10 Virtues of Makkah Mukarramah

Ten virtues of Makkah Mukarramah

Shanawar Ghani Baghdadi

(Fourth Year, Jamia-tul-Madina Faizan-e-Imam Ghazali, Faisalabad)

Makkah is a city of immense blessings and esteem. Every Muslim yearns to visit it, bask in its lights, and immerse himself in the divine mercy which engulfs that blessed land. Let us discuss the virtues of this sacred city, which is very beloved to Allah Almighty:

1.   A city of peace: Makkah has been mentioned in multiple places in the Quran. For example:

وَ اِذْ قَالَ اِبْرٰهٖمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هٰذَا بَلَدًا اٰمِنًا

“˹Recall˺ when Ibrāhīm requested that 'O my Lord, make this city (Makkah) peaceful.’”^[1]

2.   Ramadan in Makkah: The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:

رَمَضَانُ بِمَکَّۃَ اَفْضَلُ مِنْ اَلْفِ رَمَضَانَ بِغَیْرِ مَکَّۃ

“A Ramadan spent in Makkah is superior to a thousand months of Ramadan spent elsewhere.”^[2]

3.   A city beloved to the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم: Sayyiduna ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAdī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said that he saw the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on his camel in the area of Harwarah, remarking, “By Allah! You are the best land from the lands of Allah, and you are the most beloved to me of all of Allah’s lands. By Allah! If I was not taken out from this place, I would never have left.”^[3]

4.   Makkah is a sacred sanctuary (ḥaram) until the Day of Judgement: Sayyidatunā Ṣafiyya bint Shayba رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا reported that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم delivered a sermon on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, announcing, “O people! Allah has made this city a sanctuary from the day that He created the heavens and the earth. By Allah’s declaration, it is sanctified until the Day of Judgement.”^[4]

5.   Dajjal will not enter Makkah or Madina: The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:

لَا یَدْخُلُ الدَّجَّالُ مَکَّۃَ وَلَا الْمَدِیْنَۃَ

 “Dajjal will be unable to enter Makkah and Madina.”^[5]

6.   The virtue of Makkah’s heat: The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated:

مَنْ صَبَرَ عَلٰی حَرِّ مَکَّۃَ سَاعَۃً مِّنْ نَہَارٍ تَبَاعَدَتْ عنْہُ النَّارُ

 “Whosoever bears the heat of Makkah for a part of the day, the fire of Hell is distanced from him.”^[6]

7.   The reward of the one who falls ill in Makkah: Sayyidunā Saʿīd ibn Jubayr رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said:

Whosoever falls ill for one day in Makkah, Allah Almighty grants him the reward of that good deed which he has performed for seven years ˹but is unable to carry it out due to sickness˺, and if he is a traveller, he will be granted double the reward.^[7]

8.   The one who dies in Makkah will not be brought to account: The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Whosoever dies in ˹any of˺ the two Sanctuaries (Makkah and Madina), Allah Almighty will raise him with the safeguarded people on the Day of Judgement.”^[8]

9.   The place of the noble Prophet’s birth: Another virtue of Makkah is that the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was born in this city.^[9]

10.   The reward of one salah is equal to 100,000: The reward of one salah in Masjid al-Haram is equal to 100,000 prayers.^[10]

The sacred city of Makkah—may Allah increase its virtue—has many names, ten of which are shared here:

 1. al-Balad

2. al-Balad al-Amīn

3. al-Balada

4. al-Qarya

5. al-Qādisiyya

6. al-Bayt al-ʿAtīq

7. Maʿad

8. Bakkah

9. al-Raʾs

10. Umm al-Qurā.^[11]

We ask Allah Almighty to enable us to visit Makkah again and again.

اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّیْن صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم