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Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem are generally recognized as the three most important sites in Islam according to interpretations of scriptures in the Quran and Hadith.

Masjid al-Haram, Mecca

Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام IPA: [ælˈmæs.ʤi.dæl.ħɑˈrɑm] "The Sacred Mosque"), is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the largest in Islam. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which all Muslims turn towards each day in prayer, considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The mosque is also commonly known as the Haram or Haram Sharif.

The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers during the Hajj period. During the Hajj period, the mosque is unable to contain the multitude of piligrims, who pray on the outlining streets. More than 2 million worshippers gather to pray during Laylat al-Qadr and Eid prayers.

According to the teachings of Islam, God in the Qur'an used the word Mosque when referring to the sites established by Abraham and his progeny as houses of worship to God centuries before the revelation of the Qur'an. The first of these spots is Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the second is Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under muslim control in 630 CE and 638 CE, the site of the Kaaba, which was established by Abraham and Ishmael but at the time of Muhammad was used by pagans.

And when We assigned to Abraham the place of the House (Kaaba), saying: Do not associate with Me aught, and purify My House for those who make the circuit and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves.

— Qur'an,

And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (Kaaba): Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.

— Qur'an,

Masjid-an-Nabawi, Medina

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي IPA: [ælˈmæs.ʤi.dæˈnːæ.bæ.wiː]) or the Mosque of the Prophet, in Medina, is the second holiest mosque in Islam. Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca is the holiest mosque; the Al-Aqsa mosque (adjacent to the Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem) is the third holiest in Islam.

The original mosque was built by the prophet Muhammad. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated the mosque. The most important feature of the site is the green dome over the center of the mosque, where the tomb of Muhammad is located. Constructed in 1817C.E. and painted green in 1839C.E., it is known as the Dome of the Prophet. Early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab are buried beside the Holy Prophet (SAW).

The edifice was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijrah (emigration) to Medina, later building a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The basic plan of the building has been adopted in the building of other mosques throughout the world.

The mosque also served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Qur'an. It is the second holiest site in Islam.

Imam Ali Mosque, Iraq

This is where Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph is buried. Because Ali was also Muhammad's cousin, he is considered by Shiite tradition to be the first legitimate caliph and the first Imam.

Many sources refer to the Imam Ali Mosque, in Najaf, Iraq, as the third holiest site for the Shiite branch of Islam. With an estimated 130 to 200 million followers worldwide, this accounts for approximately 15% of all Muslims. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims.

It has also been reported in the name of Imam Sardeg (Imam-Jaafar Al-Sadeq, the Sixth Twelver of Shia) that the Imam Ali mosque is the third of five holy places: Mecca, Medina, the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, and the shrine for Fatemah in Qom.

There are even those who claim that the Imam Ali shrine is the second holiest site after Mecca Juan Cole mentions that Imam Ali Mosque, in Najaf is the fourth holiest preceded by Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. He also mentions that Najaf and Karbala, the two holiest cities for Shiites.

Imam Husayn Shrine, Iraq

The Imam Husayn Shrine is built on the spot where Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, is believed to have been killed during the Battle of Karbala.

According to the Public Broadcasting Service, the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala is the holiest site outside of Meca and Medina. This view was also agreed to by the British public broadcast network, Channel 4.

Juan Cole mentions that Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala in Iraq is the fifth holiest preceded by Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and Najaf. He also mentions that Najaf and Karbala, the two holiest cities for Shiites.

Al Askari Mosque, Iraq

Here the remains of the tenth and eleventh Shī`a Imāms, `Alī l-Hādī and his son Hassan al-`Askarī, known as "the two `Askarīs", are interred. It stands adjacent to a shrine to the Twelfth or "Hidden" Imām, Muħammad al-Mahdī. The `Askariyya Shrine is also known as the "Tomb or Mausoleum of the Two Imāms". Also buried within the Mosque are the remains of Hakimah Khatun, sister of `Alī l-Hādī, and of Narjis Khatun, mother of Muħammad al-Mahdi.

At the time of the Al Askari Mosque bombing in Samarra, it was reported that the mosque was one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, only exceeded by the shrines of Najaf and Karbala.

In an interview published by Abroad Media, Lt. Gen. David Petraeus referred to it as the third holiest shrine in shia Islam.

