Protest of Jannatul Baqee Demolition in Malad, Mumbai on September 19, 2010
Baithe Ho Qiyu Gharo Me Utho Aey Husainio
Hum Sab Ke Waste Ye Haya Ka Maqam Hai
Be Saya Tez Dhoop Me Hai Qabre SAYEDA(SA)
Hum Par Chato K Saye Me Rehna Haram Hai
Prominent Olama and Zakereen attended this protest procession from different parts of the Mumbai City. For more than 10 years this programme is going on in Malad.
They demanded that the tombs should be urgently build under which there were graves of the 4 holy Imams and the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuhp) Hadhrat Fatema Zahra (s.a.). In Jannatul Baqee there are graves of historical personalities of Islam; Ummul Baneen, Martyrs of Ohod, Wives of the holy Prophets and number of Ashaab (followers of the Prophet).
It is a protest to let the world know that this Wahabis destroyed the tomb of the grandsons of their own Prophet (pbuhp) in 1925.8th of Sahwwal 1430 A.H. - Anniversary of the destruction of the cemetery of al-Baqi.
The cemetery of al-Baqi is located in Medina, Saudi Arabia. It is the
cemetery where four honorable Imams - Imam Hasan(a.s.), Imam Zain al-Abideen(a.s.), Imam Mohammad Baqir(a.s.) and Imam Jaffer Sadiq(a.s.) - and the beloved daughter of the Prophet Mohammad(sawaw) and the leader of the women of Paradise Bibi Fatima Zehra(s.a.) are buried. In addition, a number of important personalities and honorable companions of the Holy Prophet(sawaw) are also buried there.
On 21st April 1925, 8th Shawwal 1345 A.H., the ruling Saudi Government bombed and destroyed the holy Cemetery and razed all the mausoleum structures. Their main excuse was the teachings of their Wahabi Sect which considers all types of intercession to Allah(swt) through the Prophet(sawaw) and his Ahl-e-Bait(a.s.) a bid'ah and a sin. Their teachings also consider the visiting of the graves of the Prophet(sawaw) and other personalities as shirk - polytheism. Their real aim, however, was to distance the Muslims from their history and important historical personalities. Their teachings have, however, been refuted logically and referentially proven wrong by all other sects of Islam including the Shiite and Sunnites.
The detailed account of the destruction of the cemetery of al-Baqi and several pictures are available at http://www.ziaraat.com/mdnjan01.php.
Detailed History:
On 8th Shawwal, Wednesday, in the year 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), mausoleums in Jannatul Al-Baqi (Medina) were demolished by King Ibn Saud. In the same year (1925), he also demolished the tombs of holy personalities at Jannat al-Mualla (Makkah) where the Holy Prophet (sawaw)'s mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried. Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudi Wahhabi's continues even today.
The origins of Jannat Al-Baqi
Literally "Al-Baqi" means a tree garden. It is also known as "Jannat Al-Baqi" due to its sanctity, since in it are buried many of our Prophet's relatives and companions.
In the following years, the Prophet's son Ibrahim, who died in infancy and over whom the Prophet (sawaw) wept bitterly, was also buried there. The people of Medina then began to use that site for the burial of their own dead, because the Prophet (sawaw) used to greet those who were buried in Al-Baqi by saying, "Peace be upon you, O abode of the faithful! God willing, we should soon join you. O Allah, forgive the fellows of Al-Baqi".
The site of the burial ground at Al-Baqi was gradually extended. Nearly seven thousand companions of the Holy Prophet (sawaw) were buried there, not to mention those of the Ahlul Bayt (as). Imam Hasan bin Ali (as), Imam Ali bin Hussain (as), Imam Muhammad bin Ali (as), and Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad (as) were all buried there.
Among other relatives of the Prophet (sawaw) who were buried at Al-Baqi are: his aunts Safiya and Aatika, and his Aunt Fatima bint al-Asad, the mother of Imam Ali (as). The third caliph Uthman was buried outside Al-Baqi, but with later extensions, his grave was included in the area. In later years, great Muslim scholars like Malik bin Anas and many others, were buried there too. Thus, did Al-Baqi become a well-known place of great historic significance to all Muslims.
Jannat Al-Baqi as viewed by historians
Umar bin Jubair describes Al-Baqi as he saw it during his travel to Medina, saying "Al-Baqi is situated to the east of Medina". You enter it through the gate known as the gate of Al-Baqi. As you enter, the first grave you see on your left is that of Safiya, the Prophet's aunt, and further still is the grave of Malik bin Anas, the Imam of Medina. On his grave is raised a small dome. In front of it is the grave of Ibrahim son of our Prophet (sawaw) with a white dome over it, and next to it on the right is the grave of Abdul-Rahman son of Umar bin al-Khattab, popularly known as Abu Shahma, whose father had kept punishing him till death overtook him. Facing it are the graves of Aqeel bin Abi Talib and Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Tayyar. There, facing those graves is a small shrine containing the graves of the Prophet's wives, following by a shrine of Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib.
are paneled with yellow plates and studded with beautiful star-shaped nails. This is how the grave of Ibrahim, son of the Prophet (sawaw) has also been adorned. Behind the shrine of Abbas there is the house attributed to Fatima, daughter of our Prophet (sawaw), known as "Bayt al-Ahzaan" (the house of grief) because it is the house she used to frequent in order to mourn the death of her father, the chosen one, peace be upon him. At the farthest end of Al-Baqi is the grave of the caliph Uthman, with a small dome over it, and there, next to it, is the grave of Fatima bint Asad, mother of Ali bin Abi Talib (as).
