Saudia Arabia is the holy land for Muslims because it houses a lot of mosques. In addition, the kingdom of Saudia Arabia shares a great association with the origin of Islam and its history. That’s why millions of Muslim pilgrims travel every year with Umrah Package and offer the holy rituals of minor pilgrimage in Makkah.
Saudia Arabia is a house to hundreds of sacred mosques that are not only extremely beautiful but also significant in various aspects. A lot of pilgrims travelling for Hajj and Umrah through Trusted Umrah Travel Agency in USA often go for the Ziyarath of these Mosques in Saudia Arabia for spiritual reasons.
Here are some of the extremely beautiful and significant mosques in Saudia Arabia that you should know about.
Masjid-al-Haram.
· World’s largest and holiest mosque of Islam is the Grand Mosque of Makkah i.e. Masjid-al-Haram.
· This Masjid holds exceptional spiritual and religious significance for the Muslims because the Holy Kaabah is present there.
· It is the only Qibla of Muslims residing in the world now, till the end of time. Muslims offer their daily Salah facing its direction.
· The history of Masjid-al-Haram is from the times of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). He (AS) along with his son Ismail (AS) built Holy Kaabah upon the command of Allah Almighty.
· The mosque has undergone various changes and renovations but the original stricture of Holy Kaabah is intact (last built by the Holy Prophet SAWW).
· Masjid-al-Haram covers an area of nearly 356,800 square meters, with a capacity to accommodate up to 2.5 million worshippers at a time. The latest expansion project undergoing aims to increase the capacity to 4 million!
· The grand mosque of Makkah features 9 minarets, several domes, and a total of 104 gates for entry and exit.
· Only the Muslims have the permission to enter Masjid-al-Haram in Makkah. No non-Muslim can enter the premises of the holy mosque.
· The mosque remains equipped with state of the art facilities for the facilitation of pilgrims. For instance; air conditioning, security patrolling, escalators, and surveillance.
· Masjid-al-Haram contains many sacred things. Prominently including; Zamzam well, Hajar-al-Aswad, Safah and Marwah Hills, Maqam-e-Ibrahim, Holy Kaabah, and Hateem (Hijr Ismail).
· Tawaf around Holy Kaabah never stops. Pilgrims are always there walking around Holy Kaabah in Masjid-al-Haram 24 hours a day and throughout the 365 days.
Masjid-al-Nabawi.
· Masjid-al-Nabawi’s (SAWW) second name is Prophet’s (SAWW) Mosque.
· It is present in Madinah city of Saudia Arabia as the most prominent landmark.
· Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW) holds the status of the second largest and second holiest mosque of Islam to ever exist in the world for Muslims.
· After migrating to Madinah, Holy Prophet (SAWW) himself built this mosque in 622 CE.
· It is also the resting place of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) i.e. Roza-e-Rasool (SAWW) is present inside the mosque.
· The mosque has also undergone various changes and renovation, significantly in the era of Caliph al-Walid I, the Ottoman Empire, and the modern Saudi era.
· Though none of the Hajj or Umrah rituals associate with visiting Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW), pilgrims extensively visit this holy mosque in love and respect for the holy prophet (SAWW).
· Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW) spans over 400,500 square meters with a capacity to accommodate over 1 million worshippers at a time.
· The iconic Green Dome of Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW) marks the location of the resting place Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWW).
· Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW) features a total of 10 minarets and 27 sliding domes and also houses the minbar (pulpit) and mihrab (prayer niche) used by Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) himself.
· Similar to Masjid-al-Haram in Makkah, only Muslims are permitted to enter Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW) in Madinah.
· Prophet’s (SAWW) Mosque also remains open throughout the year for pilgrims, regardless of whether its day or night. Muslims come here, offer prayer and make supplications.
· Riyadh-ul-Jannah (a garden from the gardens of Paradise) is present inside the Prophet’s (SAWW) mosque.
Masjid-e-Aisha (RA).
· Masjid-e-Aisha (RA) is also called ‘Masjid-e-Taneem’ and is present outside of the boundary of Makkah in the At-Taneem region.
· It is one of the most prominent mosques in Saudia Arabia because it also serves as a famous Meeqat station for pilgrims who are either already present in Makkah and intending for a second Umrah or for the residents of Makkah opting for holy rituals.
· This mosque gets its name as Masjid-e-Aisha (RA) because Hazrat Aisha (RA) entered into Ihram from here during her pilgrimage.
