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'{{distinguish|Holiest sites in Shia Islam|Holiest sites in Sufi Islam}} [[File:Kaaba mirror edit jj.jpg|thumb|Kaaba and Al-Masjid al-Haram, [[Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]].]] According to [[Sahih al-Bukhari]], [[Muhammad]] said ''"Do not prepare yourself for a journey except to three Mosques: [[Masjid al-Haram]], [[Al-Aqsa Mosque|the Mosque of Aqsa]] (Jerusalem) and [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi|my Mosque]]."''<ref>{{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes|2|21|288}}</ref> In the [[Islam]]ic tradition, the [[Kaaba]] is considered the holiest site, followed by the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (''The Prophet's Mosque'') and Al-Aqsa Mosque. ==Masjid al-Haram== [[File:A packed house - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|thumb|Worshipers flood the Grand mosque, its roof, and all the areas around it during night prayers]] [[Masjid al-Haram]] ("The Sacred Mosque"), is a large [[mosque]] in the city of [[Mecca]], and the largest in [[Islam]]. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which all [[Muslim]]s face each day in [[Salat|prayer]], considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The current structure covers an area of {{Convert|356800|m2|abbr=on}} including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshipers during the [[Hajj]] period. During the Hajj period, the mosque is unable to contain the multitude of pilgrims, who pray on the outlining streets. More than 2 million worshipers gather to pray during [[Eid ul-Fitr|Eid]] prayers.<ref>[http://www.jannah.org/articles/makkah.html Mecca the Blessed]</ref> According to the teachings of Islam, [[God in Islam|God, in the Quran]], used the word mosque when referring to the sites established by [[Abraham in Islam|ʾIbrāhīm]] ([[Abraham]]) and his progeny as houses of worship to God centuries before the revelation of the [[Quran]]. The first of these spots is Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the second is [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] in [[Jerusalem]]. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under Muslim control between 630 CE and 638 CE, the site of the [[Kaaba]], which (according to Muslim belief) was established by Abraham and [[Ishmael in Islam|Ismail]], was used by [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|non-Muslim Arabs]] who [[Arabian mythology|worshiped multiple gods]]. {{quote|And when We assigned to Ibrahim the place of the House, saying: Do not associate with Me aught, and purify My House for those who make the circuit and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves.|Quran|[[Sura]] 22 ([[Al-Hajj]]), [[ayah]] 26<ref>{{Quran-usc|22|26|s=ns}}</ref>}} {{quote|And remember Prophet Abraham and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord!" Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.|Quran|Sura 2 ([[Al-Baqara]]), ayah 127<ref>{{Quran-usc|2|127|s=ns}}</ref>}} ==Al-Masjid an-Nabawi== [[File:Medine.jpg|thumb|Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]].]] [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]] (Arabic: المسجد النبوي, {{IPA-ar|ælˈmæsdʒidæˈnːæbæwiː|pron}}) or the Mosque of the Prophet, located in [[Medina]], is the second holiest site in Islam. The edifice was originally the house of Muhammad; he settled there after his [[Hijra (Islam)|migration to Medina]], and later built a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Quran. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated the mosque. The most important feature of the site is the green dome over the center of the mosque, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. Constructed in 1817 CE and painted green in 1839 CE, it is known as the [[Green Dome|Dome of the Prophet]].<ref name="encyclo">[http://lexicorient.com/e.o/madina.htm Encyclopedia of the orient]</ref> Early Muslim leaders [[Abu Bakr]] and [[Umar]] are buried beside Muhammad. Medina is also home to the historically significant [[Quba Mosque]] and [[Masjid al-Qiblatayn]]. ==Al-Aqsa Mosque== {{See also|Jerusalem in Islam}} [[File:Al-Aqsa Mosque by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Al-Aqsa Mosque, [[Jerusalem]]]] [[Temple Mount|al-Ḥaram al-Šarīf]] ("the Noble Sanctuary"), also known as the Temple Mount, is a holy site in Shia and Sunni Islam and is located in the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]] of Jerusalem and widely regarded as the Temple Mount. It includes the [[al-Aqsa mosque]] and the [[Dome of the Rock]]. It is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam, and is also regarded as the holiest site in the world by [[Judaism]]. The term Al-Aqsa Mosque was coined in the Quran: {{quote|Glory to ([[Allah]]) Who did take His servant for [[Isra and Mi'raj|a Journey by night]] from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).