- Makkah (Mecca)
- Makkah is the place
which captures the hearts of a billion Muslims all over
the globe. It is the place where God's will was revealed
to Muhammad, (pbuh), and it is now the location of the
Holy Mosque and the scared Ka'ba. It is also the
destination of millions of pilgrims and visitors and the
holiest spot on earth.
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- God (Allah) has honored
it in His Holy Book (Quran), in which it is given eleven
different names, including: Makkah, Bakkah, Al-Balad
Al-Amin, Al-Balad Al-Ameen, Al-Haram Al-Amain and
Um-Al-Qura. God also refers to Makkah in several verses
of the Holy Quran (also Koran) using other names, and has
sworn on its name, thus giving a unique status unrivaled
by any other city in the world.
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- It was also the will of
God that the Holy Ka'ba be situated in Makkah. This
divine will has affected the building and growth of the
city as it is today.
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- The first Sura of the
Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on
the outskirts of Makkah. These revelations to the Prophet
continued later, and some verses of the Holy Quran are
known as Makki, because they were revealed in Makkah,
while others were called Madani because they were
revealed in Madinah.
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- It was in and around
Makkah that the early Muslims launched their
"Jihad" (Holy Struggle) against polytheism,
heresy and idolatry. It was here that God gave victory to
His Prophet and his fellow-believers when they
triumphantly entered Makkah in the eighth year after
Hijra (630 AD), ending the state of polytheism and
exalting the name of Allah, the one and only God. The
idols were destroyed, God's House was purified and Makkah
became a secure and sacred city. Muslims all over the
world turn their faces in prayer five times a day towards
the Ka'ba in Makkah and begin and end their pilgrimage
with a "tawaf" (circumambulation) of it.
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- The tale of the
building of Makkah, the Holy Mosque and the Ka'ba is
well-known, as are the events which took place in the
city following the era of Abraham and Ishmael. We will
therefore begin our description of Makkah with the
founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. When the future
of the Holy City was a paramount consideration.
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- LOCATION:
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- Makkah is at the
intersection of latitude 21 to 25 degree north and
longitude 39 to 49 degree east. It is set in a rugged
landscape consisting mostly of solid granite, with rocks
sometimes reaching 300 meters (1,000 feet) above see
level.
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- Makkah is enclosed by
the Valley of Abraham, which is surrounded by two nearby
mountain ranges to the east, west and south. The northern
range comprises the Al-Falaq and Qu'aqi'an mountains,
while the southern range consists of Abu Hudaidah
mountain to the west, Kuday to the south and Abu Qubais
and Khindimah to the south-east.
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- There are three main
entrances to Makkah: Al-Mu'allat (also known as
Al-Hujoon), Al-Musfalah and Al-Shubaikah.
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- It is generally agreed
that Al-Mu'allat includes all areas which are higher than
the Holy Haram and Al-Musfalah covers all areas that are
lowers.
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