Holiest sites in Islam (Sufi)
Encyclopedia
Islamic communities have developed a rich tradition of shrine culture. Most Islamic shrines are dedicated to various Sufi Saints - spiritually elevated ascetics from various mystical orders within Islam, and are widely scattered throughout the Islamic world. It is a tradition to commemorate the death of the Saint, his so called "Marriage to God," by holding festivals at his tomb to commemorate his life. In several countries, the local shrine is a focal point of the community, with several localities named specifically for the local saint.
In some parts of the Islamic world, such as in Pakistan, these festivals are multi-day events and even draw members of the Hindu minority who often revere the Muslim saint, such as in the case of the famous Lal Baz Qalandar shrine in Sindh, Pakistan - an important example of religious syncretism that blurs the distinction between members of different religions. Sufi shines in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are also host to a night of commemoration by songs and dances every Thursday. In fact, the Urdu word for Thursdays, Jumeraat, is derived from the practice of visiting shrines on Thursdays.
In Turkey, the famous Whirling Dervishes perform their dance at the shrine of Jalal-ud-Din Rumi in Konya
, while in Morocco and Algeria, brotherhoods of Black African Sufis, the Gnouia, perform elaborate song and dances at the shrines of their Saints.
Further, Shia's have several shrines dedicated to various religious figures important in their history, and several elaborate shrines are dedicated to Shia Saints and religious figures, most notably in Kerbala, Najaf, and Samarra in Iraq, and Qum and Mashad in Iran. Other important Shia shrines are located in Mazar-e-Sharif ("the Noble Shrine") in Afghanistan, and in Damascus, Syria.
Numerous Shia and Sufi shrines were once located in Saudi Arabia, but were destroyed in the 1930's by Saudi Arabia's puritanical Wahabbi sect. Other important Shrines were once found in Central Asia, but many were destroyed by the Soviets.
According to hardline orthodox interpretations of Islam, such as that of the Wahabbis, it is totally forbidden to build building over graves. In fact, the Wahabbists smashed every shrine they found. The Wahabbist sect of Islam has also inspired a hard-line and anti-Shrine ideology in traditionally tolerant and shrine-revering areas, such as in Egypt and Pakistan, on the grounds that they are forbidden within Islam, and in the case of Pakistan, are a throwback to pre-Islamic Hindu traditions. The intolerant view towards shrines in those countries is a recent phenomenon in global Islam. In the Salafi
movement, Mecca
and Medina
are the only holy places.
order (known for the Whirling Dervishes), is located in Konya where he spent the last fifty years of his life.
Because of his influence and in his memory the city became an important centre of spirituality and Islamic learning for the peoples of the Kazakh steppes. In the 1390s Timur
(Tamerlane) erected a magnificent domed Mazar or tomb over his grave
, which remains the most significant architectural monument in the Republic of Kazakhstan, pictured on the back of the banknotes of the national currency.
and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke
. Next to his tomb lies a large mosque
, completed in 1963.
s, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan
helped the city to develop and repopulate little by little. The university, consisting of scholars who met in the mosque, was a centre of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the University of Paris
in the Middle Ages
. With the decline of the city, the centre of intellectual thought moved to the University of Ez-Zitouna
, tomb of the most revered Muslim
sufi saint Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī, known as Gharīb Nawāz, or 'Benefactor of the Poor'.
is one of the ancient and smallest cities of Pakistan. It is the city that has the shrine of the well-known Sufi of his times, Baba Fareed.
In some parts of the Islamic world, such as in Pakistan, these festivals are multi-day events and even draw members of the Hindu minority who often revere the Muslim saint, such as in the case of the famous Lal Baz Qalandar shrine in Sindh, Pakistan - an important example of religious syncretism that blurs the distinction between members of different religions. Sufi shines in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are also host to a night of commemoration by songs and dances every Thursday. In fact, the Urdu word for Thursdays, Jumeraat, is derived from the practice of visiting shrines on Thursdays.
In Turkey, the famous Whirling Dervishes perform their dance at the shrine of Jalal-ud-Din Rumi in Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, while in Morocco and Algeria, brotherhoods of Black African Sufis, the Gnouia, perform elaborate song and dances at the shrines of their Saints.
