MUSLIMS ENRAGED ABOUT PLANS TO RELOCATE PROPHET MOHAMMED’S MOSQUE

THIS HOUSE WHICH IS NOW A LIBRARY IS THE HOUSE WHERE PROPHET MOHAMMED WAS BORN
EDITOR:DUE TO THE INABILITY OF BEEN ABLE TO GET AN ACCURATE TOMB PICTURE ASIDE FROM CARTOON IMAGES,WE HAVE DECIDED TO USE THE PICTURE OF THE PROPHET'S BIRTH PLACE

MUSLIMS ENRAGED ABOUT PLANS TO RELOCATE PROPHET MOHAMMED’S MOSQUE

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

Muslims have been left feeling angry about ideas been muted in some quarters about the possibility of relocating the Holy Tomb of Prophet Mohammed{P.B.U.H].

In an investigations conducted by Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos, Nigeria from members of the Muslim Ummah ,this reporter reliably gathered from several sources that Al Masjid Al Nabawi, the spot where the prophet is buried peacefully in Medina, Saudi Arabia was divinely inspired and not man made .

Imam Mukadam Abdulkabir, Chief Imam of the Marqaz Fausil Kabir Mosque in elerinko, Sango Otta ,Ogun State  said that anything the Prophet said in the Quran and the Hadith during his lifetime is not opened to any human negotiations as it was all divinely inspired.

He went don memory lane to recall that the burial and the choice of the location of the tomb of the prophet was actually supported by a Hadith.

He noted that the favorite wife of the Prophet during his life time,Aisha had a wonderful dream in which she saw two stars descend down from heaven to rest atop her roof top and disappeared almost at the same time.

He explained that it was at this point that  her father,Abubakar, a great companion of the Prophet and first leader of the Muslim nation worldwide upon the prophet’s demise told Aisha that the dream will be interpreted for her later.

His words:”so when the prophet now died peacefuly,Abubakar based on the spiritual direction in the dream urged the Ummah to bury the prophet in her room, so Abubakar now told her that the meaning  of her dream previously showed that the prophet was to be buried in her room and that there was still one more star remaining “

“This was why when Abubakar died, he too was buried near the prophet in Medina till this day and so it is an irreversible act of faith”

Mr Mukaila Saeed Abiola ,an ardent Muslim told Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos,Nigeria that the issue was just a wishful though and that it can never happen as everything in Islam was based on divine inspiration.

His words:”before the prophets died,he gave out instructions on how he was to be buried ,the particular spot in which he will laid and that manner of prayers recited for then dead was known and so it it is highly unlikely that this type of abomination can take place”

Yet another source told Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos,Nigeria that he has heard of people talking of building an underground tunnel to have access to the tomb but this will never happen in Islam

Another source told this reporter that in Islamic Jurisprudence there was a clause that stated that a body could be relocated from a tomb if a city had grown too big due to expansion and the exigencies of the time but those covered mortal men and not the person of Holy Prophet Mohammed. The government of Saudi Arabia has dismissed reports that it will destroy one of Islam’s most revered holy sites – the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed – and relocate it to an anonymous grave.

The proposal, which has sparked criticism globally, is part of a consultation document by a leading Saudi academic, Dr. Ali bin Abdulaziz al-Shabal, of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

The document was reported to have been circulated among the supervisors of the al-Masjid al-Nabawi Mosque in Medina, The Independent of the United Kingdom reported had on Monday.

However, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, in Saudi Arabia on Friday, described it as an opinion of a researcher, an Arabian newspaper, Saudi Gazette reported.

“What is being circulated in the media about the chamber where the Prophet’s grave is situated at the Prophet’s Mosque is related to a special study carried out by a researcher.

“It does not represent either the opinion of the presidency or the directive of the state, which has utmost keenness in serving the two holy mosques and maintaining their sanctity,” the spokesman for the Presidency, Ahmad al-Mansouri, said.

Similarly, another newspaper, Arab News, quoted al-Mansouri as saying, “This is the personal opinion of a researcher, who had expressed his views in a study, and it does not reflect the views of the Presidency or the Kingdom.”

The Presidency was reported to have threatened to take legal action on the report.

The mosque, where the tomb of the Prophet are housed under the Green Dome, is visited by millions of pilgrims and venerated as Islam’s second-holiest site.

The Independent UK had quoted the Director, Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, Dr. Alawi, as saying the document had been circulated to the Committee of the Presidency of the Two Mosques.

“Several pages of the consultation document had been published in the Presidency’s journal. They call for the destruction of the rooms surrounding the tomb, which were used by the Prophet’s wives and daughters, and venerated by the Shia because of their association with his youngest daughter, Fatima.

“The document also calls for the Green Dome, which covers the tomb and these living quarters, to be removed,” the journal added.

Saudi Arabia’s monarch, King Abdullah, is the official custodian of the tomb.

The UK-based journal reported that the plan to relocate the tomb was made public by another Saudi academic who had exposed and criticised the destruction of holy places and artefacts in Mecca – the holiest site in the Muslim world.

The plan also includes the destruction of chambers around the Prophet’s grave, which are particularly venerated by Muslims of the Shia sect.

The Independent UK reported that the 61-page document also called for the relocation of Prophet Mohammed’s tomb to the nearby al-Baqi cemetery, where they would be interred anonymously.

Dr. Alawi was further quoted as saying, “The al-Baqi cemetery already contains the graves of many of the Prophet’s family, including his father, who was removed there in the 1970s.

“In 1924, all the grave markers were removed so pilgrims would not know who was buried there, and so be unable to pray to them.”

“The Prophet would be anonymous. Everything around the Prophet’s mosque has already been destroyed. It is surrounded by bulldozers. Once they’ve removed everything, they can move towards the mosque. The imam is likely to say there is a need to expand the mosque and do it that way, while the world’s eyes are on Iraq and Syria.

“The Prophet Mohamed’s grave is venerated by the mainstream Sunni, who would never do it. It is just as important for the Shia too, who venerate the Prophet’s daughter, Fatima.

“I’m sure there will be shock across the Muslim world at these revelations. It will cause outrage.”