Al-Mash'ar al-Haram Mosque
| The Sacred Grove | |
|---|---|
Al-Mašʿar Al-Ḥarām (ٱلْمَشْعَر ٱلْحَرَام) | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Muzdalifah, Makkah, Hejaz |
  Location within Saudi Arabia  Al-Mash'ar al-Haram Mosque (Middle East)  Al-Mash'ar al-Haram Mosque (West and Central Asia) | |
| Coordinates | 21°23′10″N 39°54′44″E / 21.38611°N 39.91222°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Style | Islamic |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | Qiblah |
| Minaret | 2 |
Al-Mash'ar al-Haram Mosque (Arabic: مَسْجِد ٱلْمَشْعَر ٱلْحَرَام, romanized: Masjid Al-Mašʿar Al-Ḥarām) is one of the most significant landmarks of the Hajj pilgrimage, located in Muzdalifah, western Saudi Arabia.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Description
[edit]The mosque covers an area of approximately 5,040 m2 (54,300 sq ft), with a length of about 90 m (300 ft) and a width of 56 metres (184 feet). It includes a large prayer courtyard that can accommodate over 12,000 worshippers, and it features two minarets rising to a height of around 32 metres (105 feet).[9]
The mosque is situated in the heart of Muzdalifah, between Mount Arafat and Mina, along the route connecting the two sites. It serves as a major gathering point for pilgrims after they move from Arafat at the end of the Day of Arafah.[10]
The history of the mosque is closely connected to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's actions during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and to the Quranic command to remember God here when moving from Arafat to Muzdalifah. The mosque was originally built in the 3rd century A.H. on the site where Muhammad spent the night in Muzdalifah, prayed Fajr, and remembered God until daybreak. Since its initial construction, the mosque has undergone several expansions and restorations throughout Islamic history, eventually reaching its present form.[11]
The importance of the mosque stems from its mention in the Quran (2:198)[12] as the Sacred Grove:
لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ ۖ وَاذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّالِّينَ
There is no sin on you if you seek the Bounty of your Lord. Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allah at the Sacred Grove. And remember Him as He has guided you, and verily, you were, before, of those who were astray.
It is the place where the Prophet prayed and spent the night in Muzdalifah, making it a natural and meaningful stop for pilgrims after standing at Arafat.[13] The mosque serves as a place for remembering God, performing the combined Maghrib and ‘Isha prayers, and spending the night in Muzdalifah before heading to Mina on the morning of Eid. Each year, millions of pilgrims visit the mosque as a blessed site of prayer and devotion.[14]
-
The mosque in 2015 -
The mosque in 2018
See also
[edit]- Holiest sites in Islam
- Islam in Saudi Arabia
- List of mosques that are mentioned by name in the Quran
- Sarat Mountains
References
[edit]- ^ "مسجد المشعر الحرام". سعوديبيديا (in Arabic). 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ a b Burton, Richard Francis (1857). Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El Medinah and Meccah. p. 226.
The word jamrah is applied to the place of stoning, as well as to the stones.
- ^ a b Abū Dā'ūd (1984). Sunan Abu Dawud: Chapters 519-1337. Sh. M. Ashraf. ISBN 978-9-6943-2097-7.
1204. Jamrah originally means a pebble. It is applied to the heap of stones or a pillar.
- ^ a b Hughes, Thomas Patrick (1995) [1885]. Dictionary of Islam. Asian Educational Services. p. 225. ISBN 978-81-206-0672-2.
Literally "gravel, or small pebbles." The three pillars [...] placed against a rough wall of stones [...]
- ^ a b Long, David E. (1979). "2: The Rites of the Hajj". The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Pilgrimage to Makkah. SUNY Press. pp. 11–24. ISBN 0-8739-5382-7.
With thousands of Hajjis, most of them in motor vehicles, rushing headlong for Muzdalifah [...] There is special grace for praying at the roofless mosque in Muzdalifah called al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the Sacred Grove)
- ^ a b Danarto (1989). A Javanese pilgrim in Mecca. Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University. p. 27. ISBN 0-8674-6939-0.
It was still dark when we arrived at Muzdalifah, four miles away. The Koran instructs us to spend the night at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. the Sacred Grove at Muzdalifah, as one of the conditions for the hajj.
- ^ a b Jones, Lindsay (2005). Encyclopedia of religion. Vol. 10. Macmillan Reference USA. p. 7159. ISBN 0-0286-5743-8.
The Qur'an admonishes: "When you hurry from Arafat, remember God at the Sacred Grove (al-mash' ar al-haram)," that is, at Muzdalifah (2:198). Today a mosque marks the place in Muzdalifah where pilgrims gather to perform the special saldt
- ^ a b Ziauddin Sardar; M. A. Zaki Badawi (1978). Hajj Studies. Jeddah: Croom Helm for Hajj Research Centre; King Abdul Aziz University. p. 32. ISBN 0-8566-4681-4.
Muzdalifah is an open plain sheltered by parched hills with sparse growth of thorn bushes. The pilgrims spend a night under the open sky of the roofless Mosque, the Sacred Grove, Al Mush'ar al-Haram. On the morning of the tenth, all depart[.]
- ^ "مشعر مزدلفة". كدانة للتنمية والتطوير (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ imtiaz (2017-04-04). "Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram". Hajj and Umrah Planner. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ Landmarks, Islamic (2014-04-24). "Masjid Mashar al-Haram". IslamicLandmarks.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ Quran 2:198 (Translated by Yusuf Ali)
- ^ "Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram: The Sacred Mosque in Makkah al-Haram - Alfalah Journey". 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "المشعر الحرام .. نزل النبي عند قبلته في حجة الوداع". makkawi.azurewebsites.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-11-29.
External links
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Every year, from the eighth to the twelfth day of Dhu al-Hijjah. | ||
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