 that the Almighty ordered Musa (a.s ) to construct the Ark. It has also come in the Old Testament (Exodus 29-30) that the Almighty ordered Musa (a.s ) to worship near Mount Sinai. The diagram of the ark has been taken from the ancient book,Qamus .

TheBani Israel used to carry the ark with them wherever they migrated. This continued till they reached the land of Palestine.Dawood (a.s ) initiated the construction of a permanent place of worship based on the model of the worship tent. After him,Sulaiman (a.s ) completed it and transferred the tent and the Ark into it.1

Thus we conclude that the Jews were having a tent of worship since the time they were in the deserts ofSina , and when they reached Palestine,Sulaiman (a.s ) constructed a place of worship for them. It was calledHaikal ofSulaiman . The tent of worship and the ark of covenant were transferred into it.

Whatever we have mentioned so far and whatever we will mention in future is authentic. There is no doubt in the traditions of the Prophet (S) but as far as the reporters of traditions are concerned they are prone to mistakes and forgetfulness. Hence, we will investigate the matter in a critical way. Let us first examine the traditions mentioned by us in connection with the prohibition of the construction over the graves and then we can evaluate them.

After this, we shall present the traditions that support the construction of buildings over graves.

Notes

1. The Book of Exodus, 40:35-38. The Book of Numbers 35-38.

ArgumentsOf Those Who Consider It Permissible To Construct Tombs Over The Graves Of Prophets

We have already explained in the previous chapter how a particular place becomes blessed or evil without any limitation of time. In this chapter, we shall refer again to the same proofs.

Firstly: From the Book of Allah

Those who consider it permissible to construct tombs over the graves of Prophet and consider them as mosques and places of worship, support their stand with the help of the followingayat :

(1) “Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing place of Ibrahim.” (Surah Baqarah 2:125)

(2) They also refer to the incident of the ‘People of the cave’ as mentioned in the Holy Quran:

“Those who prevailed in their affair said: we will certainly raise amasjid over them.” (Sura Kahf 18:21)

The first quotation has already been mentioned by us in our discussion.Bukhari has recorded in hisSahih :

Maqaam -e-Ibrahim

Ismail and Ibrahim (a.s ) were building theKaaba . Ismail (a.s ) used to bring the stones and Ibrahim (a.s ) set them up. This continued till the structure reached a certain height. In the due course, Ismail (a.s ) brought this stone and Ibrahim (a.s ) stood on it. Ismail continued to pass him the bricks. This place is called asMaqaam -e-Ibrahim. This same place has been sanctified and we have been ordered to make it a place of worship.

Anotherhadith which has come in the Commentaries of the Holy Quran is as follows:-

The People of the Cave were certain subjects of KingDaqiyanoos .Daqiyanoos had claimed Godhood. These young men believed in Allah and fled the country ofDagiyanoos and took refuge in a cave.

The Almighty sealed their ears and made them fall asleep for hundreds of years. Then He woke them up. One of them was sent to the city to purchase some victuals. The people of the city became astonished at the coin which he offered because it belonged to an ancient age. The people of the town were believers1 and when they learnt of the youths who had fled their country for the sake of religion and learnt of the place of their hiding, they rushed towards the cave. But when they reached the cave, the youths refused to return to the city (or meet the people); and prayed to Allah to return them to their previous state and Allah put them back to sleep as if they were again dead. The people of the city had a difference of opinion as to what should be done with them. Those who had the decisive word said that they would build a mosque over the resting place of the people of the cave.

Conclusion

In the firstAyat , the Almighty Allah has ordered us to consider the place where Ibrahim (a.s ) stood as a place of prostration. Therefore, it is not polytheism; rather it isTawheed and the obedience of Allah. In the secondayat , the Almighty Allah informed us about those believers who had decided to build a mosque over the sleeping place of the believing youths. It would be a place of prostrating before Allah the glorified, and a place of worshipping Him as these people were believers and not polytheists. The Almighty Allah has not denounced their decision.

Both the aboveayats have been mentioned in the book of Allah and explained by the traditions of the Holy Prophet (S).

