"Makkah and Madinah News and Updates"

[al-Hasani]

@al-Hasani - Thats one heck of a graveyard; I like it !

I don't know why people build huge edifices over their graves here in Pakistan !

Though ever wondered how tight it could be in a grave ?

I wish Islam allowed us to be disposed off in some other manner because I'm claustrophobic !

And Al-Hasani what kind of a Clan is that ?

You're not from amongst the Quraish are you ?

My actual surname is double-barreled and rather long but al-Hasani is part of it. I would never use my full surname/name on a public forum. My name is rather long like that of most Arabs and especially Arabians.

Yes, I am a Makkawi Hashemite. From the Banu Hashim clan which is sub-clan of the ancient Quraysh tribe. I am a Sharif so I trace my paternal lineage to Prophet Muhammad (saws) through his oldest grandson Hasan ibn Ali (ra). I thought that you already knew? Anyway this is not important. I consider myself as a humble man outside of counter-trolling on PDF.

Hashemites - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Actually it is the policy of our Najdi (Hanbali) dominated clergy not to built lavish graves/mausoleums so everyone is equal in that department. No lavish graves or mausoleums are built for kings, clergy or important people etc. nowadays. But since KSA is a huge country then you have all kind of graveyards. Ancient as recent.

After all in KSA you have almost all native sects of Islam and madahib whether Sunni or Shia. All 4 main Sunni madahib and the 3 main Shia madahib are present natively. After all what is now KSA or just the Arabian Peninsula is the cradle of Islam and the homeland of almost all madahib too. Sunni or Shia.
We have Shafi's in Hijaz and our Southwestern provinces, Malikis in those regions too and in parts of Eastern Arabia (Eastern Province more precisely), Hanafis in the Northern Provinces, Hanbalis in Najd (what some people call "Wahhabis" and all across KSA, Zaydi Shias (a unique branch of Shia Islam almost exclusively found in Southwestern KSA and Yemen - that madahib is the most similar madahib to Sunni Islam), Ismailis in the Southwest too and Twelver's in the Eastern Province. Our biggest Shia community is there and numbers around 2-3 million.

Oh, I forgot the traditional Sufi communities in Hijaz. After all Sufism originated in the Arab world and is still hugely popular in the Arab world among Sunnis.

Here you can read about a famous Sunni (Maliki and Sufi) from Hijaz. He is one of the most respected clerics out there in recent times. He visited Pakistan several times and held sermons in Islamabad etc.

Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

His full name:

Shaykh al-Sharif Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Alawi ibn Abbas ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Maliki al-Hasani al-'Idrisi al-Makki.

This is not uncommon among us.

From his burial in Makkah;

I am a Muslim of the Shafi'i fiqh myself and the Hashemites of Hijaz have been that since time immortal from what I have learnt.

I thought about not replying to your questions in this thread as this is about Makkah and Madinah and the updates from those two holy cities and not me but since you asked I can't ignore you as a good friend here on PDF.

P.S: When we die the last thing we should think about is claustrophobia. So you have nothing to worry about. Probably it was the world famous (by now) and world class Buttstrong humor/irony that I sometimes have problems detecting.

Here the late Sheikh, may he rest in peace, from a visit in Pakistan.

I can link to some of his books (PDF files) but they are in Arabic. If you are interested in his material I will try to find some translated books/material.

Regarding the talk about tombs/shrines/mausoleums then this below illustrates clearly what I told you;

Tomb of King Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz;

Tomb of an ordinary Saudi Arabian man;

@Armstrong

 

[al-Hasani]

Future expansion of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah;

See earlier pages for more information in this thread.

A Saudi Arabian man died yesterday morning in Al-Masjid Al-Haram during prayer. May Allah (swt) grant him Jannah.

 

[al-Hasani]

A reminder of the expansion work of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in the holy city of Madinah when finished;

التوسعة الكبرى للمسجد النبوي الشريف - جريدة الرياض

If you ask me this is an amazing design and project of historical proportions. Much better than I expected initially.

