Masjid Haram, the sacred Mosque: imaan.com, a resource on Masjid Haram

Masjid Haram or Al-Masjid al-Haram or "The Sacred Mosque" is a large mosque in the heart of Makkah city. In a condensed form, it is also referred as Masjid Haram.

It surrounds the Kaaba, the point which all followers of Islam turn towards every day to offer namaz.

According to Islamic belief, the Masjid Haram or Haram sharif was first built by the angels even before the creation of mankind by the will of God. The Masjid Haram was destroyed and reconstructed several times and was also re-built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (pbuh) with the help of his son Ishmael.

Masjid Haram has been an important part of Arab culture since times immemorial. In pre-Islamic days, Masjid Haram was a noted pilgrimage site for pre-monotheistic Arabs, who filled the Kaaba with idols of the gods they worshipped. But this practice was widely criticized and was widely perceived as a mark of corruption since it belied the will of God. It was to offset this anomaly that God sent Mohammed as a messenger to mankind in general and the people of Makkah in particular. Mohammed's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, was a caretaker of the Kaaba which is surrounded by the Masjid Haram, and Mohammed (pbuh) spent much time there in prayer and reflection. The current caretaker of Masjid Haram is none other than the King of Saudi himself.

In old times, Masjid Haram was much smaller in size that what it is today. But over the centuries, Masjid Haram was gradually expanded under the stewardship of different rulers from the Islamic world. For instance, under the Ottomans, the Masjid Haram grew to roughly the size of the current courtyard. In the modern era, the Saudi government has also taken initiatives to expand the size of Masjid Haram as well as modernize it in the architectural sense. Now the Masjid Haram is also equipped with air conditioners and escalators. The exterior of the mosque has a breathtaking marble façade. Furthermore, the Masjid Haram is a three storied structure and each storey is capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of worshippers.

Advertise on this site