When we hear the Saudis have demolished holy sites and made them into toilets and parking lots, its usually difficult for some people to truly understand or feel emotion. The connection that wahabi-influenced Western Muslims have to, say, the Hazrati Khadijas (R) old house and the Prophet’s (S) birthplace is shaky at best.
However, few places are mentioned as often in childrens tales as the Cave of Hira at Jabl al-Nur (Mountain of Light). Even these people with confused ideologies find their hearts drawn to the stories of the cave. What would it be like to see that cave, pray where the Prophet (S) first received Quran?
Recently family members have come back from Umrah and took some pictures of the situation of the cave.
First we see the standard Bidaa/Innovation disclaimer one would expect from the Wahabi’s who control and are ‘guardians’ of the holy places. Not many people make the trip up the mountain, especially after reading this warning. Only two men traveled up alone to see these sights, they encountered no rush of littering people. Much of this seems to have been sitting there for months or years.
Of course, this means they will give little care to maintaining this place, its all “Bidaa” to them.
Once you are finally up the mountain, the path immediately before the seating place of the Prophet (S):
Its difficult to compare this to times in the past when entire contingents were paid by the government/people to keep places such as this in spectacular condition.
Climb up through these boulders to see where the Prophet (S) would sit and meditate:
This is the view of the area, the large rock in the center may have served as the Prophet’s (S) chair:
Supposedly before construction one could look outwards to see the Kabaah from here, yet its difficult to get past the view of the garbage:
The entire area is littered with not only actual garbage but also graffiti, visitors will often pray here:
The mountain side
Interesting snippet of an article about the Wahabis work on Islamic sacred sites:
Dr Irfan al-Alawi, historian, founder and former executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, who is one of the most vocal opponents of the destruction of the Haramayn and their environs, says that last year the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs distributed a pamphlet in the Masjid-e Nabawi calling for the demolition of the green dome. Endorsed by Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh, the kingdom’s current grand mufti, the pamphlet brazenly declared: “The green dome shall be demolished and the three graves [where the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar are laid to rest] flattened in the Prophet’s Mosque.” The groundwork for such sacrilegious statements was prepared by another prominent Saudi scholar, the late Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, who for 35 years delivered khutbas in the Masjid al-Haram. “We hope one day we’ll be able to destroy the green dome of the Prophet Muhammed [saws],” he said, in a recording provided by Dr Alawi.
Dr Alawi estimates that 300 historic sites have been destroyed or are scheduled for destruction. An old house that had belonged to Umm al-Mu’mineen Khadijah al-Kubra (ra) was recently razed to make room for a public toilet facility, among other things. The birthplace of the Messenger (saw) in Makkah was first turned into a library and named “Maktabat Makka al-Mukarrama”, and is now being turned into a parking lot. While libraries are important, the plan was not based on the Wahhabis’ desire for learning but on their determination to destroy all vestiges of Islam’s heritage. The few remaining historical sites in Makkah can be counted on one hand and will probably not survive much past the next Hajj, according to Dr Alawi. “It is incredible how little respect is paid to the House of Allah [in Makkah].”
An ATM (cash-dispensing machine) has opened on the site where the ancient mosque named after the first khalifah, Abu-Bakr Siddiq (ra), once stood. The sites of the historic battles at Uhud and Badr have become parking lots. The graves of Amir Hamza (ra) and the other shuhada of Uhud have suffered even greater indignity: garbage litters the site and the Wahhabis expressly forbid any identification-markers on them, again under the spurious excuse that this would lead to shirk. The 1,200-year-old mosque and tomb of Sayyid Imam al-Uraidhi ibn Ja‘far al-Sadiq, four miles from Masjid-e Nabawi in Madinah, was destroyed by dynamite and flattened on August 13, 2002. Imam al-Uraidhi was ninth in line from the Prophet (saw).
