Holiest sites in Sunni Islam: Difference between revisions
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The original mosque was built by the [[prophets of Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]]. 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<small>C.E.</small> and painted green in 1839<small>C.E.</small>, it is known as the 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 ibn al-Khattab]] are buried beside Muhammad. |
The original mosque was built by the [[prophets of Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]]. 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<small>C.E.</small> and painted green in 1839<small>C.E.</small>, it is known as the 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 ibn al-Khattab]] are buried beside Muhammad. |
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==Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus== |
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{{main|Hala Sultan Tekke}} |
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[[Image:Tekke.JPG|thumb|right|400px|Hala Sultan Tekke with [[Larnaca Salt Lake]] in the foreground]] |
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'''Hala Sultan Tekke''' ([[Arabic]]: هالة سلطان بزيارة, [[Greek language|Greek]]: Χαλά Σουλτάν Τεκκέ), or the '''Mosque of Umm Haram''', is a very prominent [[Islam|Muslim]] shrine near [[Larnaca]], on the island of [[Cyprus]]. Umm Haram was the [[Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad]]’s '[[wet-nurse]]' and the wife of Ubada bin al-Samid. Most accounts establish a connection between the site and the death of Umm Haram during the first [[Arabs|Arab]] raids on Cyprus under the [[Caliph]] [[Muawiyah]] between 647 and 649, which were later pursued throughout the [[Umayyad]] and the [[Abbasid]] periods. According to these accounts, Umm Haram, being of very old age, had fallen from her donkey and died during a siege of Larnaca. She was buried near the [[Larnaca Salt Lake]] and her grave became a sacred shrine. The shrine, and later the mosque, was named after her. |
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The Hala Sultan Tekke complex is composed of a [[mosque]], [[mausoleum]], [[minaret]], [[cemetery]], and living quarters for men and women. The term [[tekke]] (or [[convent]]) applies to a building designed specifically for gatherings of a [[Sufi]] brotherhood, or [[tariqa]], and may have referred to an earlier feature of the location. Hala Sultan Tekke is a listed ancient monument. |
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While being acknowledged as a holy site for Cypriot Muslims,<ref>{{cite book | last = Boyle | first = Kevin | coauthors = Juliet Sheen | title = [http://books.google.com/books?id=MFUZkWWgOtMC Freedom of religion and belief: a world report] | year = 1997 | month = October | publisher = [[Routledge]] | location = [[London]] | id = {{LCCN|97||224015}} ISBN 0415159776 | pages = 286–293 | chapter = Cyprus| quote = The tomb is said to be revered by Turkish Cypriots as the 'third holiest site in Islam'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.archaeometry.gr/oldv/symposium2003/pages_en/abstracts/papers/mortars/mortar8.htmOpenDocument |
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| title = Study of building stones and mortar from Hala Sultan Tekke mosque |
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| accessdate = 2007-06-19 |
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| last = |
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| first = |
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| date = [[May 16]], [[2003]] |
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| work = |
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| publisher = Hellenic Society for Archaeometry |
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| quote = Hala Sultan Tekke, near Larnaka, is a holy site in Islam and the most important one for Cypriot Muslims. |
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}} |
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</ref><ref>[http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2002/pr020717.html Financed Restoration of Church and Mosque on Cyprus Supports Cultural Heritage and Tolerance], [[USAID]] Press Office, July 5, 2002. "Hala Sultan Tekke, one of the holiest sites in Islam, is the most important religious location for Cypriot Muslims."</ref> the mosque has also been described by secular contemporary sources as being revered by all Muslims.<ref>{{cite book | last = Purcell| first = Hugh Dominic| title =[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9HK6AAAAIAAJ&q=&pgis=1 Cyprus]| year = 1969 | month = | publisher = Praeger| location = | id = | page = 367| chapter = | quote =At the end of 1965, the National Guard had taken over the shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke, a place of small strategic importance. From May 1966 they prevented all Moslem access to it, so that Mehmet Dana, Mufti of Cyprus, could exploit the misuse of one of the holiest places in the world of Islam.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Syneleusis| first = Hellēnikē Koinotikē | coauthors = Hypourgeio Paideias, Grapheion Dēmosiōn Plērophoriōn | title =[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=g_tWAAAAMAAJ&dq Cyprus Today]| year = 1963 | month = | publisher = Public Information Office, Cyprus| location = | id = | page = 16| chapter = | quote = As such, it is one of the holiest sites in Islam and the most important religious location for Turkish Cypriots and other Muslims living in Cyprus. }}</ref><ref>''[http://jazeeramagazine.com/2008/02/01/cyprus-2/ J magazine]'' (Inflight magazine for [[Jazeera Airways]]), Ink Publishing, 2008. Retrieved: 23-02-2009: "Hala Sultan Tekke (or Mosque of Umm Haram)...is one of Islam’s holiest sites."</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020730/2002073046.html |
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| title = Egyptian professor to renovate ancient mosque of Hala Sultan |
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| accessdate = 2009-03-15 |
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| last = |
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| first = |
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| date = 2002-07-30 |
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| work = |
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| publisher = ''Arabic News'' |
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| quote =One of the most revered sites of Islam. |
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}} |
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</ref> In an assessment of the environmental and cultural assets of Cyprus, Professor George E. Bowen, a senior [[Fulbright Program|Fullbright scholar]] at the [[University of Tennessee]], is quoted as referring to the Hala Sultan Tekke as '''the third holiest place for Muslims in the world'''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/0/3ed1a6838771b4f485256fc4005d54a1?OpenDocument |
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| title = Assessing the Isle of Cyprus | accessdate = 2006-11-12 | last = Bowen |
