Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual
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SACRED PLACES<br />
Mecca<br />
The most sacred place for<br />
<strong>Muslim</strong>s is the Ka`ba in<br />
the sacred city of Mecca in<br />
modern day Saudi Arabia. <strong>Muslim</strong>s<br />
believe that the Ka`ba was built in<br />
time immemorial by the Prophet<br />
Abraham and his son Ishmael as a<br />
place to worship the one God. Mecca<br />
is where the Prophet Muhammad<br />
was born and lived, and began his<br />
mission. <strong>Muslim</strong>s from all over the<br />
world gather there for their annual<br />
pilgrimage (hajj).<br />
Medina<br />
The second most sacred place<br />
for <strong>Muslim</strong>s is Medina, the city<br />
of the Prophet, which is also in<br />
Saudi Arabia. The Mosque of the<br />
Prophet is in Medina. It is where the<br />
Prophet Muhammad and many of<br />
his immediate followers are buried.<br />
Only <strong>Muslim</strong>s may visit Mecca and<br />
Medina.<br />
Jerusalem<br />
The third most sacred place in<br />
Islam is Jerusalem. It is believed to<br />
be where the Prophet Muhammad<br />
miraculously travelled in his famous<br />
Night Journey, and from where he<br />
‘ascended’ to the heavens. There<br />
are several sacred monuments for<br />
<strong>Muslim</strong>s in Jerusalem, such as the<br />
Dome of the Rock and the Aqsa<br />
Mosque.<br />
Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock<br />
The beauty and tranquillity of the Noble Sanctuary in Jerusalem attracts<br />
thousands of visitors of all faiths every year. Many believe it was the site of the<br />
Temple of Solomon, peace be upon him, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586<br />
BC, or the site of the Second Temple, completely destroyed by the Romans in<br />
70 CE. For <strong>Muslim</strong>s the area has a special significance, as the site of the Prophet<br />
Muhammad’s Night Journey, peace and blessings be upon him, and as the first<br />
qibla (direction of prayer) for Islam. 27<br />
In 685 CE the Umayyad Caliph, `Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, commenced<br />
work on the Dome of the Rock. Essentially unchanged for more than thirteen<br />
centuries, the Dome of the Rock remains one of the world’s most beautiful and<br />
enduring architectural treasures. The gold dome stretches 20 metres across the<br />
Noble Rock, rising to an apex more than 35 metres above it. The Qur’anic verse<br />
Ya Sin is inscribed across the top in the dazzling tile work commissioned in the<br />
16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. 28<br />
The third most sacred place<br />
in Islam is Jerusalem. It is<br />
believed to be where the Prophet<br />
Muhammad miraculously<br />
travelled in his famous Night<br />
Journey, and from where he<br />
‘ascended’ to the heavens.<br />
27<br />
http://www.noblesanctuary.com/HISTORY.html<br />
28 http://www.noblesanctuary.com/DOME.html<br />
<strong>Muslim</strong> <strong>Australians</strong>:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 43
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