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/52814
July 22nd, 2008 - 7:35 am
As-salaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
As-salaatu wasalaamu alaika Yaa Rasul Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam
That’s so sad. Feel like going there now to clear away all the litter….
wasalaam
July 22nd, 2008 - 8:11 am
Salam
Very sad and true. I had the blessings of climbing it in 1990 alhamdullah. And I noticed subhanallah a Man from Africa chissling steps feesabelllah. May Allah reward him,
Now the Saudis firstly dont care about the area, nor do they encourage climbing it. So naturally they wont maintain the area.
Until the Saudis learn repect for the treasures of Hijaz the responsibilty to keep it clean lays with us and those who climb it.
Ws
Fiaz
July 22nd, 2008 - 8:54 am
Sallam alaykum.
Jazallahu ana Sayiduna Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wassallam, ma huwa ahlu.
Thank so very much for the info. I agree with sister Farah. When I first saw the pictures, i felt like going there and cleaning up. I’ve heard that the Saudis are good at cleaning the streets, especially those in Madinah. Masha’Allah that’s excellent but what about the holy sites like Hira? They deserve more respect.
May Allah guide them. Ameen.
Thank you very much again for informing us of this. May Allah reward and bless you. Ameen.
July 22nd, 2008 - 11:30 am
Asalaamu alaikum,
Gosh, this is really depressing! I can’t believe nobody has the impulse to keep it clean, and for that matter, who is OK with leaving their litter?Yuck!
That sign is very bad! The message itself is contradictory. I don’t quite understand their reasoning.
Aischa
July 22nd, 2008 - 10:05 pm
Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah
I pray that you are in the best of health & imaan.
This is a short message to notify you that this entry has been selected for publishing on IJTEMA, a venture to highlight the best of the Muslim blogosphere. Please visit the site to find out more about our initiative.
May Allah bless you for your noble efforts.
Wa’salam
July 22nd, 2008 - 10:28 pm
What the? It’s biddah to climb the mountain where the Prophet (saas) climbed? This is strange. May Allah (swt) guide us all.
This pictures really piss me off. We should bring this to the attention of the Saudi government who have recently (and slowly) distant themselves from extremist Saudi scholars. In fact King Abadallah had that interfaith event in Spain, which is totally taboo with the extreme Saudi scholars.
July 22nd, 2008 - 11:10 pm
or we could wake up and realize who the enemies of Islam are. They don’t view any of this as extreme. Even the moderates want to destroy every trace of the Prophet (S) on this earth.
July 23rd, 2008 - 1:04 am
Assalamu’alaikum,
How can anyone who’s privileged enough to be a Muslim not feel sad, when the very place where Islam was initially revealed is treated as such?
This is terrible. May Allah guide us all.
July 23rd, 2008 - 2:00 am
AA- Yursil,
“or we could wake up and realize who the enemies of Islam are.”
Hmmm…that’s pretty harsh don’t you think? No love lost here for my Saudi hosts, but c’mon, enemies of Islam?
On a brighter note, I just got back from a weekend at Madinah and we were blessed to visit the cave in one of the hills of Uhud where the Prophet (s) was rushed away by the sahaba for his safety and protection. The cave was very clean and even had bottles of musk thrown around inside, giving it a nice fragrance. Clearly the work of some sincere lovers of our dear Prophet (s).
July 23rd, 2008 - 4:49 am
As-salaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
As-salaatu wasalaamu alaika Yaa Rasul Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam
Dr Irfan al-Alawi has been doing many presentations around the country with his slide show of historic sites/Islamic heritage - unfortunately I missed one presentation a few months ago.
wasalaam
July 23rd, 2008 - 6:08 am
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Salamu’alaykum Naeem,
“The groundwork for such sacrilegious statements was prepared by another prominent Saudi scholar, the late Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, who for 35 years delivered khutbas in the Masjid al-Haram. “We hope one day we’ll be able to destroy the green dome of the Prophet Muhammed [saws],” he said, in a recording provided by Dr Alawi”
If that is not an enemy of Islam, I don’t know what is.
July 23rd, 2008 - 4:47 pm
Two remarks.
1) Did it ever occur to anyone that the people leaving this trash are those who are visiting these sacred sites — i.e. the cave of Hira — out of a (misguided?) sense of religious obligation? If the Salafi scholars consider it an innovation to climb the hill, then who is leaving behind this rubbish and vandalizing the walls with graffiti? Obviously those of the ummah who don’t share such religious views? If the government tells you not to go to area X, and you go there and trash the place, is the government to blame for the trash? or you?