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| first = George E. | date = [[April 3]], [[2001]] | work = |
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| publisher = Patrick S. O'Brien on the [[University of Tennessee]] server |
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| quote = ''Three historic churches and monasteries are within the city. Just outside the city is the location of the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, the third holiest place for Muslims in the world.'' |
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}}</ref> This view has been echoed by other sources<ref>{{cite journal | last = Drayton | first = Penny| year = 1993 | month = January | title = Aphrodite's island | journal = Wood & water | volume = 2 | issue = 41}} Cited by: {{cite journal |
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| last = Trubshaw |
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| first = Bob |
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| year = 1993 |
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| month = February |
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| title = The Black Stone - the Omphalos of the Goddess |
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| journal = Mercian Mysteries |
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| volume = |
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| issue = 14 |
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| pages = |
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| doi = |
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| id = |
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| url = http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/blstone.htm |
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| accessdate = 2006-11-12 |
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| quote = 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 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Daniel| first = Geoff | coauthors = John Oldfield, Christine Oldfield| title = Landscapes of Cyprus| year = 2004 | month = | publisher = Sunflower| location = | isbn = 1856912299| page = 36| chapter = | quote = }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cmes.arizona.edu/outreach/files/The%20Story%20of%20Hala%20Sultan%20Tekke.pdf The Story of Hala Sultan Tekke], ''[[University of Arizona]]: Center for Middle Eastern Studies'', "The Mosque of Umm Haram is the chief Muslim shrine on the island of Cyprus and an important holy site for the entire Muslim world... The Hala Sultan Tekke is the third most revered site of pilgrimage in the Muslim world." Retrieved: 23-02-2009</ref><ref>Papalexandrou, Nassos. [http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_modern_greek_studies/v026/26.2.papalexandrou.html Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus: An Elusive Landscape of Sacredness in a Liminal Context], ''Journal of Modern Greek Studies'', Volume 26, Number 2. John Hopkins University Press, (October 2008) pp. 251-281. "Der Parthog calls it the “third most holy space in Islam” (1995:222–223)"</ref> including the [[United Nations Development Programme]] in Cyprus<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.undp-act.org/main/data/Articles/E-NEWSLETTER/IS1_story5.htm |
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| title = Hala Sultan Tekke: Where East Meets West | accessdate = 2006-11-12 | year = 2006 |
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| month = Spring | work = Issue 1 | publisher = [[United Nations Development Programme]]|quote=Islam’s third sacred holy site after the Ka’ba and the Prophet Mohammad’s grave in Mecca, and among the greatest cultural heritage monuments of the world, Hala Sultan Tekke, or Umm Haram, has long been the destination of Muslim pilgrims from Cyprus and the Middle East. |
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}}</ref> and the Cypriot administration's Department of Antiquities.<ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/DA/DA.nsf/All/18513FF955C9F917C225719900332619?OpenDocument |
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| title = Monuments: Hala Sultan Tekke |
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| accessdate = 2006-03-06 |
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| last = |
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| first = |
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| date = 2005 |
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| work = |
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| publisher = Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Communications and Works; Department of Antiquities |
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| quote = ''The Muslim mosque of Hala Sultan is located in the center of a spectacular garden at the west bank of the Salt Lake, about 6 km southwest of Larnaca. It is the main Muslim pilgrimage site of Cyprus and the third most important holy place of Islam.'' |
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}} |
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</ref> Others, however, describe the site as fourth most important.<ref>Khatchatourian, Khadijah Tara. (2006) [http://www.spohrpublishers.com/lichtblick/download_pdf/546 Hala Sultan Tekke], Spohr Publishers, "The Hala Sultan Tekke is fourth in importance to the Muslim world". Retrieved: 23-02-2009</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.unficyp.org/media/Blue%20Beret%20-%20pdf%20files/2003/BB-06-June%202003.pdf | title = The Cultural Heritage of Cyprus: Part XIII. The Shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke | accessdate = 2006-03-06 | last = | first = | date = June, 2003 |
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| work = The Blue Beret. pg.5 | publisher = Public Information Office of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus | quote = Not just the holiest Muslim shrine in Cyprus, Hala Sultan Tekke is one of the holiest shrines in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.}} |
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</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Galatariotou| first = Catia | title = [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QUDFu-JTIPMC The Making of a Saint]| year = 2004 | month = | publisher = Cambridge University Press| location = | isbn = 0521390354 | page = 62| chapter = | quote =It is also worth remembering that the ''tekke'' of Um-Harram (Hala Sultan ''tekke'') near Larnaka was one of the holy places which every Muslim was expected to visit as a pilgrim, ranking only fourth in importance after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem}}</ref> |
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==Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus== |
==Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus== |
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Revision as of 23:55, 14 July 2009
There are mainly three Holy sites in the Islāmic Sunni traditions. The Ka'bah is considered the Holiest site, followed by Masjidun Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque) as the second, and the third holies is Masjidul Aqsā (The Farthest Mosque).
