Dr.Mazhar
Naqvi
The
onus of yet another attempt to destroy the shrine of Hazrat Zainab lies with
Saudi Arabia. It was the extremist clerics of the desert kingdom who had given
call for the destruction of the holy shrine. Since then, repeated efforts are
being made by fanatics to raze the shrine of holy prophet’s granddaughter in
Damascus. What is more alarming is silence of some Muslims over the issue.
They feel that demolition of holy shrine is a good thing because “exaggerated
emphasis” on the holiness of such sites
could weaken understanding of the Oneness of God and reliance solely upon Him.However
they forget that Muslims from the
earliest generations have sought blessings (tabarruk) of individuals, objects,
places and times. The Companions of the Prophet Muhammad SAW vied with each
other for his hairs, sweat, leftover water from wudu (ablution), and objects
related to him, as established in rigorously authenticated hadiths. Nabi Kareem
never prevented his companions from doing so. The subsequent generations too
followed the custom. Imam Shafai washed a shirt sent to him by Imam Ahmad and
drank the water it was washed in (Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, 5.312).He
also visited the grave of Imam Abu
Hanifa and pray there when he had some pressing need and ask God to fulfill
that need. (al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, 1.122)
Likewise, Imam Ahmad made a bequest that he be buried in Bab al-Tibn in the Qati’a cemetery. When asked about this, he responded, “I have strong proof that there is a prophet buried in Qati’a, and I would rather be buried close to a prophet than to my very own father” (Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1 . 188).They did so because The Qur’an talks about the baraka of certain individuals (such as Jesus), places (such as the Levant), things (such as the olive tree), texts (such the Qur’an), words (such as the greeting of salam, peace), and times (such as Laylat al-Qadr, when the Qur’an was first revealed).Raghib al-Asfahani explains that baraka is “affirming Divinely-placed good in something” (Asfahani, Mufradat Alfadh al-Qur’an, 119).
Blessed individuals, objects and places are signs of the Divine. Beautiful in themselves, in meaning or form, they remind us of the Divine – of Divine Beauty, Oneness and of the ways of approaching the Divine. They are a means of remembering God. They awaken us to the reality that the forms of created things have a meaning they are all, in fact, signs of God.This is why Muslims throughout the ages have loved, venerated and sought the blessings of righteous individuals and places of significance, such as mosques, historical sites and the graves of the righteous. It is an expression of the love of God to see and celebrate His signs and to love those things beloved to Him. Ibn ‘Umar relates that, “The Messenger of God used to ask for water to be brought from purification pools. He would drink from this water, seeking the blessing of the hands of Muslims” (Related by Tabarani in alAwsat, 1.243, and Abu Nu’aym in al-Hilya, 8.203; Haythami said in his Majma ‘ al-Zawa ‘id, 1.214, that its chain of transmitters is reliable).
Thus, destroying a heritage site is a crime against not only Islam but also humanity. Some Muslims may not believe intercession but it does not give them right to destroy historic places. Many Muslims go to shrines to ask blessings, to pray for holy souls and connect themselves to the God and great Islamic history. Those striving to demolish shrine of Syeda Zainab aim at achieving two objectives –First ,to escalate sectarian strife and second, to erased her role as messenger of Karbala. It is ironical that UNESCO has been simply a mute spectator to such destruction. All Muslims should condemn the repeated attack on the shrine of Syeda Zainab, for she is role model for all women as to how adversity should be faced and a tyrant be disgraced in his own court.
Likewise, Imam Ahmad made a bequest that he be buried in Bab al-Tibn in the Qati’a cemetery. When asked about this, he responded, “I have strong proof that there is a prophet buried in Qati’a, and I would rather be buried close to a prophet than to my very own father” (Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1 . 188).They did so because The Qur’an talks about the baraka of certain individuals (such as Jesus), places (such as the Levant), things (such as the olive tree), texts (such the Qur’an), words (such as the greeting of salam, peace), and times (such as Laylat al-Qadr, when the Qur’an was first revealed).Raghib al-Asfahani explains that baraka is “affirming Divinely-placed good in something” (Asfahani, Mufradat Alfadh al-Qur’an, 119).
Blessed individuals, objects and places are signs of the Divine. Beautiful in themselves, in meaning or form, they remind us of the Divine – of Divine Beauty, Oneness and of the ways of approaching the Divine. They are a means of remembering God. They awaken us to the reality that the forms of created things have a meaning they are all, in fact, signs of God.This is why Muslims throughout the ages have loved, venerated and sought the blessings of righteous individuals and places of significance, such as mosques, historical sites and the graves of the righteous. It is an expression of the love of God to see and celebrate His signs and to love those things beloved to Him. Ibn ‘Umar relates that, “The Messenger of God used to ask for water to be brought from purification pools. He would drink from this water, seeking the blessing of the hands of Muslims” (Related by Tabarani in alAwsat, 1.243, and Abu Nu’aym in al-Hilya, 8.203; Haythami said in his Majma ‘ al-Zawa ‘id, 1.214, that its chain of transmitters is reliable).
Thus, destroying a heritage site is a crime against not only Islam but also humanity. Some Muslims may not believe intercession but it does not give them right to destroy historic places. Many Muslims go to shrines to ask blessings, to pray for holy souls and connect themselves to the God and great Islamic history. Those striving to demolish shrine of Syeda Zainab aim at achieving two objectives –First ,to escalate sectarian strife and second, to erased her role as messenger of Karbala. It is ironical that UNESCO has been simply a mute spectator to such destruction. All Muslims should condemn the repeated attack on the shrine of Syeda Zainab, for she is role model for all women as to how adversity should be faced and a tyrant be disgraced in his own court.
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