Historical places in Makkah

MAKKAH: MASJID AL-HARAM

House of Abu Bakr

House of Abu Jahal

The house of Arqam

House of Khadija

House of Abbas (رضي الله عنه)

This is the approximate area, outside the place of Sa’ee where the house of Abbas (رضي الله عنه) was located. Abbas (رضي الله عنه) was a paternal uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ) and protected him while he was in Makkah. Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib was about three years older than his nephew.

 A wealthy merchant, during the early years of Islam he protected the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was in Makkah, but only became a convert after the Battle of Badr in 624 CE (2 AH). His descendants founded the Abbassid caliphate in 750 CE. In spite of his noble standing among the Quraysh, Abu Talib, another uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ), was quite poor. He had a large family and did not have enough means to support them adequately. His poverty-stricken situation became much worse when a severe drought hit the Arabian peninsula. It was during this time of drought, before his call to prophethood, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to his uncle, Abbas: “Your brother, Abu Talib, has a large family. People as you see have been afflicted by this severe drought and are facing starvation. Let us go to Abu Talib and take over responsibility for some of his family. I will take one of his sons and you can taken another and we will look after them.” Abbas approved and together they went to Abu Talib and said to him: “We want to ease some of the burden of your family until such time as this distressing period has gone.” Abu Talib agreed and the Prophet (ﷺ) took Ali into his household and Abbas took Jafar into his. Jafar stayed with his uncle, Abbas, until he was a young man. Abbas was one of the youngest brothers of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) father Abdullah. During the early years while Islam was gaining adherents, Abbas provided protection to his kinsman but did not adopt the faith. He was captured during the Battle of Badr and accepted Islam just before the fall of Makkah, 20 years after his wife, Umm al-Fadl. Umm al-Fadl (رضي الله عنها), whose real name was Lubaba bint al-Harith, was one of the earliest converts to Islam and was a close friend of Khadija (رضي الله عنها), the first wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). Abbas (رضي الله عنه) was given the right to provide Zamzam water to pilgrims, the rights of which was passed down to his descendants. He is buried at the Jannatul Baqi cemetery in Madinah. The house of Ali (رضي الله عنه) was close to the house of Abbas (رضي الله عنه).

House of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه)

This is the approximate location where the house of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) was located in Makkah and from where Hijrah to Madinah commenced. It is in the Makkah Towers Hotel block, where a masjid (Masjid Abu Bakr) has been built on the 4th floor.

• When the decision to assassinate the Prophet (ﷺ) had been made by the Quraysh, Jibraeel (عليه السلام) was sent down to the Prophet (ﷺ) to reveal to him the plot and to give him his Lord’s permission to leave Makkah.
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Having been given the command for migration, the Prophet (ﷺ) called at the house of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) at noon when the burning sun had forced the people indoors. Since it was an unusual time to visit, Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) speculated that migration must have been ordered. First of all he (ﷺ) inquired if there was any strange person in the house. When he was informed that there was no one in the house except Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and his daughters, Asma and Aisha (رضي الله عنهم), he disclosed that migration to Madinah had indeed been ordered. “Who will accompany you on the journey?” Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) asked. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You will accompany me.” Having heard this, tears of joy trickled down from the eyes of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) and he said, “O Prophet of Allah! I have already bought two she-camels for this purpose and have made them strong and stout, and I offer you one.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “I will purchase it.”

Thus he paid for it and Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) had to accept it. And from that moment, preparations for migration started. Asma (رضي الله عنها) made them provisions of parched barley and some other food, Aisha (رضي الله عنها) was at that time still of a very tender age. After telling Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) of the plan, the Prophet (ﷺ) went back to his home.

House of Abu Jahal

This spot, beyond the lamp post outside the present Masah, is believed to be the approximate location of the house of Abu Jahal. Abu Jahal was a relative of the Prophet (ﷺ) and one of the worst enemies of Islam. He was described by the Prophet (ﷺ) as the ‘Fir’awn’ of this Ummah.

• Abu Jahal’s actual name was Amr ibn Hisham but he was commonly known as Abu Hakam (“Father of Wisdom”) among the Quraysh as he was considered a wise man. His relentless hostility and belligerence towards Islam earned him the name Abu Jahal (Father of Ignorance) among the Muslims. He was a member of the Banu Makhzum clan of the Quraysh.
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Abu Jahal was not a real uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ) [not his father’s real brother] but his father’s cousin. He was a staunch polytheist and greatly disliked the Prophet (ﷺ), taking any opportunity to rebuke and publicly humiliate him.

He was one of the greatest persecutors of the Muslims. When a Muslim convert was discovered among the hierarchy of a tribe, Abu Jahal would reprimand the convert and then ridicule him in front of his fellow tribesmen so he would lost their respect. When he discovered a trader had converted to Islam he gave orders that no one should engage in business with him. As a result, the convert trader was unable to sell his wares and became impoverished.

Convert slaves belonging to the polytheist Quraysh received the harshest punishment. Abu Jahal beat Harithah bint al-Muammil (رضي الله عنها), one such slave, for her conversion to such an extent that she lost her eyesight. He attacked Sumayyah bint Khayyaṭ, the mother of Ammar (رضي الله عنه) and inflicted on her mortal wounds by stabbing her with a spear in her private parts. This blessed lady was the first to meet martyrdom in the cause of Islam.

When Umar (رضي الله عنه) embraced Islam, he was determined to announce his new faith to the Prophet’s (ﷺ) enemies and the first place he went to was the house of Abu Jahal. Umar (رضي الله عنه) knocked on his door, Abu Jahal came out and greeted him,“Welcome! What brings you here?”
“I have come to tell you that I have embraced the religion of Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad,” Umar calmly stated.
Abu Jahal heard this and disgustedly said, “May God ruin you and what you have brought!” and slammed the door shut.

