BothSunni Muslims andShia Muslims agree on the threeholiest sites in Islam being, respectively, theMasjid al-Haram (including theKaaba), inMecca; theAl-Masjid an-Nabawi, inMedina; andAl-Masjid al-Aqsa, inJerusalem.
Both theUmayyad Mosque inDamascus and theIbrahimi Mosque inHebron have often been considered the fourth-holiest site in Islam.[1]
Furthermore, Sunni Muslims also consider sites associated withAhl al-Bayt, theFour Rightly Guided Caliphs, and their family members to be holy.
TheKaaba (Arabic: The Cube) is the mostsacred site in Islam. It is surrounded by theMasjid al-Haram. During the Hajj period, the mosque is unable to contain the multitude of pilgrims, who pray on the outlining streets. More than 2 million worshippers gather to pray duringEid prayers.[2]
According to the teachings of Islam,Allah, used the word mosque when referring to the sites established byʾIbrāhīm (Abraham) and his progeny as houses of worship to God centuries before the revelation of theQuran. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under Muslim control between 630 CE and 638 CE, the site of theKaaba, which (according to Muslim belief) was established by Ibrahim and Ismail.[3]
And ˹remember˺ when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael, ˹both praying,˺ “Our Lord! Accept ˹this˺ from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
And ˹remember˺ when We assigned to Abraham the site of the House, ˹saying,˺ “Do not associate anything with Me ˹in worship˺ and purify My House for those who circle ˹the Ka’bah˺, stand ˹in prayer˺, and bow and prostrate themselves.
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي,pronounced[ælˈmæsdʒidæˈnːæbæwiː]) or the Mosque of the Prophet, located inMedina, is the second holiest site in Islam.
The Mosque was originally the house of Muhammad; he settled there after hismigration 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 theDome of the Prophet.[4] Early Muslim leadersAbu Bakr andUmar are buried beside Muhammad.
Medina is also home to the historically significantQuba Mosque andMasjid al-Qiblatayn.
Masjid Al-Aqsa ("the Farthest Mosque"), also known as the "Al Aqsa compound", is a holy site in Shia and Sunni Islam and is located in theOld City of Jerusalem, and is widely regarded by Jews as theTemple Mount, the site of theHoly Temple. It includes theQibli mosque and theDome of the Rock. It is the third holiest site in Islam. The term Al-Aqsa Mosque was coined in the Quran:
Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is sacred because the "first of the twoqiblas" (Arabic:اولى القبلتين) was Jerusalem.[6][7] In Islamic tradition, Al-Aqsa is said to be the "second mosque" (Arabic:ثاني المسجدين), as well as the "third of the holy sanctuaries" (Arabic:ثالث الحرمين), under Islamic Law.[8]
The term used for mosque,masjid, literally means "place of prostration", and includesmonotheistic or more specificallyAbrahamic places of worship but does not exclusively lend itself to physical structures but alocation, as Muhammad stated "The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying...".[9] WhenCaliph Umar conquered Jerusalem after Muhammad's passing, a prayer house was built on the site. The structure was expanded by theUmayyad caliphAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan and finished by his sonal-Walid in 705 CE. The building was repeatedlydestroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt, until the reconstruction in 1033 by theFatimid caliphAli 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 theHaram al-Sharif or the"Noble Sanctuary".[10][11][12] TheDome of the Rock is almost unanimously accepted to be the area from where Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven,[13] although a few fringe theories claim it had been from a mosque inMedina,Jir'ana orKufa.[14][15][16]
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 ofhadith dating from the birth of Islam.[17]
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 thehadith.[18] Some academics attribute the holiness of Jerusalem to the rise and expansion of a certain type of literary genre, known asal-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.[19] Others point to the political motives of the Umayyad dynasty which led to the sanctification of Jerusalem in Islam.[20]
Later medieval scripts, as well as modern-day political tracts, tend to classify al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam.[7] For example,Sahih al-Bukhari quotesAbu Darda as saying: "the Prophet of God, Muhammad said a prayer in theSacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer inmy 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, theOrganisation of Islamic Cooperation, refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam (and calls for Arab sovereignty over it).[21]
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is considered by some Muslims to be the fourth holiest site in Islam.[22][23][24] One of the four authorized copies of the Quran was kept here, and the head of Yahya ibn Zakariyya is believed to be in the shrine.
The Minaret of Isa in the Umayyad Mosque is dedicated to Isa (Jesus), and it is believed that he will return to the world at the minaret during the time of a Fajr prayer and it is believed that he will pray at the mosque with the Islamic leader of that timeMahdi. It is believed that prayers in the mosque are considered to be equal to those offered in Jerusalem.[22]
Ibrahimi Mosque inHebron,West Bank,Palestine, is believed to contain the graves of the ProphetAbraham and some of his family, and is for that reason also considered by some Sunni Muslims the fourth holiest site in the world.
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