 

[Zarvan]

A reminder of the expansion work of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in the holy city of Madinah when finished;

التوسعة الكبرى للمسجد النبوي الشريف - جريدة الرياض

If you ask me this is an amazing design and project of historical proportions. Much better than I expected initially.

Nice work and yes good design when work is expected to complete ?

 

[al-Hasani]

Nice work and yes good design when work is expected to complete ?

Please reread earlier pages in this thread. If everything goes according to the plan and no delays occur then by the Summer of 2016. My own guess is sometime in 2017 but BEFORE the Ramadan in May that year. If I am still around here on PDF by then (highly doubtful) I will try to update this thread.

The work is underway as we speak. Also see post 137.

 

[JonAsad]

One person was killed after being struck by lightning on top of a Makkah mountain amid rains on Sunday night.

May Allah forgive him-

 

[al-Hasani]

Makkah-Madinah train to be shipped by year-end

Friday 31 October 2014

The first Spanish-made train for the multibillion-riyal Haramain railway project would arrive in Jeddah by December, according to the president of the Saudi Railways Organization.

Speaking to local media from Spain, Mohammed Al-Suwaiket said that the Spanish manufacturing company has almost completed the Haramain train, which will operate between Makkah and Madinah.

The first train consists of a lead power head and 13 passenger carriages. It would arrive in Jeddah Islamic Port by the end of December, said Al-Suwaiket.
He said 3,000 workers are currently employed on the project, with Saudis accounting for 70 percent of the total.

The 450-km railway passes through Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh. It will carry more than 20 million passengers every year including pilgrims.

It will have five stations, with the main station in Makkah having separate lounges for arrivals and departures, a mosque that can hold 600 worshippers, a helipad, 10 platforms for trains, a lounge for VIP passengers and parking for 500 cars.

Makkah-Madinah train to be shipped by year-end | Arab News — Saudi Arabia News, Middle East News, Opinion, Economy and more.

Haramain train set to arrive in December

Friday 31 October 2014

MAKKAH — The general manager of the Haramain Railway has confirmed that the train set for the project will arrive at Jeddah Islamic Seaport in December.

Basim Ghulman also said the project is carried out in collaboration with the Spanish company Talgo and that the train and its 13 carriages will be shipped from Barcelona to Jeddah.

The project was personally supervised by the Minister of Transportation Jabarah Al-Suraisry and the head of the General Association of Railways Mohammad Al-Sueikit.

The railway will connect four main cities together and have five stops, including one at King Abdul Aziz International Airport.

The launch ceremony will include educational and cultural tours to educate Saudi families about trains and the railway.

Ghulman confirmed that the Makkah-Jeddah-Rabigh route would function by mid-2016.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141031222890

Read more;

Haramain High Speed Rail Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A better link;

http://www.saudirailways.org/portal...ification/03Introduction/03Phase- I Package-2

 

[al-Hasani]

Kiswa to be lowered tomorrow

الرئاسة العامة لشؤون المسجد الحرام والمسجد النبوي تسدل كسوة الكعبة المشرفة فى الغد

صرح مدير عام مصنع كسوة الكعبة المشرفة الدكتور/ محمد بن عبدالله باجوده أنه بإشراف مباشر من معالي الرئيس العام لشؤون المسجد الحرام والمسجد النبوي الشيخ الدكتور عبدالرحمن بن عبدالعزيز السديس ومتابعة من معالي نائب الرئيس العام لشؤون المسجد الحرام الدكتور/محمد بن ناصر الخزيم يتمّ يوم غدٍ الخميس 13من شهر محرم لعام 1436هـ إنزال الجزء الذي تم رفعه من كسوة الكعبة المشرفة خلال أيام موسم الحج المبارك لعام 1435هـ وتثبيته بحلق الشاذروان المثبتة بالكعبة المشرفة وقد جرت العادة وفق خطة موضوعة رفع الجزء السفليّ من ثوب الكعبة المشرفة عند كسوتها في اليوم التاسع من شهر ذي الحجة ويبقى هذا الجزء مرفوعاً حتى مغادرة الحجاج والهدف من هذا الإجراء حماية الجزء السفليّ للثوب من العبث والتعلق به وإعاقة الطواف أثناء الازدحام.
ويباشر هذه المهمة مجموعة من الحرفيين من منسوبي مصنع كسوة الكعبة المشرفة

