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| Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām The Sacred Mosque |
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 Al-Masjid Al-Haram Location in Saudi Arabia |
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| Coordinates: 21°25′19″N 39°49′34″E / 21.422°N 39.826°ECoordinates: 21°25′19″N 39°49′34″E / 21.422°N 39.826°E | |
| Location |  Makkah, Saudi Arabia |
| Established | At the time of Prophet Abraham |
| Branch/tradition | Islam |
| Administration | Saudi Arabian government |
| Leadership | Imam(s): Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais Saud Al-Shuraim Maher Al Mueaqly |
| Architectural information | |
| Capacity | 900,000 (increased to 4,000,000 during the Hajj period) |
| Minaret(s) | 9 |
| Minaret height | 89 m (292 ft) |
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| Website: www.gph.gov.sa | |
| This article is part of a series on: |
| Islam |
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The Masjid Al-Haram (Arabic: المسجد الحرام, pronounced [ʔælˈmæsdʒɪd ælħɑˈrɑːm], "The Sacred Mosque") or the "Grand Mosque"[1] is located in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds one of Islam's holiest places, the Kaaba.[2][3] Muslims face in the direction of the Kabah while performing formal worship. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so, including circumambulation of the Kabah.
The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square metres (88.2 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to four million worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world. Unlike many other mosques which are segregated, men and women worship at Masjid Al-Haram together.
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According to Islamic tradition the very first construction of the Kabah, the heart of the Masjid Al-Haram, was undertaken by Abraham. The Qur'an said that this was the first house built for humanity to worship Allah.[Quran 3:96]
With the order of the God [Quran 22:26], Abraham and his son Ishmael found the original foundation and rebuild the Kabah [Quran 2:125] [Quran 2:127] in 2130 BCE.[citation needed] Hajar-Al-Aswad, the Black Stone situated on the lower side of the eastern corner of the Kabah, is believed[by whom?] to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham.
Muslim belief also places the story of Ishmael's mother searching for water in the general vicinity of the mosque. In the story, Hagar runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for water for her infant son until God eventually reveals her the Zamzam.[citation needed] The "Zamzam well" and "Safa and Marwah" are structures in the Masjid al-Haram.
Upon Muhammad's victorious return to Makkah in 630, Muhammad and his son-in-law, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, broke all the idols in and around the Kabah and ended its pagan use. This began the Islamic rule over the Kabah and the building of the Masjid Al-Haram around it.[citation needed]
The first major renovation to the mosque took place in 692. Before this renovation, which included the mosque's outer walls being raised and decoration added to the ceiling, the mosque was a small open area with the Kabah at the center. By the end of the 8th century, the Mosque's old wooden columns had been replaced with marble columns and the wings of the prayer hall had been extended on both sides along with the addition of a minaret. The spread of Islam in the Middle East and the influx of pilgrims required an almost complete rebuilding of the site which included adding more marble and three more minarets.[citation needed]
In 1570, Sultan Selim II commissioned the chief architect Mimar Sinan to renovate the mosque. This renovation resulted in the replacement of the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy internally and the placement of new support columns which are acknowledged as the earliest architectural features of the present mosque.[citation needed] These features are the oldest surviving parts of the building.
After heavy rain and flood in 1621 and more in 1629, the walls of the Kabah fell down and the Masjid suffered damage.[citation needed] In 1629, during the reign of Murad IV, the Kabah was rebuilt with stones from Makkah and the mosque was renovated. In the renovation of the mosque a new stone arcade was added, three more minarets (which made the total number 7) were built and the marble flooring was retiled.[citation needed] This was the unaltered state of the mosque for nearly three centuries.
The first major renovation under the Saudi kings was done between 1955 and 1973. In this renovation, four more minarets were added and the ceiling was refurnished and the floor was replaced with artificial stone and marble. The Mas'a gallery (Al-Safa and Al-Marwah) is included in the Masjid via roofing and enclosements. During this renovation many of the historical features built by the Ottomans, particularly the support columns, were demolished.
The second Saudi renovations under King Fahd, added a new wing and an outdoor prayer area to the mosque. The new wing, which is also for prayers, is accessed through the King Fahd Gate. This extension is considered to have been from 1982-1988.
The third Saudi extension (1988–2005) saw the building of more minarets, the erecting of a King's residence overlooking the Masjid and more prayer area in and around the mosque itself. These developments have taken place simultaneously with those in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah. This third extension has also resulted in 18 more gates, three domes corresponding in position to each gate and the installation of nearly 500 marble columns. Other modern developments include the addition of heated floors, air conditioning, escalators and a drainage system.
