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| Tarek al-Issawi, journalist for the ], writes “the Najaf shrine, the most-sacred Shi'ite shrine in Iraq and ''the third holiest in the world'' after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.” <ref></ref> Referring to Najaf, describes it as “the place is the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and ''third holiest shrine''” | Tarek al-Issawi, journalist for the ], writes “the Najaf shrine, the most-sacred Shi'ite shrine in Iraq and ''the third holiest in the world'' after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.” <ref></ref> Referring to Najaf, describes it as “the place is the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and ''third holiest shrine''” | ||
| went further and bypassed Medina by stating “Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is Muslim Shiites ''second holiest site after ] in ]''”. | |||
| ====], Iraq==== | ====], Iraq==== | ||
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Mecca and Medina are recognized as the two most important sites in Islam. The third most important site is considered to be Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Masjid Al-Aqsa ranks third after Masjid-ul-Haram (Mecca) and Masjid an-Nabawi (Medina) in terms of the virtue of prayers performed therein. According to an authentic hadith the Prophet Muhammad only allowed Muslims to deliberately set out on a journey to these three mosques. Al-Aqsa is also the site where the Prophet ascended to the heavens (the Mi'raj)
Al-Aqsa Mosque
In terms of the "virtue" of a religious site, and the value of prayers performed within it, Muslims believe that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third holiest site based on scripture. The Sahih Bukhari quotes Abu al-Dardaa as saying: "the Prophet of Allah Muhammad said a prayer in the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 10,000 prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth 1,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) is worth 500 prayers more than in an any other mosque.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is also considered the third most important Islamic site based a scriptural reference stating that, along with Mecca and Medina, it was visited by Muhammad during his lifetime: Abu Huraira is quoted as saying that Allah’s Messenger said, ‘set out deliberately on a journey only to three mosques: this mosque of mine (in Medina), the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) and the Masjid al Aqsa (in Jerusalem) (Bukhari & Muslim).
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is also mentioned in the Qur'an as being the site of the Mi'raj - where Muhammad ascended to the heavens.
Because of these scriptural references, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is widely and commonly referred to as the "third holiest site in Islam." Mosques other than Al-Aqsa Mosque have been referred to as the "third holiest site in Islam" based on considerations other than the value of prayers performed within or the visiting of the site by Muhammad during his lifetime. None of the following sites are mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith:
Shia Muslim sites
Imam Ali Mosque, Iraq
It is commonly reported in the worlds media that the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, is the third holiest site for the estimated 130 million followers of the Shiite branch of Islam worldwide – approximately 10 percent of total Muslims. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims.
Asian Times Online reported about Qom being the second holiest city in Iran. In an attempt to impress the importance of the Hazrat-e Masumeh shrine located in Qom, the article quoted the guards as saying: "Our sixth imam, Imam Sardeg, says that we have five definitive holy places that we respect very much. The first is Mecca, which belongs to God. The second is Medina, which belongs to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of God. The third belongs to our first imam of Shia, Ali, which is in Najaf. The fourth belongs to our third imam, Hussein, in Karbala. The last one belongs to the daughter of our seventh imam and sister of our eighth imam, who is called Fatemah, and will be buried in Qom. Pilgrims and those who visit her holy shrine, I promise to these men and women that God will open all the doors of Heaven to them."
Heritage Photo Agency based in Iran states: “The world's 120 million Shiites regard Najaf - a center of scientific, literary and theological studies - as their third holiest site, behind Mecca and Medina”.
In refering to this site, Modarresi News wrote: "The place was the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and third holiest shrine".
KavkazCenter.com reported: The US Army launched a massive offensive yesterday in order to suppress the rebellion in Najaf, Iraq's holiest city in the eyes of Shiites…Because Najaf is home to the Imam Ali tomb and Mosque, Shiite Muslims regard Najaf as the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina .
Zaman Newspaper, based in Turkey, reported that “Because Najaf is home to the Imam Ali tomb and Mosque, Shiite Muslims regard Najaf as the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina”.
The Guardian described Najaf, as the third holiest place of Shi'ite Muslims The Boston Globe reported “for the world's nearly 120 million Muslim Shiites, Najaf is the third holiest city, behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The CNN website wrote: “the Shiite the city of Najaf, Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina and home to the Tomb of Imam Ali, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and father of Karbala's Husayn ibn Ali”. bbc.co.uk states: "Najaf is the third holiest city for Shia Muslims after Mecca and Medina".