Al-Masjid al-Haram, Mecca
Al-Masjid al-Harām "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 Muslims turn towards each day in prayer, considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The mosque is also commonly known as the Haram, The Grand Mosque or Haram Sharif[citation needed].
The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers 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 worshippers gather to pray during taraweeh and Eid prayers. [1] [2]
According to the teachings of Islam, God in the Qur'an used the word Mosque when referring to the sites established by Abraham and his progeny as houses of worship to God centuries before the revelation of the Qur'an. 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 was supposedly established by Abraham and Ishmael, was used by non-Muslim Arabs who worshipped multiple gods.
And when We assigned to Abraham the place of the House (Kaaba), 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.
And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (Kaaba): Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.
Masjid-an-Nabawi, Medina
Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي, pronounced [ælˈmæsdʒidæˈnːæbæwiː]) or the Mosque of the Prophet, located in Medina, is the second holiest site in Islam.
The edifice was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijrah (emigration) 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, with no gender separation. 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 Qur'an. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.
The original mosque was built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 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 1817C.E. and painted green in 1839C.E., it is known as the Dome of the Prophet.[1] Early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab are buried beside Muhammad.
Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus
Hala Sultan Tekke (Arabic: هالة سلطان بزيارة, Greek: Χαλά Σουλτάν Τεκκέ), or the Mosque of Umm Haram, is a very prominent Muslim shrine near Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus. Umm Haram was the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s 'wet-nurse' and the wife of Ubada bin al-Samid. Most accounts establish a connection between the site and the death of Umm Haram during the first Arab raids on Cyprus under the Caliph Muawiyah between 647 and 649, which were later pursued throughout the Umayyad and the Abbasid periods. According to these accounts, Umm Haram, being of very old age, had fallen from her donkey and died during a siege of Larnaca. She was buried near the Larnaca Salt Lake and her grave became a sacred shrine. The shrine, and later the mosque, was named after her.
The Hala Sultan Tekke complex is composed of a mosque, mausoleum, minaret, cemetery, and living quarters for men and women. The term tekke (or convent) applies to a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and may have referred to an earlier feature of the location. Hala Sultan Tekke is a listed ancient monument.
While being acknowledged as a holy site for Cypriot Muslims,[2][3][4] the mosque has also been described by secular contemporary sources as being revered by all Muslims.[5][6][7][8] In an assessment of the environmental and cultural assets of Cyprus, Professor George E. Bowen, a senior Fullbright scholar at the University of Tennessee, is quoted as referring to the Hala Sultan Tekke as the third holiest place for Muslims in the world.[9] This view has been echoed by other sources[10][11][12][13] including the United Nations Development Programme in Cyprus[14] and the Cypriot administration's Department of Antiquities.[15] Others, however, describe the site as fourth most important.[16][17][18]
Other mosques associated with Muhammad
The Quba Mosque (Quba' Masjid or Masjid Quba, Arabic: مسجد قباء) just outside Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the first Islamic mosque ever built. Its first stones were positioned by Muhammad on his emigration from the city of Mecca to Medina and the mosque was completed by his companions. Muhammad spent more than 20 nights in this mosque (after migrating) praying qasr (a short prayer) while waiting for Ali whose house was behind this mosque. Muhammad used to go there, riding or on foot, every Saturday and offer a two rak'ah prayer. He advised others to do the same, saying, "Whoever makes ablutions at home and then goes and prays in the Mosque of Quba, he will have a reward like that of an 'Umrah." This hadith is reported by Ahmad, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim.
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Encyclopedia of the orient
- ^ Boyle, Kevin (1997). "Cyprus". Freedom of religion and belief: a world report. London: Routledge. pp. 286–293. LCCN 97-0 ISBN 0415159776.