Quba Mosque

The Quba Mosque (Quba' Masjid or Masjid al-Quba, Arabic: مسجد قباء) just outside Medina, Saudi Arabia, is the first Islamic mosque ever built. Its first stones were positioned by the prophet Muhammad on his emigration from the city of Mecca to Medina and the mosque was completed by his companions. Muhammad spent more than 20 nights in this mosque (after migrating) praying qasr (a short prayer) while waiting for Ali whose house was behind this mosque.

Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Iraq

After the bombing of the Al Kadhimiya Mosque, Middle East correspondent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Nahlah Ayed, reported that “Well, it had been a very quiet crowd just walking around, milling around, and then the first of the bombs went off. People didn't really know what was going on until the second bomb went off and it blew up in a fiery ball right in front of the Kadhimiya Mosque, the third holiest site for Shia Muslims.”

Other reports after the bombing also referred to the shrine as the third-holiest in Shiite Islam.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the general and oldest name for the compound of Islamic religious buildings in Jerusalem that includes al-Aqsa congregation mosque and the Dome of the Rock. This same area was called at later Islamic periods as the Noble Sanctuary . References to Jerusalem and events in it have been made more than seventy times in the Quran, in various states of ambiguity, and many times in the Hadith. Al-Aqsa's importance in Islam stems from a long history that extends far before the birth of prophet Muhammad. The site has been mentioned in Quran several times in relation to Prophets of Islam. It is also the same site from which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven.

The term Al-Aqsa Mosque was coined in the Quran:

Glory be to Him Who made His servant (Muhammad) to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

— Qur'an,

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the

• The first of the two Qiblas.(Arabic: اولى القبلتين; Translit: Ula al-Qiblatayn) Jerusalem is called the “First of the two qibla’s”.
• The second Masjid. (Arabic: ثاني المسجدين; Translit: Thani al-Masjidayn)
• Third of the two Sanctuaries. (Arabic: ثالث الحرمين; Translit: thālith al-ḥaramayn)

Although most political references to the Al Aqsa Mosque date from the 12th century or later due to its occupation by the Crusades, the Mosque's position in Islam is firmly grounded in a number of hadith dating from the birth of Islam..

In terms of the virtue of a religious site, and the value of prayers performed within it, Muslims believe that the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is the third virteous prayer site based on scripture. The companion Abu al-Dardaa narrated: "the Prophet of Allah Muhammad said a prayer in the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth 1,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) is worth 500 prayers more than in any other mosque.

A hadith attributed to Abu-Sa'id al-Khudri reports:

Sunnis tend to view this as Sahih and have included it in Sahih Bukhari .

A hadith attributed to Abu Dharr reports:

Sunnis tend to view this as Sahih and have included it in Sahih Muslim .

See also .

The Western Wall which supports the Al Aqsa Mosque is also venerated by Muslims as being the wall to which the prophet tethered his winged steed.

Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus

The Mosque of Umm Haram or the Hala Sultan Tekke, as it is known, is the chief Muslim shrine in Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus. It is also a listed Ancient Monument of B Schedule no.8 in the Larnaca District. The accounts regarding its existence have generally been dated from the first Arab raids on Cyprus (A.D 647 or A.D 649). The most likely account tells of the death of the wife of “Ubada bin al-Samit”, Umm Haram, during a raid upon the island organized by Muawiyah. She fell from her mule and died after breaking her neck during the siege of Larnaca. She was buried near the salt lake and her grave became a sacred shrine. Hala Sultan (Umm Haram) was the Prophet Muhammad’s ‘wet-nurse’. This Mosque named after her, lies in a serene and picture perfect setting on the shores of the Larnaca Salt Lake.

The Hala Sultan Tekke also contains the tomb belonging to the Queen of Hashemite Adile Hüseyin Ali, the Turkish wife of the last Hashemite King Hüseyin ibn Şerif Ali, who was the grandson of the Ottoman vizier Mustafa Reşit Pasha. Since the former king was the descendant of the Prophet Mohammad, after his death, he too was buried here.

Eyüp Mosque, Turkey

This site is the reputed burial place of Ayoub al-Ansari who was a friend and the standard bearer for Muhammed. In addition to Ayoub's tomb there is a golden-framed footprint of Muhammed.

