The Muslim political leadership must put pressure on Al Saud to rebuild Jannat al-Baqi. Syed Karar Hashmi

On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the destruction of the holy places in the city of Madinah, Syed Karrar Hashemi, a student at the Qom seminary, urged the Muslim political leadership to take up the issue and use their power and pressure to force the Saudi government to reconstruct the Baqi cemetery.

He said in a press statement that Baqi cemetery is the oldest cemetery of Muslims and is the place of burial of four Shia Imams and other relatives and companions of the beloved Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him). This cemetery is the final resting place of four of the twelve Shia Imams: Imam Hasan Mujtaba (peace be upon him), Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him), and Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon him).

He further said that after the rise of Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia, they issued a fatwa to visit Baqi cemetery haram as a manifestation of polytheism. On the 8th of Shawwal, Wednesday, 1345 AH (April 21, 1925), Shah Ibn Saud destroyed the tombs in Jannat al-Baqi (Madinah).

 He observed that in the same year (1925), Shah Ibn Saud also demolished the tombs of the holy people in Jannat al-Mala (Mecca) where the Prophet’s mother, wife, grandfather and other ancestors are buried.

He said that the Al-Saud government’s initiative to rebuild Al-Baqi could strengthen Riyadh’s soft power around the world. And its reconstruction will bring millions of Shia Muslims from all over the world for pilgrimage to Jannat al-Baqi, and it can give a big boost to the Saudi tourism industry and help diversify the country’s economy, according to MBS’s Vision 2030.