|Quran|Sura 17 ([[Al-Isra]]) ayah 1<ref>{{Quran-usc|17|1|s=ns}}</ref>}} Al-Aqsa Mosque is sacred because the ''first of the two [[Qibla]]s'' (Arabic: اولى القبلتين) was Jerusalem.<ref name="james">{{cite book| last = Lindsay| first = James| authorlink = James E. Lindsay| date = 2005| title = Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World| pages = 142–143| publisher = Greenwood Press| isbn = 0-313-32270-8| url = https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinmedie00lind}}</ref><ref name="Webster">{{cite book |editor=Wendy Doninger |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions |date=1999-09-01 |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |isbn=0-87779-044-2 |page=70 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440 }}, reviewed on Google books</ref> In Islamic tradition, Al-Aqsa is said to be the ''second Masjid'' (Arabic: ثاني المسجدين). The mosque is also the ''third of the two holy Sanctuaries'' (Arabic: ثالث الحرمين), under Islamic Law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Islamic History of Masjid Al Aqsa|url=http://www.visitmasjidalaqsa.com/islamic-history-of-al-masjid-al-aqsa|accessdate=14 April 2017}}</ref> The term used for mosque, "masjid", literally means "place of prostration", and includes [[Monotheism|monotheistic]] places of worship but does not exclusively lend itself to physical structures but a ''location'', as Muhammad stated "The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying...".<ref>[http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/008-sbt.php#001.007.331 Bukhari Volume 1, Book 7, Number 331]</ref> When [[Caliph]] Umar conquered Jerusalem after Muhammad's wafat, a prayer house was built on the site. The structure was expanded by the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] caliph [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] and finished by his son [[Al-Walid I|al-Walid]] in 705 CE. The building was repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt, until the reconstruction in 1033 by the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] caliph [[Ali az-Zahir]], and that version of the structure is what can be seen in the present day. This same area was called at later Islamic periods as the [[Temple Mount|Noble Sanctuary]].<ref>Oleg Grabar, THE HARAM AL-SHARIF: AN ESSAY IN INTERPRETATION, BRIIFS vol. 2 no 2 (Autumn 2000) {{cite web |url=http://www.riifs.org/journal/essy_v2no2_grbar.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-10-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004035552/http://www.riifs.org/journal/essy_v2no2_grbar.htm |archivedate=2012-10-04 |df= }}</ref><ref>Palestinian Encyclopedia Volume 4, pp. 203</ref><ref>Palestinian Encyclopedia Volume 3, pp. 23</ref> It is believed by many to be the area from where Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1883472.stm | work=BBC News | title=Eyewitness: Inside al-Aqsa | date=2002-03-20 | accessdate=2010-05-04}}</ref> although other theories claim it had been from a mosque in [[Medina]], [[Jir'ana]] or [[Kufa]].<ref>[http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP56403 MEMRI: Special Dispatch Series - No. 564<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[[al-Waqidi]], ''Kitab al-Maghazi'' 9th century (Oxford UP, 1966, vol. 3, p. 958-9). Jirana, which Muhammad visited in 630, is about {{Convert|10|mi|abbr=on}} from Mecca.</ref><ref>[http://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_8.html The Early Arab Period - 638-1099]</ref> Although most political references to the Al-Aqsa Mosque date from the 12th century or later due to its occupation by the Crusades, others claim that the mosque's position in Islam is firmly grounded in a number of [[hadith]] dating from the birth of Islam.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hashimi |first=Sohail H |editor=Allen E. Buchannan |editor2=Margaret Moore |title=States, Nations and Borders: the ethics of making boundaries |date=2003-05-07 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-52575-6 |pages=192–193 |chapter=Political Boundaries and Moral Communities: Islamic Perspectives|display-authors=etal}}, reviewed on Google books</ref> While Jerusalem is not mentioned by name in the Quran, it is recognized as a sacred site based on several references that have been linked to Jerusalem by later Islamic traditions such as the [[hadith]].<ref name="Khatib">{{cite journal|last=el-Khatib |first=Abdallah |date=1 May 2001 |title=Jerusalem in the Qur'ān |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=25–53 |doi=10.1080/13530190120034549 |url=http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=article&issn=1353-0194&volume=28&issue=1&spage=25 |accessdate=17 November 2006 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some academics attribute the holiness of Jerusalem to the rise and expansion of a certain type of literary genre, known as ''al-Fadhail'' or history of cities. The Fadhail of Jerusalem inspired Muslims, especially during the Umayyad period, to embellish the sanctity of the city beyond its status in the holy texts.