The Eyüp Sultan Mosque is situated outside the walls near the Golden Horn, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari standard - bearer of the Prophet Muhammad, died an assault on Constantinople in 670. His tomb is greatly venerated and attracts many pilgrims.

Rawze-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

Rawze-e-Sharif located in Mazari Sharif is said by Capt. Emma Schofield to be the resting place of the Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph and the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is revered as the first Shi'a Imam by Shi'a Muslims. It is said that bandits stole his body and buried it in Mazari Sharif. However this claim is disputed, see Grave of Ali. According to Capt. Emma Schofield Rawze-e-Sharif is the third holiest site in Islam.

Umayyad Mosque, Syria

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Located in the old city of Damascus, it is of great architectural importance. The mosque holds a shrine which is said to contain the head of John the Baptist, honoured as a prophet by both Christians and Muslims. The head was supposedly found during the excavations for the building of the mosque. The tomb of Saladin stands in a small garden adjoining the north wall of the mosque.

Imam Reza Shrine, Iran

Imam Reza was the Eighth Imam of Shi'ite Islam, who is believed by members of the Shi'ia sect to have been poisoned there upon orders of Caliph Al Ma'mun. Among the first major buildings built in Mashad was a mausoleum built by Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi. Today the holy shrine and its museum hold one of the most extensive cultural and artistic treasuries of Iran, in particular manuscript books and paintings. Several important theological schools are associated with the shrine of the Eighth Imam. As a city of great religious significance, it is also a place of pilgrimage. It is said that the rich go to Mecca but the poor journey to Mashhad. Thus, even as those who complete the pilgrimage to Mecca receive the title of Haji, those who make the pilgrimage to Mashhad – and especially to the Imam Reza shrine – are known as Mashtee, a term employed also of its inhabitants. It is thought that over 20 million Muslims a year make the pilgrimage to Mashhad.

Writing in the Chicago Business biweekly Alex Mahler wrote that the site is third holiest for Shiite Muslims.

Nizamuddin Dargah

Nizamuddin Dargah is the mausoleum of Delhi's most famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. It is visited daily by many of people of all religions. The tomb of Amir Khusro is also located within the Nizamuddin Dargah Complex.

