Mecca is a city which lies in a desert valley in western Saudi-Arabia. Mecca is known for being the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, also along with the religion of Islam. This city is known to be a sacred place where only Muslims are allowed to enter. The history of the city throughout the older years was much different than where it is at today. Mecca, the city where the Prophet Muhammad was born, was not always accepting of the traditions and values which it is based on today. When Muhammad first began receiving messages from “Allah”, many of the elite people of Mecca found this news very conflicting and Muhammad fled to Medina. It was not until later when Muhammad returned to Mecca and took over the city. Building mosques, taking over the government, and getting everyone to adopt the faith. From this point forward Mecca would be known as the holy city of Islam. Mecca is known for these significant reasons and because of these obstacles which it has faced, it has become a very unique city. …show more content…
The muslim culture has idolized this place to be the holy city. A place where all of their beliefs have originated. It is so important to muslims that all able muslims must make the “hajj” (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in their life. There is no other religion which has such a thing as this. Not only much they travel there, but in performing their multiple daily prayers, they always must face towards Mecca because it holds the sacred “Ka’ba”. The Ka’ba is know as the symbol of islamic cultural unity according to “Traditions and
After the fall of the Roman Empire, no one imagined that the next great world power would emerge from Saudi Arabia. Especially, because ancient empires thought that the land was worthless, but they didn’t know that it had great trade routes. Trade brought them in connection with other civilizations and that’s how the city of Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, became known. The city of Mecca was a mix of religious beliefs, they used to worship many gods and had their own rituals. The world of Islam took place in Mecca, where Muhammad was born in 570 CE.
In essence, undertaking Hajj is of great to the Muslim and to the Muslim community. Through examining the core rituals of Hajj, one can explore to the purpose of them; the reinforcement of the fundamental beliefs of Islam and the strengthening of the ultimate goal of Islam, the submission to Allah. Therefore, the Hajj, the rituals involved and their meaning are of the greatest significance to the individual and community, attaining to the ultimate goal of the more perfect submission to Allah.
The Grand Mosque is the first mosque in Islam also the greatest, and it is in the center of the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia." It is an area of 750,000 square meters and it can hold 4 Million people." It costs $11,316,818,165$ for the comprehensive restoration. In the center of the mosque, is Kaaba. Muslims believe that is a sacred spot. The meaning of Kaaba in Arabic is cube like structure. It is really based on a small room with marble and black basalt stones constructed brought in from the nearby mountains. According to the Koran, a man named Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Kaaba in response to God's command. Kaaba has been in the Grand Mosque for a long time however really a few people who saw the inside of it on the other hand millions saw the outside of the Kaaba but both of them who saw it from the inside and outside drank from Zamzam well which been running more than 1,350 years.
Among the most beloved traditions and rituals of the Islamic faith is a pilgrimage that unites Muslims around the world. It is known as the Hajj, an Arabic word meaning “to set out for a place” (“Short History of Hajj”). It is one of the five pillars that define the Islamic faith. The Hajj itself is a five day trip into Mecca, the Islamic holy city, as well as surrounding areas. It is a trip that thousands of Muslims undergo each year. It is a staple of Islamic faith, as well as a spiritual and emotional journey that brings Muslims closer to God.
Resources were not the only thing exchanged by the Muslims, but also culture and ideals.According to Document A, the muslim city of Mecca, was one of world's most popular trading centers, connecting with many cities around this area of earth. Because they traded plenty of people, they were able to effectively trade their religion with other people. In Document A, Mecca is referred as the site of Arabia’s holiest pagan shrine. Mecca was not only a trade center, but also a spiritual center. Coming and going through the city, foreign traders were bound to take notice of the religious matters happening around the city or buy some sort of religious material. Islam was a free sample in the Meccan markets, that everyone took a piece
Due to the restrictive nature of Mecca, Muhammad was unable to convert many. Those who did convert converted individually, not in groups, whilst their clans remained as their basic social links. For Islam to succeed Muhammad needed to migrate to a more convenient place, where he could form spiritual and political leadership, preach openly and convert Muslims in groups. Yathrib would provide this and Muhammad's migration would begin a new era. Muhammad’s unacceptance in Mecca and thus his decision to take the Hijrah to a place where Islam could bloom attaches meanings of determination and perseverance to the Hijrah. Islam was unappealing to the majority in Mecca and preaching it came at a huge cost, but the prophet did not give up and attempt to settle back into the restricting nature of pre-Islamic Mecca, he was determined that Islam was going to be a success and that his revelations would be heard.
