How The Wahabis Destroyed Graveyard Of Jannatul Baqi Sharif?

Jannat-ul-Baqi’ Sharif is a much revered graveyard located in Madinah Munawwarah Sharif in Saudi Arabia. Many great personalities of the Ahle Bait Sharif (Alaihimus Salam), immaculate members of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s household including Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s successors are laid to rest here:

1. Hazrat Fatemah Tuz-Zahra (Alaihas Salam), the Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s highly-revered daughter.
2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali – Al Mujtaba (Alaihis Salam)
3. Imam Ali ibn Hussain – Zain al-Aabedeen (Alaihis Salam)
4. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali – Al-Baqir (Alaihis Salam) and
5. Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad – Al-Sadiq (Alaihis Salam)

In addition to the successors of the Great Allah Pak’s Apostle Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, prominent and famous companions of the Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s and His (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) close relatives are also buried here:

1. Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib (Prophet’s Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s uncle)
2. Safiyyah Bint Abdil Muttallib (Alaihis Salam) and Aatika Bint Abdil Muttalib (Alaihis Salam) (Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s Aunts)
3. Ibrahim ibn Muhammad (Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s son)
4. Hazrat Fatima Binte Asad (Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s Aunt and Ameerul Momineen (Alaihis Salam’s) Mother (Alaihas Salam)
5. Aqeel ibn Abi Talib (Alaihis Salam) Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s cousin and Ameerul Momineen (Alaihis Salam’s) Brother)
6. Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abi Taalib (Alaihis Salam), famous as Muhammad-e-Hanafiyyah (His Mother’s Name Was Hanafiyyah)
7. Hazrat Ummul Baneen (Mother of Hazrat Abul Fazl Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Taalib (Alaihis Salam)
8. Ismail ibn. Imam Sadiq (Alaihis Salam)
9. Abdullah ibn Jafar-e-Tayyaar (Alaihis Salam)

Jannat Al Baqi Before 1925 C

These are the individuals buried in Baqi’ Sharif and their graves were adorned with mausoleums and tombs. Even today Muslims have preserved pictures of the tombs and these are widely available on internet websites. These tombs were present till 8th Shavval 1344 A.H. Apart from these great personalities, graves of approximately seven thousand famous companions are located in Baqi’ Sharif. Similarly, many scholars of the early days of Islam are also buried here, like Imam Maalik Rahmatullahi Alaihi– the founder of the Maaliki Sect. Like with other graves, a tomb was also built over his grave.

The first attack on Baqi’ – 1220 A.H.

The attack was first engineered by the Wahhabis in 1220 A.H. i.e. when the first Saudi government was overthrown by the Ottoman government. In 1220 A.H. Wahhabis entered Medinah Sharif to demolish Baqi’ Sharif and tried to demolish many mosques instead of Baqi’. They initially tried to pull down the dome of the mausoleum of the Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam but apparently refrained due to fear of reprisal.

The Ottoman government renovated the mausoleums and Shia and Sunnis from all over the world accumulated funds for its renovation. Consequently, beautiful tombs were created in Baqi’ Sharif and visitors from all over the world at the time of Hajj, Umrah and Ziyaarah paid their respects to these tombs. However, this was just the beginning of the nightmare for the Islamic world.

The Day of Demolition

The Day of Demolition as it came to be known later was the day of breaking down of all mausoleums and tombs in Baqi’ Sharif. In 1344 A.H. when Aal-e-Saud – Saudi family gained complete control of Makkah Sharif, Madinah Sharif and its neighborhood, they decided to wipe out the signs of the holy places, Jannatul Baqi’ Sharif, companions and family of the Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s from the map of Islam. For this, they obtained rulings from the scholars of Madinah Sharif to make it easy for themselves and to gain support of the people of Hijaz who were previously not ready for their rule.

Rulings for Demolition

Aal-e-Saud dispatched the Chief Justice Sulaiman Ibn, Bulaihar so that he could obtain the desired rulings from the scholars of Madinah Sharif. For this, he posed questions to the scholars of Madinah Sharif in such a manner that the answers, as per the Wahhabi viewpoint, were present in the questions themselves. Similarly, the jurists (muftis) were informed beforehand to respond with the desired answers or they would be declared polytheists and killed if they failed to repent. The questions and answers were published in a Makkah-based magazine ‘Ummul Qura’ in the Shavval 1344 A.H. edition.