References

1. Encyclopedia of the orient
2. Almodarresi, Sayed Mahdi (February 9, 2003). "Never Again!". Modarresinews.com. Retrieved 2006-11-12. The place was the burial site of Islam's second most important figure and third holiest shrine. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "Muslim Shiite's Saint Imam Ali Holy Shrine". Photo Agency. Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran. 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-12. world's 120 million Shiites regard Najaf - a center of scientific, literary and theological studies - as their third-holiest site, behind Mecca and Medina.
4. al-Issawi, Tarek (August 31, 2003). "Iraqis arrest 19 with terror ties in mosque blast". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2006-11-12. American authorities have not taken an active public role in the mosque investigation because of Iraqi sensitivity to any U.S. presence at the Najaf shrine, the most-sacred Shi'ite shrine in Iraq and the third holiest in the world after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. Penhaul, Karl (April 23, 2003). "Religious rivalries and political overtones in Iraq". CNN. Retrieved 2006-11-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. Escobar, Pepe (May 24, 2002). "Knocking on heaven's door". Central Asia/Russia. Asia Times Online. Retrieved 2006-11-12. To give a measure of its importance, according to a famous hadith (saying) - enunciated with pleasure by the guardians of the shrine - we learn that 'our sixth imam, Imam Sardeg, says that we have five definitive holy places that we respect very much. The first is Mecca, which belongs to God. The second is Medina, which belongs to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of God. The third belongs to our first imam of Shia, Ali, which is in Najaf. The fourth belongs to our third imam, Hussein, in Kerbala. The last one belongs to the daughter of our seventh imam and sister of our eighth imam, who is called Fatemah, and will be buried in Qom. Pilgrims and those who visit her holy shrine, I promise to these men and women that God will open all the doors of Heaven to them.' {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. "Lebanese Firms To Start Tourism Projects In Iraq". IslamicTourism.com. September 3, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12. Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali, the cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, is Muslim Shiites second holiest site after Mecca in Saudi Arabia. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Editor's note: This is actually taken from the www.azzaman.com news website, but is no longer directly linked on the English-language page.
8. ^ Juan, Cole (August 28, 2004). "Informed Comment". Juan Cole. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. "Karbala". Interactive Map: Sunni and Shia: The Worlds of Islam. Public Broadcasting Service. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-12. Husayn, Ali's son, Muhammad's grandson, and the central martyr in the Shia tradition, died at Karbala and is buried there. For Shiites, his tomb is the holiest site outside of Mecca and Medina, and many make the pilgrimage there -- up to a million pilgrims visit the city to observe Ashura, the anniversary of Husayn's death.
10. "Karbala". Channel 4. Retrieved 2006-11-12. The holy city of Karbala, situated 100 km south of Baghdad, derives its name from the ancient Babylonian meaning "sacred place of God" from the two shrines it houses of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn and his brother 'Abbas. Shi'a Muslims consider this to be one of the holiest places in the world second only to Mecca and Najaf.
11. Gosh, Aparisim (March 6, 2006). "An Eye For an Eye". Time Magazine. pp. Cover Story. Retrieved 2006-11-12. That makes al-Askari one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites, exceeded in veneration only by the shrines of Najaf and Karbala. Even Samarra's Sunnis hold al-Askari in high esteem. The expression "to swear by the shrine" is routinely used by both communities. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Editor's note: Quote is found on third page of article.
12. Petraeus, Lt. Gen. David (Sept 17, 2006). "Transcript: Lt. Gen. David Petraeus - Interview". American Abroad Media. Retrieved 2006-11-13. …but now also sectarian militias that have very much become active particularly in the wake again of the Gold Dome Mosque bombing on Samara when the third holiest shrine in Shia Islam was devastated by an explosion… {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. Robertson, Hamish (March 3, 2004). "Iraq suicide bombings: an eyewitness account". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2006-11-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "Iraq blasts kill 143 on Shiite holy day". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 2, 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-12. 'After the blast, all you could see was death everywhere you looked,' said Ahmed Kamil Ibrahim, a guard at the Kazimiya shrine in Baghdad, the third-holiest in Shiite Islam. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. Oleg Grabar, THE HARAM AL-SHARIF: AN ESSAY IN INTERPRETATION, BRIIFS vol. 2 no 2 (Autumn 2000)
16. Palestinian Encyclopedia Volume 4, pp. 203
17. Palestinian Encyclopedia Volume 3, pp. 23
18. el-Khatib, Abdallah (May 1, 2001). "Jerusalem in the Qur'ān" (Abstract). British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 28 (1): 25–53. "The third section deals with the verses which imply ambiguous, but likely references to the same . The fourth section deals with the verses that imply ambiguous, but unlikely references. It was found that there are about 70 places in the Qur'an which fall into these two last categories.". doi:10.1080/13530190120034549. Retrieved 2006-11-17. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. Wendy Doninger, consulting ed., ed. (1999-09-01). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 70. ISBN 0-877-79044-2. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help), reviewed on Google books
20. Lindsay, James (2005). Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World. Greenwood Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0313322708.
21. Hashimi, Sohail H (2003-05-07). "Political Boundaries and Moral Communities: Islamic Perspectives". In Allen E. Buchannan, Margaret Moore, eds (ed.). States, Nations and Borders: the ethics of making boundaries. Cambridge University Press. pp. 192–193. ISBN 0-521-52575-6. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link), reviewed on Google books
23. Template:Muslim
24. Schofield, Emma (October 17, 2005). "The Blue Mosque at Masar-e-Sharif". Mirror. International Security Assistance Force. p. 8. Retrieved 2006-11-12. The Blue Mosque in Masar-e-Sharif is the third holiest site in Islam and the main dome was built 970 years ago to house the coffin of Khalif Ali, the son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
25. Mahler, Alex (November 25, 2002). "Sneaking Into Iran's Holiest Shrine". Chicago Business. Retrieved 2006-11-15. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians come to Mashad each year on pilgrimage. The Emam Reza Shrine in the heart of the city is the third holiest site for Shi'ite Muslims, and the most important within Iran. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

• Articles lacking reliable references from December 2006
• Islam
• Ziyarat
• Mosques in Iraq
• Mosques in Afghanistan