After a century and a half, the famous traveler Ibn Batuta came to describe Al-Baqi in a way which does not in any way differ from the description given by Ibn Jubair. He adds saying, "At Al-Baqi are the graves of numerous Muhajirin and Ansar and many companions of the Prophet (sawaw), except that most of their names are unknown."
Thus, over the centuries, Al-Baqi remained a sacred site with renovations being carried out as and when needed till the Wahhabi's rose to power in the early nineteenth century. The latter desecrated the tombs and demonstrated disrespect to the martyrs and the companions of the Prophet (sawaw) buried there. Muslims who disagreed with them were branded as "infidels" and were subsequently killed.
The first destruction of Jannat Al-Baqi
The Wahhabi's believed that visiting the graves and the shrines of the Prophets, the Imams, or the saints was a form of idolatry and totally un-Islamic. Those who did not conform to their belief were killed and their property was confiscated. Since their first invasion of Iraq, and till nowadays, in fact, the Wahhabi's, as well as other rulers of the Gulf States, having been carrying out massacres from which no Muslim who disagreed with them was spared. Obviously, the rest of the Islamic World viewed those graves with deep reverence. Had it not been so, the two caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar would not have expressed their desire for burial near the grave of the Prophet (sawaw).
In 1221, the Wahhabi's entered Medina to desecrate Al-Baqi as well as every mosque they came across. An attempt was even made to demolish the Prophet's tomb, but for one reason or another, the idea was abandoned. In subsequent years, Muslims from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt were refused entry into Makkah for Hajj. King Al-Saud set a pre-condition that those who wished to perform the pilgrimage would have to accept Wahhabism or else be branded as non-Muslims, becoming ineligible for entry into the Haram.
Al-Baqi was razed to the ground, with no sign of any grave or tomb whatsoever. But the Saudis were still not quite satisfied with doing all of that. Their king ordered three black attendants at the Prophet's shrine to show him where the treasures of valuable gifts were stored. The Wahhabi's plundered the treasure for their own use.
Thousands of Muslims fled Makkah and Medina in a bid to save their lives and escape from the mounting pressure and persecution at the hands of the Wahhabi's. Muslims from all over the world denounced this Saudi savagery and exhorted the Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire to save the sacred shrines from total destruction. Then, as it is known, Muhammad Ali Basha attacked Hijaz and, with the support of local tribes, managed to restore law and order in Medina and Makkah, dislodging the Al-Saud clansmen. The entire Muslim world celebrated this victory with great fanfare and rejoicing. In Cairo, the celebrations continued for five days. No doubt, the joy was due to the fact that pilgrims were once more allowed freely to go for Hajj, and the sacred shrines were once again restored.
In 1818 AD, the Ottaman Caliph Abdul Majid and his successors, Caliphs Abdul Hamid and Mohammed, carried out the reconstruction of all sacred places, restoring the Islamic heritage at all important sites. In 1848 and 1860 AD, further renovations were made at the expense of nearly seven hundred thousand pounds, most of which came from the donations collected at the Prophet's tomb. The second plunder by the Wahhabi's
Sample letter
To the President,
We are members of Shia community of Muslims in India.
This is to bring to your notice a horrific incidence that occured about 85 years ago ie. on 21st April 1985 in Medina, Saudi Arabia. This place is Known as Jannat AlBaqi is a cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia, located across from the Masjid al-Nabawi, in the southeastern area from the mosque.
Masjid al-Nabawi is the mosque built over the spot where the Prophet Muhammad, used to live, built his mosque and where he is currently buried. Therefore this cemetery holds much significance. The cemetery contains many of Prophet Muhammad's relatives and companions. Many traditions relate Prophet Muhammad issuing a prayer every time he passed the cemetery.
The cemetery is also known as Jannatul Baqee . Its name means "The Garden of Heaven". It is also known with its old name Baqee Al Garqad. Baqee means garden or land which grew plants and Al Garqad refers to the large Lycium shawii trees (Arabian Boxthorn, in Arabic: Alaosaj), a species of Boxthorn plants.
On April 21, 1925, mausoleums in Jannatul Baqee were demolished by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. In the same year, he also demolished the tombs of holy personalities at Jannat al-Mualla (Makkah) where Prophet Muhammad's mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried. This happened despite protest by the international Islamic community.
Destruction of sacred sites in Hijaz by the Saudis, initiated by Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab continues even today, to prevent, what some consider to be the practices of grave-worshipping and revering the deads and ask favors of the dead buried there.
Many of these mausoleums, domes and structures, originally intended to identify famous companions of Prophet Muhammad, were destroyed since Salafi scholars complying with the Hadith narrated that Prophet Muhammad ordered not to cover or build structures over any grave and in order to prevent people from seek a means of approach to Alla-h (a request for blessings, in this world or for intercessions in the hereafter) or seeking the help of the dead.
Despite this, the graves of many historic figures continue to be visited by numerous pilgrims, and burials continue at the cemetery up until this day.
Many Shia continue to mourn the day that the House of Saud demolished Shrines in the Baqi cemetery. Shia remember it by calling this day Yaum e Gham, literally meaning Day of Sorrow.
My humble appeal to you and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and take this matter to the Saudi Arabian Authorities so that the Holy Shrine can be rebuilt.
use this link and copy paste this
In the end the gathering prayed for the early re-appearance of Imam-e-Zamaana (a.s.) so that he can fill this world with Justice and Equity.