Sulaiman Ibn. Bulaihar posed the following question:

What do the scholars of Al-Madinahh Al-Munawwarah Sharif, may Great Allah Pak increase their knowledge and understanding, have to say – Is it permissible to construct a structure and mosque over graves?

If it is not permissible and Islam strongly prohibits it, then is it obligatory to demolish them and stop Muslims from praying Salah there?

Can graves, structures and tombs constructed on an endowed land like Baqi’ Sharif whose some parts are not useful considered as usurped? Should not they be demolished at the earliest to do away with the oppression perpetrated on the deserving ones?

The scholars of Madinah Sharif, out of fear and greed replied to Sulaiman Ibn Bulaihar as stated below:

Building a structure over graves has been collectively prohibited in traditions. Hence many scholars have given the verdict of the necessity of breaking them and we would like to take support of a tradition on the authority of Imam Ali (Alaihis Salam) wherein he instructed Abil Hayyaj: I command you to accomplish something which the Messenger of Great Allah Pak Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had ordered me. It is that you destroy any Image/Photograph and Any Grave(grave of non Muslims) that you see before making it level (with the ground).

At this stage, we do not wish to comment on this tradition except that Quran permits building of a structure on graves as advocated in Surah Kahf (18): Verse XX. The Muslim nation is united on this reality and has been building graves in every era. In fact, the companions have never opposed building structure over graves, which explains why tombs and mausoleums existed in Baqi’ until they were destroyed and the graves of the first and second caliphs continue to be enshrined.

Lastly, the tradition of Abil Hayyaj, which the Wahhabis quote freely, is unreliable as it does not meet the criteria of a Sahih tradition from aspects of text and chain of narrators and more importantly contravenes the Noble Quran, the foremost test of a tradition’s reliability.

Destruction and Looting

Between 1205 A.H. and 1217 A.H., the Wahhabis attempted to occupy Hijaz several times but failed until they captured Taaef in 1217 A.H. killing many Muslims in the process. In 1218 A.H., they attacked Makkah Sharif and destroyed all the holy places including the structure built over the well of Zam Zam.

In 1216 A.H., in the month of Zilqad Sharif, the Wahhabis attacked the holy city of Karbala Sharif, laid a siege to it, killed many people in the streets and markets and plundered it until midday before fleeing the city with lot of wealth and goods. Saud himself took one-fifth of the looted amount and gave one part of the remaining loot to the soldiers on foot and two parts to the horsemen (because as per them this was a war against the disbelievers).

Attack on the Holy City of Makkah Sharif

In 1344 A.H. i.e. 1925 A.D. before the Wahhabis attacked Jannatul Baqi’ Sharif, they attacked the graveyard of Makkah Sharif which is still known as Jannat ul Mo’alla and is the most venerated cemetery after Baqi’ Sharif. The Prophet of Great Allah Pak Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to visit this graveyard, where Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s great grandfather Abdul Manaf Alaihis Salam, Grandfather Abdul Muttalib (Alaihis Salam), Uncle Abu Talib (Alaihis Salam) and Wife Khadijatul Qubra (Alaihas Salam) are buried.

There was a mausoleum and a tomb on each of their graves. The Wahabbis demolished all of them before turning towards Madinah Sharif. It should be noted that their destructive aims were accomplished only after many Muslims were martyred in the skirmishes. The Wahhabis did not stop at killing; they made sure to plunder the mausoleums afterwards.

Destruction and Disrespect of Baqi Sharif.

It was on Wednesday, 8th Shavval 1344 A.H. i.e. 21st April 1925, under the commandership of Abdul Aziz Bin. Saud – the Wahhabis surrounded Madinah Sharif and fought its defenders and evicted the officials of the Ottoman government out of Madinah Sharif and then went on to destroy the graves of Imams (Alaihimus Salam) i.e. grave of Imam Hasan-e-Mujtaba (Alaihis Salam), Imam Zainul Abideen (Alaihis Salam), Imam Muhammad Baqir (Alaihis Salam) and Imam Jafar Sadiq (Alaihis Salam).