Secondly: Referring ToThe Sunnat Of The Prophet (S)

(a) The Messenger of Allah (S) ordered the visitation of graves after prohibiting it. As it has been recorded inSahih of Muslim,Nasai ,Ibn Majah andTirmizi and alsoMuwatta fromBuraida , from his father who says,

The Messenger of Allah (S) said, “I had prohibited you to visit the graves (before). Now you visit them.”2

In anotherhadith ofSunan Abi Dawood is the addition, “Because there is a lesson in visiting the graves”. Also, inSunan Ibne Majah there is a report fromIbne Masud (that Holy Prophet said):

“I had prohibited you to visit the graves. Now you visit them because you achieve piety in this world and it reminds you of the Hereafter.”3

(b) Now we shall mention whatever has happened in connection with the graves of the Prophets and Messenger.

Those who circumambulated around theKaaba used to circumambulate theHajar (stone of) Ismail and they also used to touch it. It contains the graves of Ismail (a.s ) andHajra (s.a .), his mother, and all the Islamic scholars agree upon it. It is mentioned in theSirat ofIbne Hisham (died 218 A.H.),Tarikh ofIbne Athir (died 630 A.H),Tarikh ofTabari (died 310 A.H), andTarikh ofIbne Kathir (died 774 A.H.) that:

“Ismail (a.s .) is buried inHajr with his motherHajra .”

Ibne Athir says,

“Ismail (a.s ) made a will that he should be buried near the grave of his motherHajra (s.a .).4

Ibne Saad inTabaqaat remarks,

“When Ismail (a.s ) was 20 years of age, his motherHajra (s.a .) died. She was ninety years of age. Ismail (a.s ) died after the death of his father. He was buried inHajr near his motherHajra (s.a .). Beyond this is the HolyKaaba . After this, the report says,

The grave of Ismail (a.s ) is below the ‘Mizaab ’ between ‘Rukn ’ and ‘Bayt’.5

InKalais ’ ‘Iktifa ’ it is mentioned thatHajra (s.a .), Ismail (a.s ) andNabit the son of Ismail (a.s ) are buried in Hajr.6 In the picture below we can seeHajar -e-Ismail surrounded by the pilgrims and the worshippers.

Ibne Jubair has also mentioned about the graves of Ismail (a.s ) and his motherHajra (s.a .). He says:

Below the ‘Mizaab ’, in the courtyard ofHajr near the wall of the House ofKaaba is the grave of Ismail (a.s ). It is marked by a long green marble, shaped like an arch. A round shaped marble is also fixed and both of them are absolutely marvelous. These stones are dotted and a part of them has yellowed. It resembles a chess pawn inlaid with gold.

Towards it is the ‘Rukn ’ of Iraq and there is the grave ofHajra (s.a .), the mother of Ismail (a.s ). It is marked with a green marble. It is 1½hands in length. The people consider it a blessing to pray at both these places ofHajr . It has been proved to them that these two places are associated with the Holy House. These two places are built on two holy and purified dead bodies. May Allah illuminate their graves, and those who sendsalawat upon them may deriveblessings. Between these two graves is a distance of 7 hand spans.7

Abdur Rehman Ibn Jauzi (died 597 A.H.) has mentioned in his book in the chapter ‘Ayan alMadfoonin bil Haram ’ fromSafwan bin Abdulla AlJamhi that he said:

“Ibn Zubair dug a pit and found in it a basket of green stones. He asked theQuraishi people about it. None of them had any knowledge of it. So he sent for my father and told him, ‘This is the grave of Ismail (a.s ). Do not move it from here.’ So it was left untouched.”

Ibne Zubair said: The rugged area towards the ‘Rukn ’ of Syria contains the graves of the unmarried daughters of Ismail (a.s ).

He says that it is between ‘Meezaab ’ and ‘Babal Hajr alGharbi ’ (west).

In the chapter of “The graves of the unmarried daughters of Ismail (a.s ) nearMasjidul Haram ’ he has quoted from ‘The ancient and recent reports aboutMakkah ’. The author of this book isAbi Abdullah Muhammad binIshaq AlFakihi (died 272 A.H). It is printed at Beirut in 1414 A.H. He says, “Ibne Zubair said, ‘In this area after which isRukn of Syria are the graves of the unmarried daughters of Ismail (a.s ).’”

Ibne Abi Umar says that whenSufyan was asked where that place is, he indicated towards theHajr opposite theRukn of West. Beyond it is ‘Darul Azla ’ and ‘Rukn Yamani’.

It is mentioned by AbdulRazzaq in 5/120 of his book andArzaqi in the ‘Reports ofMakkah ’ (Akhbare Makka ):

When the people of a prophet used to be destroyed (by Divine Chastisement) he used to come toMakkah and reside there and pray with his companions till the end of their lives. Some of such prophets areHud ,Saleh andShuyab (a.s ).

