famous cemetry of Madina Munawwarah

[Abu Tariq Hijazi]

FORTY STARS OF JANNATUL BAQIE
BY ABU TARIQ HIJAZI

Jannatul Baqie is the blessed cemetery adjacent to Masjid Nabavi in Madina Munawwarah. Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "Seventy thousand Muslims (men and women) shall arise from Baqie (on the Day of Judgment) with faces shinning like moon and they shall enter Paradise without any reckoning." Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) used to visit the Baqie and pray for the people buried there. The pilgrims visiting Madina Munawwarah should also pay their homage to these Pioneers of Islam. It is said that more than 10,000 Sahaba are buried in Baqie but only tens of the graves are identified nowadays.

Uthman bin Mazuun was the First Mohajer to be buried in Baqie by Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). Later Ibrahim the infant son was buried near him. Now there are few groups of the graves which should be visited and Salaam offered upon them with due respect.

Here we mention the graves of Forty Shinning Stars of the Jannatul Baqie as per their location. When you enter from the Western Gate you find the First Group of Ahl-Bait (members of the Prophet's family) then passing through Banaat and Ummahatul Momeneen (daughters & wives of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)) you reach Aqeel & Imam Malik group. Then walking about 20 meters east you reach Uthman bin Mazuun group.

Then further east about 75 meter you find Qulaib and then 135 meter east is the grave of Third Caliph Uthman bin Affan. About 50 meter east/north, are the two graves of Abu Saeed al Khudri and Haleema Saadiya, then returning 50 meters to the west is the grave of Saad bin Muaaz. Lastly walking towards the west and on the right side you find the two graves of Safiya and Ateka the two aunts of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).The details are as under:

A. The graves of Ahl-bait (the members of Holy Prophet's family (s.a.w.)):
1. Fatima Zahra the beloved daughter of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
wife of Ali bin Abi Taleb and mother of Hasan and Husain.
2. Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib the uncle
3. Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Taleb the elder grandson
4. Ali Zainul Abedeen bin Husain the great grandson
5. Mohammed al Baqer bin Zainul Abedeen
6. Jaafer al Sadiq ibn Mohammed al Baqer
7. Ismail bin Jaafer al Sadiq (near Baqie)

B. Al Banaat, the daughters of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
8. Zainab wife of Abul Aas
9. Ruqayya wife of Uthman bin Affan
10. Umm Kulthum the second wife of Uthman bin Affan.

C. Ummahat al Momeneen (the wives of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
11. Aisha bint Abubakr
12. Sawda bint Zamaa
13. Hafsa bint Umer
14. Zainab bint Khuzaima
15. Juwairya bint Harith
16. Umm Habiba bint Abu Sufyan
17. Safya bint Hayy al Akhtab
18. Zainab bint Jahash
19. Umm Salma bint Abu Umama
(Khadija bint Khuwailed buried at Makkah Mukarramah)
(Maimuna bint al Harith buried at Saraf 20 km from Makkah Mukarramah)

D. Another Group:
20. Aqeel bin Abi Taleb brother of Ali.
21. Abdullah bin Jaafer al Tayyar, nephew of Ali
22. Sufyan bin Harith bin Abdul Muttaleb the foster brother
23. Imam Malik bin Anas the founder of Maliki school.
24. Nafeh Maula Abdullah bin Umer, Shaikh of Imam Malik

E.Graves Around Uthman bin Mazuun:
25. Uthman bin Mazuun, the foster brother of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
26. Ibrahim the infant son of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
27. Abdur Rahman bin Awf the great philanthropist
28 Asaad bin Zararah Naqeeb of Ansar
29. Saad bin Abi Vaqqas the Conqueror of Persia
30. Khunais bin Huzaifa the first husband of Hafsa bint Umer
31. Fatema bint Asad, mother of Ali bin Abi Taleb
32. Abdullah bin Masuud the great scholar.

F 33 Qulaib: Abdullah bin Hanzala Ghaseel al Malaika and other Shohada Harrah. (martyrs of Yezid’s attack on Madina Munawwarah).


G 34. Grave of Caliph Uthman bin Affan the third Caliph.

H. 35 Grave of Abi Saeed al Khudri
36. Haleema Sadia the foster mother of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)

I. 37 Grave of. Saad bin Muaaz the great warrior.

J. 38 Grave of Safya bint Abdul Muttaleb, grand mother of Caliph Abdullah bin Zubair.

39. Aateka the aunt of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
40. Malek bin Senan father of Abu Saeed al Khudri (near Baqie)



Besides the above, hundreds of other famous Sahaba are buried in Baqie.

Here we mention fifteen of them:

Abu Sufyan bin Harb the Commander of Makkah Mukarramah.
Arqam bin Arqam, whose house was the first Islamic Institute of Makkah.
Abu Hurairah, the great scholar of Hadith.
Hissan bin Thabet, the famous poet of Islam.
Jaber bin Abdullah the great scholar

Usama bin Zaid the Young Commander.
Kaab bin Malik, the great scholar of Holy Quran.
Miqdad bin Aswad, the Champion of Bader.
Obai ibn Kaab the scholar of Holy Quran.
Sohaib Rumi the famous Companion.

Maria Qabtiya the mother of infant son Ibrahim
Umm Saleem the famous lady teacher.
Umm Roman the mother of Ayesha.
Rehana bin Shamuun Ama of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
Arwa bint Kurez mother of Uthman bin Affan.


The pilgrims should also visit Jabal Ohud which is few kilometers away from Masjid Nabavi and offer Salam to the 70 Martyrs buried there including:

Hamza bin Abdul Muttaleb, Sayyed al Shohada, the uncle of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)
Musaab bin Omair, the First tutor in Madina Mun.
Abdullah bin Jahash, son of Umaima the aunt of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.)

Offer the following prayer at these places:

”Assalaam ala ahl dayar minal momeneen val Muslemeen,
va yarham al mutaqadde-meen val mustaakhe-reen,
va inna Insha-Allah bekum laheqoon.”;

Peace be upon yea,
0, the Muslims and the believers,
Dwelling in these abodes,
May Allah have mercy
Upon our predecessors and the successors.
And behold we are, God willing,
Coming to join you soon”.

May Almighty Allah include us among the dwellers of Jannatul Baqie. Ameen.