Other graves were also not spared viz. those of Abbas Bin. Abdil Muttalib (Alaihis Salam), Safiyya Bint Abdil Muttalib (Alaihis Salam), Aatika Bint Abdil Muttalib (Alaihis Salam), Ibrahim (Alaihis Salam) the son of Messenger Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, Ummul Baneen (Alaihas Salam), Ismael Bin Imam Sadiq (Alaihis Salam), Abdullah Bin Jafar-e-Tayyaar (Alaihis Salam), Sa’diyyah Halimah (Alaihis Salam) and approximately seven thousand companions of Great Allah Pak’s Messenger Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s & Imam Malik’s grave was also demolished.

Killing and Plunder by the Wahhabis

Whenever the Wahabbis attacked the holy places, they not only killed Muslim men, women, children and the aged, but also plundered the streets and markets and escaped with abundant wealth.

Historians have documented that the Wahhabis looted forty trunks of diamonds, ornaments, and rubies and nearly one hundred swords with pure gold sheaths laden with diamonds and rubies from the mausoleums of Baqi’ in Madinah Sharif.

The Ruthlessness and Mercilessness of the Wahabbis

Noted historian Jameel Siddiqui Zahavi has documented details of the Wahhabi attack on Taaef Sharif - The head of a suckling child was severed while still clutched to the mother’s neck. People gathering the Holy Quran Sharif were killed. When houses were abandoned out of fear, they entered shops and Masjid’s and killed the people in varying states of worship – be it bowing or prostration. Books, mostly Quran and books of jurisprudence including extracts from Sahih-e-Bukhari and Muslim were thrown in the markets and trampled on.

Such killing and plundering was not surprising from the followers of Muhammad Bin. Abdul Wahhab as they deemed other Muslims as disbelievers and polytheists and considered Makkah Sharif and Madina Sharif as House of War and House of Disbelief which they redeemed after gaining control over it.

Views of the Shias jurist Ayatullah al-Uzma Lutfullah Saafi Gulpaigani.

The Shias renowned jurist and Marja-e-Taqleed of the Shias, author of various Shias books, defender of Shias Imamat, the propagator of Shias Imamat, the author of the renowned book Muntakhab al-Asar fi al-Imam al-Saani Ashar, declared Sunday 8th Shavval, as a day of great calamity for the Shias & Muslim Nation’s. He declared – This calamity has occurred not only on the Shias Rather Ahle Bait Sharif (Alaihimus Salam) & entire Muslim Nation and is a loss and detriment which has befallen on Islam through this most deplorable incident and appalling action. It is a loss equal to several losses put together.

The Holy Mausoleum in the History of Islam

Ayatullah Saafi Gulpaigani has declared the blessed mausoleums and other effects related to Imams (Alaihis Salam) as the complete history of Islam. He stated – Wahhabis have destroyed the history of Islam and worse is that in these eighty years, they did not stop at only this act but destroyed and desolated everything which bore a trace the Prophet Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam’s Ahle Bait Sharif (Alaihimus Salam). These were memorials of Islam, blessings of Islam and the history of Islam does not have any apparent signs without them.

This Jurist of the Shias has pointed towards the fact that all nations and religions have protected and renovated their historical signs and effects. This act persuades the Muslims to protect and safeguard the corporal history of Islam. He declared – Just as these symbols are protected in the entire world, the signs of Islam should also be protected so that whoever is blessed with the visitation of Makkah Sharif and Madinah Sharif, witnesses Islam closely even centuries after its advent.

Shias imam Ayatullah Saafi Gulpaigani also blames the enemies of Shia & Islams and the selfish nature of the Salafis for this incident and elaborates – The real intention of the enemies of Islam and the Salafis is to destroy Islam and since they found this act as a debasement and an ignominy for themselves, they persuaded a group to commit this crime.

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