Makkah - The dearest of all lands to Allaah and HisMessenger

The Value of Glorifying the SacredCity:
The importance of values lies in the fact that they are the criterion
by which people, ideologies,actions, positions and subjects can be
judged and measured; moreover,values decide the identityof the
community; the values in a given community have a direct effect and
influence on the manners and conductwhich the members of that
community adopt.
Whenever the values of acommunity originate from the teachings of its
faith, the behaviour and conduct of its people will reflect such a
faith and they will certainly enjoy fine and fulfilling lives within
their respective communities.
Strengthening the social values that Islam instructsand emphasises
upon is the safety valve that protects and guards the community, and
one of the greatest and most important of such values is to glorify
the symbols of Allaah. Indeed, such glorification results in lofty
social customs and etiquettes that guaranteethe stability of the
Muslimcommunity and assures happiness in this life and the Life to
come.
Allaah Almighty has madethis city a Sacred and Secure one and has
honoured His House (the Ka'bah); He made glorifying this city one of
the most honourable actsof worship by which a person draws close to
Allaah; He says (what means): "That [is so]. And whoever honours the
symbols [i.e. rites] of Allaah — indeed, it isfrom the piety of
hearts." [Quran 22: 32]
Glorifying what Allaah and His Messenger have glorified results in
establishing great social values that will yield countless benefits to
the Muslims, and will reflect the unity of the Muslims - a nation that
direct themselves to one Qiblah (direction during prayer towards
Ka'bah), believe in one religion and harbour the same objectives and
hopes, as if their hearts are that of a single person.
The Prophet taught us how to build this value ofglorifying Makkah -
since his prophethood started in Makkah itself - in a practical manner
that is away from fantasy and ina realistic manner that is easy to
comprehend, andmade it deeply rooted in the hearts in a way that
guaranteed the continuity of such glorification by those who reside in
the Sacred City and those who come to visit it. He did so with great
wisdom and with tender care which causedpeople to long to see
andglorify this Sacred City .
Words and actions that reflects its love:
Imaam Al-Bukhaari reported on the authority of 'Aai`shah that she
said: "When the Prophet came to Al-Madeenah, both Abu Bakr and Bilaal
became sick. Whenever fever attacked Abu Bakr, he would recite the
following verses of poetry:
A person wakes up among his household-active he is
While death is in fact closer to him than his shoelaces
Whenever fever eased from Bilaal,he would recite the following verses of poetry:
Will I ever again go back to spenda night- only once
In the valley with Ith-khir and Jaleel (plants) in abundance?[1]
And will I one day again drink from the water of Mijannah? [2]
And will again see (the mountains of) Tafeel and Shaamah? [3]
Then he would say: 'O Allaah! Curse Shaybah binRabee'ah and 'Utbah bin
Rabee'ah and Umayyah bin Khalaf as they forced us from our land to a
land full of diseases'. Then the Prophet said: "O Allaah! Make
Al-Madeenah dear to our hearts just like you made Makkah dear to our
hearts, and even more so. O Allaah! Bless our Saa' and our Mudd [4]
and make it a healthy place for us, and move its fever to the area of
Al-Juhfah." Bilaal also said: 'We arrived at Al-Madeenah and it was
aland full of diseases as the valley of Bathaan would have putrid
water running through it.'"
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "The Prophet said, addressing Makkah: "How good
you are as a land and how dear you are to my heart! Had your people
not forced me out of you, I would have never come outand left you and
would have never resided in any other city but you." [At-Tirmithi &
Ibn Hibbaan]
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "When the Prophet was forced to leave Makkah he
headed out toa cave, turned around, and said, addressing Makkah: "You
are the most beloved land to Allaah, and you are the most beloved land
to me. Had the polytheists not forced me out of you, I would never
have come out and left you. The worst enemy is the one who
transgresses the sanctities of Allaah, or kills a soul without
dueright or kills a soul as revenge from the era of pre-Islaamic
ignorance." Then Allaah revealed the following verse (which means):
"And how many a city was stronger than your city [i.e. Makkah]
whichdrove you out? We destroyed them; and there was no helper for
them." [Quran 47:13]" [Ibn Jareer At-Tabari] Imaam Al-Qurtubi said:
"This is an authenticnarration." [End of quote]
Imaam At-Tirmithi, Ahmad and 'Abd bin Humayd reported that 'Abdullaah
bin 'AdiyyIbn Al-Hamraa' narrated: "I saw the Prophet standing on a
hillock [5] and addressing Makkah, saying: "I swear by Allaah! You
are the best of the lands of Allaahand you are the most beloved land
to Allaah, and had it not been that I was forced to leave you, I would
have never left you."
Imaam Al-Faakihi reported on the authority of 'Amr bin Shu'ayb, who
reported from his father who reported from his father that he ('Amr's
grandfather) said: "The Prophet sent 'Itaab binUsayd as a leader for
the people of Makkah and said to him: "Do you know where I am sending
you? I am sending you to the people (dear to) Allaah. There is no city
dearer to Allaah - the Almighty, the Glorified - and to myself than
thiscity, and had it not been that its people forced me out of it, I
would never have left it."
This is Makkah and this is its virtue. Will we win thehonour of
glorifying it and loving it with its due love and glorification?
Footnotes:
[1] Jaleel: a weak plant that the residents of Makkah would use in their homes.
[2] Mijannah: a place thatwas a few kilometres from Makkah which had a market.
[3] Shaamah and Tafeel: Two mountains about 50 Km from Makkah.
[4] Saa and Mudd: measures of weight for food
[5] This small hill was at the lower end of the market overlooking Makkah.