2) The author of the quoted article is an apologist for “Imam” Khomeini. Please think whose hands you are playing into by spreading such (mis)- information
July 23rd, 2008 - 4:54 pm
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Salamu’alaykum,
1) Or they could be other tourists or the baboons that live in the mountains. Kids looking for a fun place to play. The government doesn’t tell people not to go to the caves for a picnic, or to relieve oneself. Its not closed off. The government only tells people its a Bidaa to go to the caves for religious purposes/benefits.
Regardless, some places, you aren’t supposed to step on the grass (because they want it to look good), and if there is trash there, people are paid to pick it up.
2) His facts in this matter are straight, thats all that I care about.
July 24th, 2008 - 12:58 pm
So it ain’t backbiting, I called you an ignoramus here: http://muslimmatters.org/2008/07/24/a-madinan-tale/#comment-23293 . May Allâh give you what you deserve. Âmîn!
July 24th, 2008 - 5:16 pm
Rashid, it’s a fair point you raise, however regardless of whether tourists dropped the litter or not, isn’t it the responsibility of the Saudis, who are ‘in charge’ of the sacred sites, to clean the area?
governments are there to provide a service, and one of these is to make sure environments are clean.
We’re all so quick to clean up our homes and streets and yet we leave our sacred relics to rot? What’s better, to please the eyes of people, or to please the eyes of God himself?
This cave is one of the most important places in Islam. The same cave where the Prophet, may Allah shower blessings upon him, was told to “read in the name of your Lord.”
I’m trying my best to not judge and get angry, but it annoys me that the so called ‘guardians of the sacred relics’ aren’t doing a good job.
Lastly, since when was it bida to to sit where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sat? To walk where he, peace and blessings be upon him, walked?
We follow his sunnah wherever it maybe.
July 24th, 2008 - 5:18 pm
BTW sidi Yursil, keep up the good work! I’m glad you raised this issue. Thanks again.
Your brother.
Adnan
July 24th, 2008 - 10:19 pm
Akhi, why didn’t you post my comment from earlier today?
July 24th, 2008 - 10:22 pm
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Salamu’alaykum Ahmed,
Because I don’t want to get into a debate about the Wahabi methodology of Tabarruk on a blog post. This is not a debate forum.
July 25th, 2008 - 2:10 am
So did whoever took these photographs take the time to clean up the Cave?
I sincerely hope they did because if they took these photos and didn’t–that really says something and makes me even more sad.
Honoring these sites and giving them at least the same dignity we give to our homes and workplaces is the least that should be done.
July 25th, 2008 - 9:05 am
It always so disappointing to see important religious and historical sites neglected like this…actually this is more than neglect. One would think with all of the profits Saudi Arabia is receiving from sky high oil prices a small portion could be used to make sure locations like this cave be maintained to a high standard so future generations can have the chance to experience them.
July 27th, 2008 - 3:36 pm
Asslamo Allaikum,
Although I agree with the stance of Saudi Government & Scholars that visiting Cave of Hira is not part of any worship, nor proven from the Salaf etc. but as a historical location it should be preserved.
All Islamic historical places should be preserved and Muslims should be educated to visit these sites from a “Historical Perspective”.
When visiting Cave Hira it brings back beloved memories of the Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) and so it should.
Wanton destruction of History by Saudi Authorities is non-sense.
They have done the same to Prophet’s house and other historical places in and around the two Haramain.
Take a look at other civilisations as to what lengths they go to preserve History and then take a look at the behavior of “Muslims” in trying to destroy our History.
This is all really bad.
Educate People on how to behave and not go around and destory History just because you want to end Bid’ah!!!
August 8th, 2008 - 4:48 am
Salamu’alaykum
im leaving for 3omrah today, im leaving from lebanon, inshallah when i go there, ill do my best to clean it up :D:D, but still sad to see its all dirty like that :(:(, inshallah they start having people clean it full time..