http://www.gph.gov.sa/index.cfm?do=c...9&categoryid=2

The event will be live streamed from the usual sources.

 

[al-Hasani]

Lowering of the Kiswa

Mataf expansion continues

Al-Masjid al-Haram expansion work in full swing

​

 

[al-Hasani]

Al-Baqie graveyard in Madinah to undergo expansion​

The Baqie graveyard in Madinah is seen in the forefront with the Prophet's Mosque in the background.​

Thursday 20 November 2014

A huge expansion project for the historic Baqie Al-Gharqad cemetery in Madinah is ready for launch shortly, an official at the Presidency of the Holy Mosques said.

“The largest expansion in the history of the graveyard which will double its area to 300,000 square meters comes as part of the current expansion project of the Prophet’s Mosque to the northern side, with the number of grave spaces increasing to 42,000,” said the source.

The project of the cemetery which is designed to run parallel to King Faisal Road will require appropriation of the properties including farms and buildings on its eastern side. The office building of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Madinah will also have to be demolished to make way for the project, he said.

The entire facility, where relatives and companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and a number of Muslim leaders apart from Madinah residents are buried, is currently divided into 42 squares where the largest square houses 2,500 graves and the smallest accommodates 60. Some graves are allocated for infants while others are reserved for the elderly. He added that fresh remains are put in the graves every five years.

The cemetery has nine washing units for cadavers including four for men and four for women while one unit is kept in reserve. Bodies for burial are carried to the graves in golf carts. In addition, there are eight ambulances to transport the bodies to the cemetery.

The expansion work around the mosque has also taken into consideration the future requirements of the population growth in Madinah and the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the historical site.

The project is expected to have arrangements for the smooth entry and exit of pilgrims to the area besides better facilities for the washing and shrouding rituals, taking the bodies for prayers in the mosque and finally moving them to the burial site.

The regulations governing the burial include keeping records of the personal details of the deceased and the exact location of the burial.

The size of a single pit is 2 meters by 1 meter with a depth of 2 meters.

A network for the drainage of rainwater has also been put in place recently.

Al-Baqie graveyard in Madinah to undergo expansion | Arab News

Madinah Haram expansion ''will not affect other old mosques''

Prophet's Masjid in Madinah​

Friday 21 November 2014

The expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah would not affect other nearby ancient mosques, a senior official from the Ministry of Finance has said.

He said that the mosques of Abu Bakr, Omar ibn Al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Al-Ejaba and Abu Dhar (Al-Sajdah) would remain intact because they are outside the boundaries of the expansion area.

According to the source, the rehabilitation of the Al-Ejaba and Al-Sajdah mosques would begin after the completion of the expansion project.

Mohamed Al-Amin Al-Khatri, director general of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance in Madinah, reportedly said that 131 mosques are set to undergo restoration, including the historic mosques of Abu Bakr, Omar ibn Al-Khattab, Ali bin Abi Talib, and Fatima Al-Zahra.

Madinah Haram expansion ‘will not affect other old mosques’ | Arab News

@Syed.Ali.Haider

As I told you in that other thread some 2 weeks ago then the news that some propaganda sites are spreading is false. Regarding both expansions.