Daarul Arqam (The house of Arqam)

This area, at the foot of Mount Safa iss the approximate area where Daarul Arqam (The house of Arqam (رضي الله عنه)) was located. It was here in the initial period of Islam that the Prophet (ﷺ) secretly preached Islam.

Arqam (رضي الله عنه)

• The house belonged to a Sahabi named Arqam bin Abil Arqam (رضي الله عنه). 

  He had several houses on his property, and he donated this one as a secret centre for propagation. It was situated at the northern base of Mount Safa, with at least one door hidden from the view of its neighbours.
• Arqam (رضي الله عنه) was only 12-16 years old when he embraced Islam which he kept secret. The house was an inheritance from his father. He was from Bani Makhzum, the same tribe headed by Abu Jahal.

• The first ‘Madressa’ in Islam

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    For some time after the Prophet (ﷺ) proclaimed his Prophethood, the Muslims gathered here to perform salah and to learn about Islam without fear of torture or persecution. As it was a short walk away from the Ka’bah and its bustling crowds, the pagans who lived nearby did not take notice of the many people who used to gather here. It effectively became the first Madressa (Islamic school) in Islam.

  Quran revelations

  • Many verses of the Quran were revealed here and it was also here that many verses of the Quran were first taught by the Prophet (ﷺ).
  • It was here that the following verse from Surah al-Anfal was revealed: “O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you, and for those who follow you among the believers.” [8:64]
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• House of Khadija (رضي الله عنها)

This is the approximate region, outside the Marwah exit, where the house of Ummul Mu’mineen Khadija (رضي الله عنها) was located. It was here that the Prophet (ﷺ) lived from the time of his marriage to her until he emigrated to Madinah.

• When the Prophet (ﷺ) married Khadija (رضي الله عنها), he moved out from the house of his uncle Abu Talib and into the house of his bride. At the time of their marriage he (ﷺ) was 25 and Khadija (رضي الله عنها) was 40 years old. They stayed together for 25 years.
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• Khadija (رضي الله عنها) was the Prophet’s (ﷺ) first wife, he married none other during her lifetime. She bore all his children except for Ebrahim, who was born to Mariya Qibtiya (Mary the Copt). All of the children were born at her home. They were named (in order of birth) Qasim, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthoom, Fatima, Abdullah, and Ebrahim (scholars, however, disagree about the exact number and order of births). All the sons passed away during childhood, but all the daughters lived to see their father become a prophet. Each daughter embraced Islam and migrated to Madinah, and all but Fatima (رضي الله عنها) died during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ). Fatima (رضي الله عنها) died six months after her father’s death.
• As well as their immediate family, the Prophet (ﷺ) and Khadija (رضي الله عنها) also had extended members of their household. Barakah (who later became more commonly known as Umm Ayman), was the freed African slave the Prophet (ﷺ) inherited from his father and whom he would sometimes affectionately address as ‘mother’. Zaid bin Haritha was a slave boy given as a bridal gift to the Prophet (ﷺ) by Khadija (رضي الله عنها); he was set free by the Prophet (ﷺ) but Zaid chose to stay with him and became an adopted son. The Prophet (ﷺ) also took his cousin Ali into his household on account of the financial hardships his uncle Abu Talib was experiencing.
• When the Prophet (ﷺ) received the first revelation of the Quran on Mount Hira he came back home and said to Khadija (رضي الله عنها), “Wrap me up, wrap me up.” Khadija (رضي الله عنها) wrapped him up in a blanket. When he (ﷺ) regained peace of mind after a short while, he related to Khadija (رضي الله عنها) what had happened to him with the remark, “I feel my life threatened.” Khadija (رضي الله عنها) replied, “By no means, I swear to Allah that He would never put you to shame. You join the ties of relationship, you speak the truth, you bear people’s burdens, you help the destitute, you entertain guests and you mitigate the pains and grief suffered for the sake of truth.” She unhesitatingly believed in him, and accepted Islam immediately.
• The boycott of the Muslims in She’eb Abi Talib took a heavy toll on the health of Khadija (رضي الله عنها), and shortly after it was ended she passed away. She was the Prophet’s trusted advisor and loyal companion, and was known by the title ‘Mother of the believers’. The Prophet (ﷺ) once said of Khadija (رضي الله عنها), “When no one believed me, she believed in me, when people accused me of lying, she affirmed my truthfulness, and when people tried to impoverish me, she made me a partner in her wealth.”
• When the idolaters of Makkah plotted to assassinate the Prophet (ﷺ) they surrounded his house at night. The Prophet (ﷺ) was inside along with Ali (رضي الله عنه). The Prophet (ﷺ) told Ali (رضي الله عنه) to sleep in his bed and cover himself with his green garment and assured him full security under Allah’s protection and that no harm would come to him. The Prophet (ﷺ) then came out of his house and cast a handful of dust on the assassins and managed to work his way through them reciting these verses of the Quran: “And We have put a barrier before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have covered them up, so that they cannot see.” [36:9]
• The Prophet (ﷺ) made his way to the house of Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) from where they set off on the Hijrah to Madinah. Unaware of the Prophet’s escape, the would-be assassins waited for him to come out of his house. Only at dawn when Ali (رضي الله عنه) awoke and came out did they realize that they had been tricked. They interrogated him about the Prophet’s whereabouts, but he pleaded ignorance. They then dragged him to the Ka’bah and kept him captive there, but he divulged nothing.
• The Prophet (ﷺ) stayed in the house of Khadija (رضي الله عنها) for around 29 years.

Please note that the location shown above is only an approximation and it is highly unlikely that the house existed at the same ground level.