Tarek al-Issawi, journalist for the Associated Press, writes “the Najaf shrine, the most-sacred Shi'ite shrine in Iraq and the third holiest in the world after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.” Referring to Najaf, ShiaNews.com describes it as “the place is the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and third holiest shrine”
IslamicTouism went further and bypassed Medina by stating “Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is Muslim Shiites second holiest site after Mecca in Saudi Arabia”.
Imam Husayn Shrine, Iraq
Public Broadcasting Service portrays Karbala as follows: “…For Shiites, his tomb is the holiest site outside of Mecca and Medina, and many make the pilgrimage there -- up to a million pilgrims visit the city to observe Ashura, the anniversary of Husayn's death”.
channel4.com states: “The holy city of Karbala, situated 100 km south of Baghdad, derives its name from the ancient Babylonian meaning "sacred place of God" from the two shrines it houses of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn and his brother 'Abbas. Shia Muslims consider this to be one of the holiest places in the world second only to Mecca and Najaf.
Al Askari Mosque, Iraq
Time Magazine reported at the time of the Al Askari Mosque bombing that “al-Askari one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, exceeded in veneration only by the shrines of Najaf and Karbala. Even Samarra's Sunnis hold al-Askari in high esteem. The expression 'to swear by the shrine' is routinely used by both communities".
Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Iraq
It was also reported by Associated Press that “the Kazimiya shrine in Baghdad, the third-holiest in Shiite Islam”
Other sites labelled "third holiest/most important"
Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus
Professor Bowen of the University of Tennessee completed an assessment of the environmental and cultural assets of Cyprus as a senior Fulbright scholar. He stated: “In the south is the city of Lamaka … Just outside the city is the location of the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, the third holiest place for Muslims in the world. Similarly, in Freedom of Religion and Belief: a World Report, authors Kevin Boyle and Juliet Sheen report that the tomb is said to be "revered by Turkish Cypriots as the third holiest site in Islam." Penny Drayton, in her book Aphrodite's Island reports "In Cyprus is another highly venerated Islamic site - the third most important after Mecca and Medina - the Hala Sultan Tekke. This, too, has a black rock, said to have fallen as a meteorite as part of the tritholon over the shrine. The shrine is to a woman - the aunt and foster mother of Prophet Mohammed…"
Kairouan, Tunisia
An article titled “Towards A Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations”
by Professor Kwesi Prah states “By 670, the Arabs had taken Tunisia, and by 675, they had completed construction of Kairouan, the city that would become the premier Arab base in North Africa. Kairouan was later to become the third holiest city in Islam in the medieval period, after Mecca and Medina”.
The University of Calgary's Applied History Research Group states: "By 670, the Arabs had taken Tunisia, and by 675, they had completed construction of Kairouan, the city that would become the Arab base in North Africa. Kairouan would also become the third holiest city in Islam in the medieval period, after Mecca and Medina, because of its importance as the centre of the Islamic faith in the Maghrib".
References
- Never Again!, Modarresi News, September 4, 2003.
- Kavkaz Center is Chechen independent international Islamic Internet news agency, oriented to cover events in the Islamic world, Caucasus and Russia
- Zaman Online, August 13, 2004.
- Why 2003 is not 1991, The Guardian, April 1, 2003.
- Iraqi forces in Najaf take cover in important Shiite shrine, The Boston Globe, April 2, 2003.
- Religious rivalries and political overtones in Iraq, CNN.com, April 23, 2003.
- Iraqis welcome exiled cleric home, bbc.co.uk, May 12, 2003.
- Iraqis arrest 19 with terror ties in mosque blast, Washington Times, August 31, 2003.
- An Eye For an Eye, Time Magazine, February 26, 2006.
- Iraq blasts kill 143 on Shiite holy day, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 3, 2004.
- An assessment of the environmental and cultural assets of Cyprus published by Professor Bowen of the University of Tennessee as a senior Fulbright scholar.
- Boyle, Kevin & Sheen, Julie, Freedom of Religion and Belief, Routledge (UK) 05-08-1997, pg.290-91, ISBN 0-415-15977-6, (reviewed on Google Books 10-25-2006).
- Drayton, Penny; Aphrodite's Island, Wood & Water Jan 1993; Vol. 2, No.41.
- This was originally a paper submitted to the African Union (AU) Experts’ Meeting on a Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations. AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, 11-12 May, 2004 [http://www.hollerafrica.com/showArticle.php?artId=164&catId=1.
- Director, Centre for Advanced Study of African Societies, Cape Town, South Africa