Site of the battle of Badr

This picture shows a view of Badr where the first battle in Islam took place in Ramadhan 2AH. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and the Sahabah, only 313 in number defeated a Quraish army of 1000 through the help of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).

Grave of Bibi Aminah
(may Allah be pleased with her)

This grave, located in Abwa, close to Madinah is of Bibi Aminah (may Allah be pleased with her), the mother of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). She passed away returning from Madinah to Makkah when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was just six years old.

Mada’in Saleh

Mada’in Saleh (city of Saleh) is a pre-Islamic archaeological site located in the Al-Ula sector approximately 400km north-west of Madinah. It is here that the tribe of Thamud lived, famed for their ability to carve out homes in the mountains. The prophet Saleh (upon him be peace) was sent by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to guide them but they rejected his teachings and were destroyed by an earthquake.

Tomb of Hawa
(upon her be peace)

This is the entrance in Jeddah to what is believed to be the tomb of Hawa (upon her be peace), also known as Eve, the first woman created and the wife of Adam (upon him be peace). The name Jeddah means the “Ancestor of Women”.

Cave of Uhud

This naturally formed cave, on the side of Mount Uhud facing Masjid-e-Nabwi is where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) took refuge after being wounded during the Battle of Uhud. He was carried there on the back of Talha (may Allah be pleased with him).

Al-Ghars well

Located approximately one kilometer north of Masjid Quba, the Al-Ghars well was a place from which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) drank and made a request that he be bathed with its water after his demise.

Ibn Majar quoted Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) as saying, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said:

“When I die, wash me with seven waterskins from Al-Ghars Well. He (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) also used to drink from this well.”

Jannatul Baqi

Jannatul Baqi (Garden of Heaven) is the main cemetery of Madinah. Buried there are many members of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) close family, around ten thousand of his companions (Sahabah) and many prominent, pious personalities.

• Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported (that whenever it was her turn for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to spend the night with her) he would go out towards the end of the night to al-Baqi and say: “Peace be upon you, abode of a people who are believers. What you were promised would come to you tomorrow, you receiving it after some delay; and God willing we shall join you. O Allah, grant forgiveness to the inhabitants of Baqi al-Gharqad.” [Muslim]

• Baqi means the land in which the roots of different trees are embedded, Gharqad is the name of a thorny tree (Boxthorn) which were abundant in Baqi. Hence the cemetery also came to be known as Baqi al-Gharqad.

• The first person to be buried in al-Baqi was As’ad Bin Zararah (may Allah be pleased with him), an Ansari companion who died soon after the Prophet ‘s (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) migration to Madinah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) chose the spot to be a cemetery. The first of the Muhajirun (Emigrants) to be buried there was Uthman bin Mazoun who died shortly after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) returned from the battle of Badr.

Some of the blessed personalities resting in Jannatul Baqi are:

• The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), also known as the Mothers of the Believers including Aisha, Hafsa and Sauda. The two wives that are not buried here are Khadijah bint Khuwaylid who is buried in Makkah and Maymuna bint al-Harith who is buried in Sarif. May Allah be pleased with them.
• The daughters of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), Fatima, Ruqayyah, Zainab and Umme Kulthum (may Allah be pleased with them)
• Ebrahim (may Allah be pleased with him), the infant son of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) by Maria al-Qibtiyya
• Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
• Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
• The aunts of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), Safiyyah and Aatikah (may Allah be pleased with them)
• Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), the third Caliph and son-in-law of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
• Haleemah Sa’diya, the wet-nurse of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
• Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him)
• Abdur-Rehman bin Auf (may Allah be pleased with him)
• Abdullah bin Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him)
• Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him)
• Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)

• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said, “On the day of Qiyamah my grave shall be opened first and I shall step forth. Then shall Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) step forth and then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Then shall I proceed to Baqi and take all its inmates with me. Then shall we await the inmates of the graveyard of Makkah, who shall meet me halfway between Makkah and Madinah.”[Tirmidhi]
   
• During different times of history many domes and structures were built or rebuilt over many famous graves in Al-Baqi in order to identify the inhabitants. On April 21, 1925, mausoleums, domes and structures in Jannatul Baqi were demolished by the order of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud with the objective of complying with the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to not cover or build structures over any grave and to prevent people from seeking help from the dead.
   
• It is virtuous to visit Jannatul Baqi (preferably on a Friday) and supplicate to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for all those buried in its noble earth.