Further, Shia's have several shrines dedicated to various religious figures important in their history, and several elaborate shrines are dedicated to Shia Saints and religious figures, most notably in Kerbala, Najaf, and Samarra in Iraq, and Qum and Mashad in Iran. Other important Shia shrines are located in Mazar-e-Sharif ("the Noble Shrine") in Afghanistan, and in Damascus, Syria.
Numerous Shia and Sufi shrines were once located in Saudi Arabia, but were destroyed in the 1930's by Saudi Arabia's puritanical Wahabbi sect. Other important Shrines were once found in Central Asia, but many were destroyed by the Soviets.
According to hardline orthodox interpretations of Islam, such as that of the Wahabbis, it is totally forbidden to build building over graves. In fact, the Wahabbists smashed every shrine they found. The Wahabbist sect of Islam has also inspired a hard-line and anti-Shrine ideology in traditionally tolerant and shrine-revering areas, such as in Egypt and Pakistan, on the grounds that they are forbidden within Islam, and in the case of Pakistan, are a throwback to pre-Islamic Hindu traditions. The intolerant view towards shrines in those countries is a recent phenomenon in global Islam. In the Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
movement, Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
are the only holy places.
Konya
Contains the tomb of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, the Persian Sufi poet commonly known as "Mevlâna" and who is the founder of the Sufi MevleviMevlevi
The Mevlevi Order, or the Mevlevilik or Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded in Konya by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian. They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form...
order (known for the Whirling Dervishes), is located in Konya where he spent the last fifty years of his life.
Turkestan (City)
Throughout most of the medieval and early-modern period this city was known as Yasi or Shavgar and after the 16th-17th centuries as Turkistan or Hazrat, both of which names derive from the title 'Hazrat-i Turkistan', which literally means "the Saint (or Blessed One) of Turkistan" and refers to Khoja Ahmad Yasavi, the Sufi Shaikh of Turkistan, who lived here during the 11th century CE and is buried in the town.Because of his influence and in his memory the city became an important centre of spirituality and Islamic learning for the peoples of the Kazakh steppes. In the 1390s Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
(Tamerlane) erected a magnificent domed Mazar or tomb over his grave
Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi
The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi is an unfinished mausoleum in the city of Turkestan, in southern Kazakhstan. The structure was commissioned in 1389 by Timur, who ruled the area as part of the expansive Mongol Empire, to replace a smaller 12th-century mausoleum of the famous Turkic poet and...
, which remains the most significant architectural monument in the Republic of Kazakhstan, pictured on the back of the banknotes of the national currency.
Touba, Senegal
This is the holy city of MouridismMouride
The Mouride brotherhood is a large Islamic Sufi order most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia, with headquarters in the holy city of Touba, Senegal...
and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke
Amadou Bamba
Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké , was a Muslim Sufi religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the large Mouride Brotherhood Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927) (Aamadu Bamba Mbàkke in Wolof, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb Allāh also known as Khadīmu...
. Next to his tomb lies a large mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, completed in 1963.
Mosque of Uqba
Under the AghlabidAghlabid
The Aghlabids were a dynasty of emirs, members of the Arab tribe of Bani Tamim, who ruled Ifriqiya, nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a century, until overthrown by the new power of the Fatimid.-History:...
s, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan , also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan , is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the Arabs around 670...
helped the city to develop and repopulate little by little. The university, consisting of scholars who met in the mosque, was a centre of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. With the decline of the city, the centre of intellectual thought moved to the University of Ez-Zitouna
University of Ez-Zitouna
Ez-Zitouna University is located in Tunis. It is claimed to be the oldest teaching establishment in the Arab World, since the Ez-Zitouna madrassa was founded in 737 C.E...
Ajmer, India
The main places of interest are the DargāhDargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
, tomb of the most revered Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
sufi saint Mu'īnuddīn Chishtī, known as Gharīb Nawāz, or 'Benefactor of the Poor'.
Pakpattan
PakpattanPakpattan
Pakpattan is the capital city of the Pakpattan District in the Sahiwal Division in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Pakpattan is one of the ancient cities of Pakistan. It is the city that has the shrine of the well-known Sufi of all times, Baba Fareed...
is one of the ancient and smallest cities of Pakistan. It is the city that has the shrine of the well-known Sufi of his times, Baba Fareed.