And between ‘Rukn ’ and ‘Maqaam ’, and towardsZamzam andHajr are graves of some 99 prophets.

AbuBakr AlFaqih has related from the Holy Prophet (S) that he said: “There was no prophet who escaped from his people that he did not come toMakkah and worshipped Allah till he died. And there are the graves ofHud ,Shuayb andSaleh and betweenZamzam andMaqam and in theKaaba there are the graves of 300 prophets. Between ‘Rukn Yamani’ and ‘Rukn Aswad ’ are the gravesof 70 prophets.8

All these above details have been mentioned in the books ofAhle Sunnat . The following statements are found in the books ofhadith ofAhlul Bayt (a.s ):

Kulaini (died 329 A.H.) in his book, al-Kafi ,Sadooq (died 381 A.H.) in Man laYahzarul Faqih , and,Ilalush Sharaae ofSadooq ,Fayd (died 1089 A.H) in al-Wafi andMajlisi (died 1111 A.H.) inBeharul Anwaar mention that: InHajr is the grave ofHajra (s.a .) and grave of Ismail (a.s )9

It is also mentioned in these books: “The graves of the Prophets are at Hajr.”10

Moreover it is recorded in Al-Kafi , Al-Wafi andBehaar that: The unmarried daughters of Ismail (a.s ) are buried at Hajr.11

This was an account of the graves of Prophets inMakkah . Now, we will mention about the graves at places other thanMakkah .

Notes

1. Refer to thetafsir of thisayat in books of exegesis.

2.Sunan Ibne Majah ,Kitabul Janaiz 1:501

3.Sunan Ibne Majah ,Kitabul Janaiz

4.Sirat Ibne Hisham 1:6,Tarikh Tabari 1:352.Tarikh Ibne Athir 1:89.Tarikh Ibne Katheer 1:193.

5.Tabaqaat Ibne Saad 1:25.

6. AlMaghazi Pg.119.

7.Ibne Jubayr was Muhammad the son of Ahmed the son ofJubayr Al-Kanaani AlAndalusi

8.Kitabul Buldan of AbuBakr Ahmed bin al-Faqih Al-Hamdani (died 340 A.H.)

9.Furu al-Kafi ,Kitabul Hajj, tradition no.14. Printed at Tehran 1390 A.H., Vol.4 Pg.210. Man LaYahzarul Faqih ,Kitabul Hajj,Vol.3 .

10.Furu al-Kafi ,Kitabul Hajj, Chapter of Hajj of Ibrahim (a.s .) tradition no.15.

11.Furu al-Kafi ,Kitabul Hajj, Chapter of Hajj of Ibrahim (a.s .) tradition no.16.

The GraveOf The Mother Of The Holy Prophet (S) AtAbwaa And The Visitation Of The Prophet (S) To Her Grave

We find the account ofAbwaa inMojamul Buldan : AlAbwaa is a village betweenMadinah andJuhfa . It is about 23 miles fromMadinah .

The grave ofAmina binte Wahab , the mother of the Prophet (s.a .) is atAbwaa . She happened to be buried here because Abdullah the father of the Messenger of Allah (S) had come toMadinah and passed away there.

His wifeAmina binte Wahab used to visit his grave every year. When the Messenger of Allah (S) was six years old, she had come to visit the grave accompanied with AbdulMuttalib andUmme Aiman , the wet nurse of the Messenger of Allah (S). When they reachedAbwaa on way toMakkah Amina (s.a .) passed away.1

InTarikh ofIbne Asakir , it is recorded:

Amina binte Wahab was the mother of our Master the Messenger of Allah (S). She brought the Holy Prophet (S) to her brothers who were ofBanu Najjar . Then she started towards her journey toMakkah . She died atAbwaa betweenMakkah andMadinah and the Holy Prophet (S) was 6 years old at that time.2

A detailed report has come inTabaqat Ibne Saad , and a part of it is as follows:

When the Holy Prophet (S) was passingAbwaa on way toHudaibiya , he stopped at the grave of his mother. He arranged it and then he wept. Seeing him weep, the other Muslims also wept. This incident of the weeping of Holy Prophet (S) on the grave of his mother, and the weeping of his companions is mentioned in all books of hadith.3

Notes

1.Mojamul Buldan of Al-Hamuyi 1:100.

2.Tarikh Damishq ofIbne Asakir 2:100

3.Tabaqaat Ibne Saad 1:116.