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MAKKAH'S MANY NAMES

Before mentioning the many names of Makkah, it should be known that in general the more names something has, the more greatness it possesses. The clearest example of this is the many names that our Creator, Allaah, Ar-Rahmaan,

Ar-Raheem, Thul-Jalaali wal-Ikraam, has revealed about Himself. Then look to His Book, the Qur'aan, the Thikr, the Furqaan, and also to His Messenger, Muhammad, Mustafaa, Ahmad, Al-Ameen (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam).

Al-Imaam An-Nawawee said, "Know that something having many names alludes to its greatness, as is the case with Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). I do not know of a city with more names than Makkah or Al-Madeenah, due to their being the best places on earth"

So let us look now to some of Makkah's names:

1 - Makkah

Allaah says : ( And He is the one who kept them from harming you

and kept you from harming them in the midst of Makkah

after giving you victory over them )

2 - Bakkah

Allaah says : ( Verily the first house set in place for mankind

is the one in Bakkah (Makkah), a blessed place,

a place of guidance for everything that exists )

3 - Umm Al-Quraa (Mother of the Villages)

Allaah says : ( And this is a book that We have sent down, a blessing that verifies what is already with them and warns Umm Al-Quraa (Makkah) and those around it )

4 - Al-Balad (The City)

This is from Allaah's Statement:

( No! I swear by this city, as you are a dweller in this city! )

This name quite clearly shows the superiority of Makkah over other cities, as Allaah refers to it exclusively as "This City" while thousands of other cities exist that could also be referred to by this name.

It should also be noted that in this verse Allaah is swearing by the city of Makkah. A look to all the various verses wherein Allaah swears by things He created will prove that He, Most Glorified and Exalted, only swears by the most virtuous and greatest things in His Creation.

5 - Al-Balad Al-Ameen (The Secure City)

Allaah says : ( And (I swear) by this secure city )

Again Allaah swears by Makkah, calling it yet another name, Al-Balad Al-Ameen. Indeed Makkah has been made a safe and peaceful city, as Allaah answered the prayer of our forefather Ibraaheem 'alayhis-salaam:

( And (remember) when Ibraaheem said:

"O my Lord! Make this city secure and keep me

and my children from worshipping idols!" )

And so Allaah made Makkah the safeguarded sanctuary that it continues to be today, as He says:

( And whoever enters, (they enter it) securely )

6 - Al-Baldah (The City)

The word baldah carries basically the same meaning as balad, both meaning "city", however some of the scholars of the 'Arabic language considered a baldah to be a more specific section of a balad.

Allaah calls Makkah Al-Baldah, saying : ( I have only been ordered to worship the Lord of this city that He made a sanctuary )

During the Farewell Hajj, after delivering his khutbah to the masses, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) asked them to confirm that they were indeed in Makkah, referring to it with this name, saying: "Is this not Al-Baldah?!"

7 - Al-Masjid Al-Haraam

Allaah says: ( Glorified is He who took His Servant by night

from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsaa )

The phrase Al-Masjid Al-Haraam is found in the Qur'aan a total of 15 times. It most often refers to the Ka'bah itself, however in this verse it means the city of Makkah and Allaah knows best.

8 - Al-Haram (The Sanctuary)

The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) supplicated:

"O Allaah! Verily I have made what is between its two black

rocky areas (in Al-Madeenah) a sanctuary just as you made

Al-Haram (Makkah) a sanctuary on the tongue of Ibraaheem."

9 - Ma'aad (The Place of Return)

Allaah says:( Verily the One who ordained the Qur'aan on you

will certainly return you to Ma'aad )

The scholars of Tafseer differed over the meaning of Ma'aad. Some understood it to mean death, while others understood it as the Day of Judgement or Paradise . Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), among others, understood it to be the foretelling of the Prophet's return to Makkah and the conquering of it .

10 - Al-Qar-yah (The Village)

This is found in Allaah's Statement : ( Allaah sets forth a parable of a village that was safe and peaceful, its provisions came abundantly from every place)

Even though it comes as an indefinite noun, a village, it refers to a specific village here, Makkah, and therefore some of the scholars considered Al-Qar-yah to be from Makkah's names and Allaah knows best.

MARYAM

The Prophet Muhammad is said to have mentioned her one of the four righteous and greatest women of all time and in Islamic tradition.The mother of Prophet Masih (Jesus). She is mentioned more in the Quran than in the entire New Testament and is also the only women mentioned by name in the Quran. According to the Quran Jesus was born miraculously by the will of Allah without a father. His mother is regarded as chaste and virtuous women and is said to have been a virgin. The Quran states clearly that Jesus was the result of a virgin birth, but that neither Mary nor her son was divine. In the Quran, no other women is given more attention than Maryam    

MESAHARATI
The mesaharati (public waker) is a public waker for suhoor and dawn prayer during Ramadan. According to the history books, Bilal Ibn Rabah was the first Mesaharati in Islamic history as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people

MARHABAN AHLAN WA SAHLAN YA SHAHRA RAMZAN
(Greetings and welcome O month of Ramadan)
Nabi Kareem ( ) ka irshad hai: "Ramazan ka pehla Ashra Rehmat hai, doosra Ashra maghfirat hai, aur Teesra Ashra Jahannum se Azadi hai " 

MALWANA
'Our master', a term of respect

[usually used in the context of referring to the Prophet , also however used in the context of referring to a learned individual e.g. scholar or imam, a concept I am not too keen on supporting and Allah knows best]

MA SALAMA
'With peace', a formula for ending letters

MESAHARATI
The mesaharati (public waker) is a public waker for suhoor and dawn prayer during Ramadan. According to the history books, Bilal Ibn Rabah was the first Mesaharati in Islamic history as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people