 

[al-Hasani]

Thomas James Abercrombie, photographer

Thomas James Abercrombie, young and old​

Thomas James Abercrombie was a National Geographic magazine photographer and writer for 38 years. He died in April 2006. During his years at National Geographic, Abercrombie covered Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, becoming the magazine's expert on the region. After 1965, Abercrombie frequently covered Saudi Arabia and he converted to the Muslim faith. He became known as the magazine’s greatest expert on the Middle East. For October 1966 issue of the magazine, he took the first photographs of Mecca published in the Western world.

One of his most famous photos was shot in 1965, in Mecca. Abercrombie captured a quarter of a million Muslims gathered at the sacred Kabba from an aerial view. He described the incandescent blue in the photo as an image of cosmic motion. He made four trips to Mecca, and became enthralled with the Middle East and Islam.

Makkah by Thomas James Abercrombie
​

More photos by Thomas J. Abercrombie;​

http://www.natgeocreative.com/photog...asjabercrombie​

 

[al-Hasani]

International Competition of Holy Qur'an

Saudi Arabian wins top prize in Qur’an contest

Thursday, 20 November 2014

MAKKAH — A young Saudi Arabian man won the 36th King Abdulaziz International Holy Qur’an Competition on Wednesday.

Omar Hussein Ba Issa won the first prize of SR120,000 for delivering a top class performance in the category of memorization of the Holy Qur’an, mastery of recitation rules and interpretation of the words mentioned in the chapters.

Abdullah Hamad Abu Sharidah, from Qatar, also impressed the judges and won first place in the second category of memorization of the holy book and mastery of recitation rules. He won SR100,000.

The first prize of SR55,000 for the third category of memorization of 15 parts of the Holy Qur’an and mastery of recitation rules went to Salim Abdullah Quwearib from Libya.

Ehsan Abdulhaneef Bashar Al-Deen, from South Africa, won first prize of SR35,000 for the fourth category of five parts of the Holy Qur’an and mastery of recitation rules.

Sheikh Salih Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance, congratulated the winners.

A total of 138 people participated in the competition and 78 of them were nominated for the finals, which took place at the Grand Mosque.

Ten contestants participated in the first category, 30 in the second, 29 in the third, and nine in the fourth.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141120225019

www.alquran.gov.sa

مسابقة القرآن الكريم (@quran_gov) | Twitter

The obligatory floods/heavy rainfall in Hijaz from last week

Sheikh Saleh al-Taalib preceeded over the Jumuah Khutbah earlier this month;

 

[al-Hasani]

The current situation of the "Jabal Omar Project"

Trial run of Haramain Railway next year

Monday 24 November 2014

Experimental operation of the 480-km Haramain Railway that links the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah will take place in the beginning of next year, said Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry.

He said the first train from a total of 35 trains for the railway would arrive in the Kingdom by the end of this year. “We need sometime to fix the train’s parts and we’ll conduct an experimental operation.”

“We have completed 90 percent work on the main stations and we are studying prospects of establishing a new station near the Meeqat Mosque in Madinah for the benefit of pilgrims,” the minister said.

The 300 km/h speed train system will pass by Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City in Rabigh.

Al-Seraisry, who inspected the railway station in Madinah, urged contractors to establish proper rainwater drainage systems for the stations.

He said work on the two stations in Makkah and Madinah was affected by Umrah and Haj seasons. “Engineers wanted to establish the stations 1.2 meters above the ground level to protect them from flashfloods.”

The Madinah station located in the Knowledge Economic City covers an area of 172,000 square meters and include passenger lounges, six platforms for trains, arrival and departure halls, a helipad, and a mosque and a parking area for 1,000 vehicles.

Mohammed bin Khaled Al-Suwaiket, president of Saudi Railway Organization, said the project would be able to make 90 percent of returns within 12 years. He estimated the project’s total cost at SR3 billion.

He said the railway would operate seven trains between Jeddah and Makkah, two between Makkah and Madinah, and four between Makkah and Rabigh. “Every train is expected to carry nearly 20,000 passengers every hour.”