This shows that Mecca is in the middle of many trade cities, as a result of this trade moves through the city. Trade allows people to interact and move around, when they move around they bring their religious beliefs with them. Mecca was also the home to the most famous pagan shrine, the Ka’ba(Document A).This proves that many people come to Mecca, they came seeking the Ka’ba for their own religions that were important to them. , while they were in the city they began to trade. The people came seeking the Ka’ba but they may hear some Islamic people talking about their own religion.
“O ye who believe! Do not squander one another’s wealth in vanities, but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good will.” The Holy Quran, 4:29
The Islamic Empire had a wide influence and great power. It gained large amounts of information from the other nations it conquered. With this information, the Islamic Empire was able to make many great contributions to society. Of the Islamic achievements, those in science and math, education, and art still affect us today and are the most important.
Muhammad’s uncle was a clan chief in the Mecca, so when his uncle died he had no one to protect him and became dangerous for Muhammad (Gabriel 60). Muhammad fled to Yathrib because of the danger in Mecca. Yathrib became known as Madinat al-Nabi (the City of the Prophet), which in short they called Medina. During Muhammad’s time in Medina, he became their teacher, judge, arbitrator, adviser, consoler, and father figure (Haleem xii). The people of Medina hoped Muhammad would be a favorable arbitrator for their warring tribes, and he carried out this hope. Muhammad commanded multiple wars and raids, most with the Meccans. The Muslims, denied the right to enter Mecca, agreed to a truce made with the Meccan alliance. This truce, known as the Treaty of Al-Hudaybiyya, allows Muslims to preach peacefully (Haleem xxxvii). A tribe allied with Mecca broke this truce, prompting Muslims to attack Mecca. Meccan leaders surrendered and accepted Islam without a fight (Haleem xii).
Mecca is also known as Makkah and its full name is Makkah al-Mukkaramah. Mecca is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is known as the holiest site in the Islamic religion. The history of Mecca goes back as early as the fifth century. It was an independent and powerful city in pre-Islamic times. It is the religious center for Islamic people and it houses the Kaaba and the Great Mosque. It is also the birthplace of Muhammad, the first capital of caliphate, and the center of present day mosques. In 630 Muhammad and some of his followers went into the city of Mecca and captured it. Mecca is said to have started one of the most important religions in the world and it brings together the Islamic religion.
The prophet Muhammad had a significant impact on the rise and spread of the religion Islam. According to World Civilizations, Muhammad “began receiving revelations transmitted from Allah,” and later these revelations became holy scripts in the Quran. Muhammad started off with very few followers but as the faith of Allah started to spread, he gained more followers and he became a threat to Mecca’s rulers. As mentioned in World Civilization, “in 622 Muhammad left Mecca for Medina where his skilled leadership brought new followers.” In Medina, Muhammad became the religious authority in the area and he used this power to conquer Mecca, a holy place for Islamic believers. By the time of his death, he was able to have created a religious empire that controlled all of the Arabian Peninsula.
The religion of Islam all started with the Prophet Muhammad who received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel. He used these revelations to compile the Quran, the Islamic sacred book. During the time period of 600-1450, Islam had a tremendous impact on its center, Mecca, and also the surrounding areas. As a result of Mecca’s geographical location as well as the strong Islamic military, Islam spread far and wide. However, Islam’s impact on the world didn’t stop after 1450.
Jerusalem is a very old city, that well all know to be the capital of Israel. In fact Jerusalem is considered one of the oldest cities in the entire world. Having a past that traces back to the 4th millennium BCE (www.ancient.eu/jerusalem). Jerusalem has a very spiritual background, being the holiest city in Christianity and Judaism. The second king of Israel David, who was a very proficient military leader grew the city greatly. David battled Jebus during the year 1000 BC, later appointing it as the capital. The reason that David choose this location for his capitial was because it rested in between two territories, reason being so that neither tribe would gain too much power. Later, King Solomon in an act to bypass possible wars, married many royal familys.
At the time Medina’s population consisted of half Jews, a quarter Aws (Arab tribe) and a quarter Kharajites (another Arab tribe). The city was in disagreement as the two Arabic tribes were fighting so they all agreed that they needed someone to lead them. The Jews did not want a polytheistic leader and had heard of Muhammad’s teachings, they were all in agreement to invite Muhammad to their city. Muhammad accepts their offer as if He had stayed in Mecca him and His followers would have been tortured and killed for their beliefs and Muhammad needed to stay alive to spread the word of God. “The transition from Mecca to Medina marked a change in the role of Muhammad from Prophet to Ruler and from Warner to Warrior” (Cragg). This journey is called ‘The Hijrah’ which literally means ‘The Flight’ “the emigration marked a turning point in history”.