· Masjid-e-Aisha is present at distance of 7.5 kilometres from the Holy Kaaba, on the road from Makkah to Medina.
· The mosque accommodates thousands of pilgrims at a time with the numbers increasing enormously during the peak time of Umrah in Ramadan and Hajj.
· Masjid-e-Taneem remains equipped with all of the modern tools for or ablution, changing rooms, showers, etc. to facilitate pilgrims in entering their state of Ihram for Umrah and Hajj.
· This mosque features a modern Islamic architectural that includes spacious prayer halls and marble floors.
· In order to facilitate pilgrims, there are many travel options available for easily accessibility. Such as private taxi, buses, and rental cars.
· Masjid-e-Aisha (RA) also remains open around the clock to facilitate the pilgrims arriving day or night.
Masjid-e-Quba.
· Masjid-e-Quba is present in Madinah.
· It holds the status of a first ever mosque to be built in the name of Islam by the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) himself.
· Its name is also present in the holy Quran. That’s why praying here holds exceptional significance and rewards for the Muslims.
· It is present a distance of approximately 3 kilometres, southwest of Masjid-al-Nabawi (SAWW).
· Covering an area of around 13,500 square meters, Masjid-e-Quba can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers at a time.
· During the migration period, Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) also stayed here for some time. Later on, the Masjid was built at the exact same spot.
· It is a Sunnah of holy prophet (SAWW) to visit Masjid e Quba every Saturday.
· The mosque has a total of 4 minarets and several large domes.
· Masjid-e-Quba also contains an old well, called as ‘Bir-e-Quba’ that has its association with the early years of Islam.
Masjid-e-Qiblatayn.
· Masjid-e-Qiblatayn, also known as the ‘Mosque of Two Qibla’ gets its name because of the great event of Islamic history associated with it.
· It is present in Madinah.
· It is the place where Allah Almighty Instructed Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) to change Qibla direction from Bait al Maqdas (in Jerusalem) to Holy Kaabah (in Makkah) where he (SAWW) was leading a prayer.
· Holy Prophet (SAWW) then changed the direction of Qibla and moved to face Holy Kaabah during the prayer (present in Surah Al-Baqarah).
· You will see two Mihrabs (Prayer Niches) in this Mosque indicating the presence of two Qibla.
Masjid-e-Jinn.
· Present in Makkah, Saudia Arabia – Masjid-e-Jinn is also one of the significant mosques to visit in the kingdom.
· This mosque gets its name from the event of the Islamic history when a group of Jinn passing by stopped to listen to the recitation of Holy Quran by the holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) and later on converted to Islam.
· This event is present in detail in Holy Quran’s Surah Al-Jinn (Chapter 72).
· It is present just 1.5 kilometres away from the Grand Mosque of Makkah in the Al-Hujun district.
· Masjid-e-Jinn is one of the oldest mosques in Islam.
Masjid al-Ghamama (Mosque of the Cloud).
About 300 meters southwest of Masjid-al-Nabawi, Masjid al-Ghamama (Mosque of the Cloud) is present. The mosque holds significance because;
· Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) performed Eid Salah here during the last four years.
· Masjid al-Ghamama is also where Holy Prophet (SAWW) prayed Salat-ul-Istisqa, which is a special Salah for rain. Right after Holy Prophet (SAWW) prayed, suddenly cloud appeared and brought rain.
· The current structure of Masjid-al-Ghamama was built during the Ottoman period and that’s why you will see influences of Ottoman architecture in the mosque.
Masjid Nimrah.
· Masjid Nimrah is present in the plains of Arafat.
· It is a significant mosque during the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims of Hajj pray Zuhr and Asr prayers together here on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah.
· No one’s hajj is complete without performing these prayers in Masjid Nimrah.
· Masjid Nimrah also marks the location where the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) stayed before delivering his (SAWW) famous final sermon. Even today, it’s the duty of the Imam of Masjid Nimrah to deliver the sermon on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah before leading the Dhuhr and Asr Salah.
· Masjid Nimrah has a total of 64 doors with 10 main entrances.
· The mosque also features three domes and six minarets.
· Masjid Nimrah can accommodate up to 350,000 people at a time.
· Pilgrims of Hajj must consider that the front part of Masjid Nimrah lies outside the boundaries of Arafat. Therefore, staying there after midday will make your hajj invalid.
These are the extremely beautiful and significant mosques in Saudi Arabia that you must visit on our trip.