Trial run of Haramain Railway next year | Arab News

Madinah Haramain station

http://www.al-madina.com/node/571335...%86%D8%A9.htm

Umrah applicants’ biometrics before travel

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate around the holy Kaaba during the ritual pilgrimages of Haj and Umrah
at the Grand Mosque, during the annual haj pilgrimage in Makkah, in this Sept. 26, 2014 photo.​

Monday 24 November 2014

Visa applicants for Umrah will soon have to record their biometrics before traveling to the Kingdom.

Under the new rule, which comes as part of efforts to streamline the visa process and reduce waiting time at entry points, biometrics will be recorded at select agencies through registration centers in foreign countries.

The new system has been a subject of contention among Umrah tour operators in Pakistan, Egypt and Jordan, but has yet to be introduced in India, Bangladesh and other countries with a large number of Umrah applicants.

Tour operators have opposed the biometric system, saying it would delay Umrah visas and increase costs for applicants who live in remote areas since they would have to travel to larger cities before getting their permits.

The problem is particularly pressing in Pakistan, which sends nearly 700,00 Umrah pilgrims to the Kingdom every year.

Scores of local tour operators working under the umbrella of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan have opposed the new system.

The Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, meanwhile, has suspended Umrah visas for the current season in protest against the new measure.

Its President Shaher Hamdan said that the society would continue with this suspension until biometric data collection procedures are facilitated and amended for pilgrims.

Tour operators in Egypt have firmly opposed the measure, saying it would be a huge burden on pilgrims living in remote areas.

“We don’t know the exact details yet, but we know that processing costs will double and that pilgrims will have to approach a specific agency in Cairo and Alexandria to submit visa application forms,” Hisham H. Ali, an Egyptian expat from Jeddah, told Arab News.

Egyptian tour operators and officials from the country’s tourism ministry held a meeting with Saudi diplomats on Wednesday and requested them to postpone biometric registration until adequate arrangements were made, according to one report.

Operators in India and Bangladesh have not received word of the measures thus far, but will only process visas for Umrah pilgrims from December.

“We have not received any information about biometric requirements,” Adeeb Mohammed, managing director of Links travel, an agency that processes thousands of Umrah applications in Hyderabad every year, told Arab News.

Sources at travel agencies in Dhaka also echoed similar views.

Arab News tried to get comments from Hatim Kadi, undersecretary at the Haj Ministry, to no avail.

Umrah applicants’ biometrics before travel | Arab News

 

[al-Hasani]

King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an in Madinah

مجمع الملك فهد لطباعة المصحف الشريف by سلطان الزهراني, on Flickr

Gallery

 

[al-Hasani]

Holy Kaaba cloth weaver dies after 47 years of service

Rajab Mahoos Al-Malki​

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

RIYADH — The oldest weaver of the black cloth covering the Holy Kaaba cloth died Monday at a private hospital aged 90.

Rajab Mahoos Al-Malki had spent over 47 years of his life doing the same job he was proud of, weaving the kiswa (black cloth).

He liked to talk a lot about his job whenever he met his friends or family members even after he retired in 2004.

Scores of tailors and embroiders learned many things from him while he was working for the Kaaba Kiswa Factory in Makkah.

His apprentices and colleagues said they would always remember him as a very polite and charity-loving person.

Born in 1930 and raised in a small village near Makkah, Al-Malki told Okaz during an interview a long time ago that he participated in weaving the first kiswa with colleague Abdulraheem Amin Bokhari.
They both worked on it for six months, he said.

He said during the interview: “We were asked to weave the kiswa after the factory production lines in Egypt came to a halt.

“We used the old kiswas as prototypes and worked hard to deliver on time.” The second kiswa was weaved in Makkah during the era of the late King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz.

“We wanted to prove to everyone that we were the best qualified to do this work,” Al-Malki said.

Dr. Muhammad Bajoada, director of the factory in Makkah, said the factory has lost a “great asset”.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20141126225569

Expansion work continues