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.mepc.org/journal_vol7/0002_talhami.asp |title=The Modern History of Islamic Jerusalem: Academic Myths and Propaganda |last=Talhami |first=Ghada Hashem |date=February 2000 |work=Middle East Policy Journal |volume=VII |issue=14 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |accessdate=17 November 2006 |quote= |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116144218/http://www.mepc.org/journal_vol7/0002_talhami.asp |archivedate=16 November 2006 |issn=1061-1924 |url-status=dead |df= }} </ref> Others point to the political motives of the Umayyad dynasty which led to the sanctification of Jerusalem in Islam.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3095122,00.html | title = The opposite of holiness | last = Silverman | first = Jonathan | date = 6 May 2005 | accessdate =17 November 2006 | quote = <!--After the prophet died in June 632 a series of successors, or caliphs, assumed authority as Islam's leaders. Between 661 and 750 the Umayyad Dynasty held the Caliphate and ruled from Damascus. ''During the time they ruled, on account of various internal and external pressures, the Umayyads exerted enormous effort to elevate Jerusalem's status'', perhaps even to the level of Mecca ... the Palestinian historian A.L. Tibawi writes, that building an actual Al Aqsa Mosque "gave reality to the figurative name used in the Koran ..." As Pipes points out, moreover, "it had the hugely important effect of giving Jerusalem a place in the Koran post hoc which naturally imbued the city with a higher status in Islam." Which is another way of saying, before the Umayyads built Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa, Jerusalem had no status at all in Islam. Israeli scholar Izhak Hasson says: "construction of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque, the rituals instituted by the Umayyads on the Noble Sanctuary and the dissemination of Islamic-oriented Traditions regarding sanctity of the site, ''all point to the political motives which underlay the glorification of Jerusalem among the Muslims''." In other words the sanctification of Jerusalem in Islam is based on the Umayyad building program.--> }}</ref> Later medieval scripts, as well as modern-day political tracts, tend to classify al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam.<ref name="Webster"/> For example, [[Sahih al-Bukhari]] quotes [[Abu Darda]] as saying: "the Prophet of God, Muhammad said a prayer in the [[Masjid al-Haram|Sacred Mosque]] (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer in [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi|my mosque]] (in Medina) is worth 10,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Aqsa Mosque is worth 1,000 prayers", more than in any other mosque. In addition, the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam (and calls for Arab sovereignty over it).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oic-oci.org/english/conf/is/2/2nd-is-sum.htm#2 |title=Resolution No. 2/2-IS |accessdate=17 November 2006 |date=24 February 1974 |work=Second Islamic Summit Conference |publisher=Organisation of the Islamic Conference |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014111124/http://www.oic-oci.org/english/conf/is/2/2nd-is-sum.htm#2 |archivedate=14 October 2006 |df= }}</ref> ==See also== * [[Holy city]] * [[Holiest sites in Islam]] * [[Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia]] ==Footnotes== {{Reflist|30em}} ==References== * Aghaie, Kamran Scot (2004). ''The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran''. University of Washington Press. {{ISBN|0-295-98448-1}} * {{cite book | last = [[Allamah al-Majlisi|Majlisi]] | first = Mohammad Baqer | title = [[Bihar al-Anwar]] V.97 }}(In Arabic) *Shimoni, Yaacov & Levine, Evyatar (1974). ''Political Dictionary of the Middle East in the 20th Century''. Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. * {{cite book | last=Zabeth | first=Hyder Reza | title=Landmarks of Mashhad | publisher=Alhoda UK | date=1999 | isbn=964-444-221-0}} [[Category:Sunni Islamic holy places| ]] [[Category:Ziyarat|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Iraq|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Iran|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Afghanistan|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Saudi Arabia|*]] [[Category:Cemeteries in Saudi Arabia|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Israel|*]] [[Category:Mosques in Turkey|*]] [[Category:Islamic pilgrimages]]'