'Yaum-e-Gham' or Day of Sorrow

[Heba E. Husseyn]

 


Have you heard of the day called Yaum-e-Gham or Day of Sorrow?   This is observed on 8th Shawwal every year.  It's a very sad event that happened several years ago carried out by the insensitive Saudi government that resulted in the total destruction of the heritage of Arabia from the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

First of all, please know that the Prophet (SAW) is buried in Medinah, at Masjid-al-Nabawi.  Most members of the Prophet's household and his companions were buried in Jannat-al-Baqi     (جنة البقيع‎). 

Jannat-al-Baqi (Garden of Heaven) is a cemetery in Medinah, located across from the Masjid al-Nabawi.   Prior to the twentieth century, many of the graves were covered with domes or monumented structures.  But all monuments of the graves were broken and destroyed over time in the modern era. 

On 8th Shawwal 1345 (April 21, 1925), all monumented graves at Jannat-al-Baqi were demolished on the orders of King Ibn Saud in accordance with the hardline Wahabi tradition based on unauthentic Ahadith narrations and compiled by medieval imams of the 9th and 10th centuries to prevent the practice of visiting graves which they considered "unIslamic" in accordance with their own twisted ideas.  Yet,  the graves of many historic figures continue to be visited by numerous Sunnis at Jannat al-Baqi, and burials continue at the cemetery up until this day.

Many Muslims, particularly Shiias, continue to mourn this day when the House of Saud demolished the graves and monuments in the Baqi cemetery. It is a day of remembrance commonly known as Yaum e Gham, literally meaning 'Day of Sorrow.'  The Shiias continue to protest the Saudi government's demolition of these monuments.

Few of important personalities buried at Jannat al-Baqi:
 
* Fatima Zahra – Prophet Muhammad's daughter
* Hassan ibn Ali, 2nd Shiia Imam, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, son of Fatima
* Ali ibn Hussein, 4th Shiia Imam, great-grandson of Muhammad
*  Uthman ibn Affan - The third righteous caliph
* All 'mothers of the believers,' (Prophet's wives) except for Khadijah and Maymuna.  Khadijah passed away before Hijrah and was buried in Makkah, most likely at the cemetary of Jannat-al-Mualla.


And old image of Jannat al Baqi
 

In 1925 shortly before demolition by Wahabis
 

After demolition
 

 



Jannat al Mualla in Makkah where Prophet's wife, Khadija was buried, also demolished by Saudi govt. in 1925.  This picture is before the demolition.
 

Jannat al Mualla after demolition
 

Said to be the spot which was the birth place of the Prophet (S).  The Saudi
govt has now built a library on that spot. 

[Ruhi_Rose]

I feel so sad reading this.  It just shows the uncivilized and uncouth attitude of wahabis.  They cannot even differentiate between visiting a grave and worshipping a grave.  And there are plenty of sunnis who literally worship graves in places like Pakistan etc.   They come to the graves of their spiritual leaders where they cry and howl and ask for favors from the dead person in the grave.  This is a common sight among uneducated Sunnis in Pakistan, and I'm sure it must be happening elsewhere too.    But I am sure that no one did such things while visiting Jannat al Baqi.  These monumented graves were of great personalities and people only visited to pay their respects and recite the Fatiha.  It's a shame that the House of Saud considers such visits of the grave as a violation but are perfectly comfortable with their own kufari and munafiqism.   They will have to answer to Allah for wrecking the heritage of Islam.    

[N. Truth Seeker]

Alhumdulilah, excellent reminder sister.  8th Shawwal is a very important remembrance day - destruction of Islamic heritage by House of Saud.