BAQEE DAY: 8 SHAWWAL
8th SHAWWAL, THE DAY ISLAMIC WORLD WITNESSED A TRAGEDY OF UNPRECEDENTED DIMENSION. ON 21ST APRIL 1925, (8TH SHAWWAL 1345 A.H.) , ONE OF THE ISLAM’S HOLIEST PLACES, JANNATUL-BAQI WAS DEMOLISHED BY SAUDI GOVERNMENT, TILL TODAY IT STANDS AS A CHALLENGE TO 1 Billion+ MUSLIMS TO REBUILD IT BACK.
History of the Cemetery Of Jannat Al-Baqee
Where Imam Hasan Ibn Ali a.s(2nd Imam), Imam Ali Ibn Al-Husayn a.s(4th imam), Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali a.s(5th imam), & Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad a.s(6th imam), peace be upon them, are buried On 8th Shawwal, Wednesday, in the year 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), mausoleums in Jannatul Al-Baqee (Madina) were demolished by Ibn Saud. In the same year (1925), Ibn Saud also demolished the tombs of holy personages at Jannat al-Mualla (Makkah) where the Holy Prophet (s)’s mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried. Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi Wahhabis continues even today. The idea is to eradicate the Islamic legacy and heritage and to systematically remove all its vestiges so that in the days to come, Muslims will have no affiliation with their religious history.
The Origins of Al-Baqee
Literally “Al-Baqee” means a tree garden. It is also known as “Jannat Al-Baqee” due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our Prophet’s relatives and companions. The first companion buried in Al-Baqee was Uthman Ibn Madhoon who died on the 3rd of Sha’ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. The Prophet (s) ordered certain trees to be felled, and in its midst, he buried his dear companion, placing two stones over the grave.
On the following years, the Prophet’s son Ibrahim, who died in infancy and over whom the Prophet (s) wept bitterly, was also buried there. The people of Madina then began to use that site for the burial of their own dead, because the Prophet (s) used to greet those who were buried in Al-Baqee by saying, “Peace be upon you, O abode of the faithful! God willing, we should soon join you. O’ Allah, forgive the fellows of al-Baqee”. The site of the burial ground at al-Baqee was gradually extended. Nearly seven thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (s) were buried there, not to mention those of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s). Imam Hasan Ibn Ali (a.s), Imam Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (a.s), Imam Muhammad Al-Baqeer (a.s), and Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq (a.s) were all buried there.