The tomb is said to be revered by Turkish Cypriots as the 'third holiest site in Islam'
{{cite book}}: External link in|title=|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Study of building stones and mortar from Hala Sultan Tekke mosque". Hellenic Society for Archaeometry. May 16, 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
Hala Sultan Tekke, near Larnaka, is a holy site in Islam and the most important one for Cypriot Muslims.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Financed Restoration of Church and Mosque on Cyprus Supports Cultural Heritage and Tolerance, USAID Press Office, July 5, 2002. "Hala Sultan Tekke, one of the holiest sites in Islam, is the most important religious location for Cypriot Muslims."
- ^ Purcell, Hugh Dominic (1969). Cyprus. Praeger. p. 367.
At the end of 1965, the National Guard had taken over the shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke, a place of small strategic importance. From May 1966 they prevented all Moslem access to it, so that Mehmet Dana, Mufti of Cyprus, could exploit the misuse of one of the holiest places in the world of Islam.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); External link in|title= - ^ Syneleusis, Hellēnikē Koinotikē (1963). Cyprus Today. Public Information Office, Cyprus. p. 16.
As such, it is one of the holiest sites in Islam and the most important religious location for Turkish Cypriots and other Muslims living in Cyprus.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); External link in|title=|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ J magazine (Inflight magazine for Jazeera Airways), Ink Publishing, 2008. Retrieved: 23-02-2009: "Hala Sultan Tekke (or Mosque of Umm Haram)...is one of Islam’s holiest sites."
- ^ "Egyptian professor to renovate ancient mosque of Hala Sultan". Arabic News. 2002-07-30. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
One of the most revered sites of Islam.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Bowen, George E. (April 3, 2001). "Assessing the Isle of Cyprus". Patrick S. O'Brien on the University of Tennessee server. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
Three historic churches and monasteries are within the city. Just outside the city is the location of the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, the third holiest place for Muslims in the world.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Drayton, Penny (1993). "Aphrodite's island". Wood & water. 2 (41).
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) Cited by: Trubshaw, Bob (1993). "The Black Stone - the Omphalos of the Goddess". Mercian Mysteries (14). Retrieved 2006-11-12.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
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Daniel, Geoff (2004). Landscapes of Cyprus. Sunflower. p. 36. ISBN 1856912299.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ The Story of Hala Sultan Tekke, University of Arizona: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, "The Mosque of Umm Haram is the chief Muslim shrine on the island of Cyprus and an important holy site for the entire Muslim world... The Hala Sultan Tekke is the third most revered site of pilgrimage in the Muslim world." Retrieved: 23-02-2009
- ^ Papalexandrou, Nassos. Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus: An Elusive Landscape of Sacredness in a Liminal Context, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Volume 26, Number 2. John Hopkins University Press, (October 2008) pp. 251-281. "Der Parthog calls it the “third most holy space in Islam” (1995:222–223)"
- ^ "Hala Sultan Tekke: Where East Meets West". Issue 1. United Nations Development Programme. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
Islam's third sacred holy site after the Ka'ba and the Prophet Mohammad's grave in Mecca, and among the greatest cultural heritage monuments of the world, Hala Sultan Tekke, or Umm Haram, has long been the destination of Muslim pilgrims from Cyprus and the Middle East.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Monuments: Hala Sultan Tekke". Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Communications and Works; Department of Antiquities. 2005. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
The Muslim mosque of Hala Sultan is located in the center of a spectacular garden at the west bank of the Salt Lake, about 6 km southwest of Larnaca. It is the main Muslim pilgrimage site of Cyprus and the third most important holy place of Islam.
- ^ Khatchatourian, Khadijah Tara. (2006) Hala Sultan Tekke, Spohr Publishers, "The Hala Sultan Tekke is fourth in importance to the Muslim world". Retrieved: 23-02-2009
- ^ "The Cultural Heritage of Cyprus: Part XIII. The Shrine of Hala Sultan Tekke" (PDF). The Blue Beret. pg.5. Public Information Office of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. June, 2003. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
Not just the holiest Muslim shrine in Cyprus, Hala Sultan Tekke is one of the holiest shrines in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Galatariotou, Catia (2004). The Making of a Saint. Cambridge University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0521390354.
It is also worth remembering that the tekke of Um-Harram (Hala Sultan tekke) near Larnaka was one of the holy places which every Muslim was expected to visit as a pilgrim, ranking only fourth in importance after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); External link in|title=
References
- Aghaie, Kamran Scot (2004). The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0295984481
- Majlisi, Mohammad Baqer. 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.
- Zabeth, Hyder Reza (1999). Landmarks of Mashhad. Alhoda UK. ISBN 9644442210.