In 2007, the mosque went under a fourth extension project which is estimated to last until 2020. King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Azeez plans to increase the mosque's capacity to 2 million.[1][4]
Northern expansion of the mosque began in August 2011 and is expected to be completed in 1.5 years. The area of the mosque will be expanded from the current 356,000 m2 (3,830,000 sq ft) to 400,000 m2 (4,300,000 sq ft). A new gate named after King Abdullah will be built together with two new minarets, bringing their total to 11. The cost of the project is $10.6-billion and after completion the mosque will house over 2.5 million worshipers. The Mataf (the circumambulation areas around the Kabah) will also see expansion and all closed spaces will be air conditioned.[5]
There has been some controversy that the expansion projects of the mosque and Makkah itself are causing harm to early Islamic heritage. Many ancient buildings, some more than a thousand years old, have been demolished to make room not only for the expansion of the Masjid Al-Haram, but for new malls and hotels.[6] Some examples are:[7][8]
The importance of the mosque is two fold. It not only serves as the common direction towards which Muslims pray, but is also the main location for pilgrimages.
The Qiblah—the direction that Muslims turn to in their prayers (Salah)—is toward the Kabah and symbolizes unity in worshiping one Allah (God). At one point the direction of the Qiblah was toward Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) (and is therefore called the First of the Two Qiblahs),[citation needed] however, this only lasted for seventeen months, after which the Qiblah became oriented towards the Kabah in Makkah. According to accounts from Muhammad's companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer at Madeenah in the Masjid Al-Qiblatain.
The Haram is the focal point of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages[9] that occur in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar and at any time of the year, respectively. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Pillars of Islam, required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford the trip. In recent times, about 3 million Muslims perform the Hajj every year.
Some of the rituals performed by pilgrims are symbolic of historical incidents. For example, the episode of Hagar's search for water is emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah.
The Hajj is associated with the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from the 7th century, but the ritual of pilgrimage to Makkah is considered by Muslims to stretch back thousands of years to the time of Ibraheem (Abraham).
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This section requires expansion. (June 2012) |
The Kabah (Arabic: الكعبة) is a cuboid-shaped building in the center of the Masjid Al-Haram and is one of the most sacred sites in Islam.[10] All Muslims around the world face the Kabah during prayers, no matter where they are. This is called facing the Qiblah.
The Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kabah in a counter-clockwise direction. This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage).[10][11][12]
The Black Stone (Arabic: الحجر الأسود al-Ḥajar al-Aswad) is the eastern cornerstone of the Kabah.[13] It was set intact into the Kabah's wall by Muhammad in the year 605, five years before his first revelation. Since then it has been broken into a number of fragments and is now cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kabah. Its physical appearance is that of a fragmented dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims.
Many of the pilgrims, if possible, stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records it having received from Muhammad.[14] If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kabah.[9]
The Maqām Ibraheem (Ibraheem's place of standing) is a rock that reportedly has an imprint of Abraham's foot which is kept in a crystal dome next to the Kabah. Abraham is said[by whom?] to have stood on this stone during the construction of the upper parts of the Kabah, raising Ishmail on his shoulders for the uppermost parts.
As-Safa and Al-Marwah (Arabic: الصفا Aṣ-Ṣafā, المروة Al-Marwah) are two hills, now located in the Masjid Al-Haram. In Islamic tradition, Ibraheem's wife Hagar runs between the hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwah looking for water for her infant son Ishmael until God eventually reveals her the Zamzam. Muslims also travel back and forth seven times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah as a remembrance to her.
As-Safa — from which the ritual walking (Arabic: سعى saʿy) begins — is located approximately half a mile from the Kabah. Al-Marwah is located about 100 m (330 ft) from the Kabah. The distance between As-Safa and Marwah is approximately 450 m (1,480 ft)
The Zamzam Well (Arabic: زمزم) is a well located 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kabah.[15] It began circa 2150 BCE when Abraham's (Ibrāhīm) infant son Ishmael (ʼIsmāʻīl) was thirsty and kept crying for water. The well has never gone dry despite the millions of liters of water consumed every year.[citation needed] It had been deepened several times in history during periods of severe droughts.[citation needed]
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Nowadays, several families share adhan (call to prayer) duties in the Masjid Al-Haram, including Mulla, Shaker, Rayes, Al-Abbas, Hadrawi, Basnawi, Khouj, Marouf and Faydah.[citation needed] Some of these families held this position for hundreds of years; for example, the al-Abbas.[citation needed] There are 16 Muadhins at the mosque, and during Ramadan an additional six are appointed. Apart from adhan, a Muadhin also supports Imams by repeating some of what they say in a loud voice.
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The imams have a set rota to decide who leads prayer.[citation needed]
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