Great Mosque (Kufa)
Encyclopedia
The Great Mosque of Kufa, or Masjid al-Kūfa ,or Masjid-al-Azam located in Kūfa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....

, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, is one of the earliest mosques in Islam. The mosque, built in the 7th century, contains the remains of Muslim ibn ‘Aqīl
Muslim ibn Aqeel
Muslim ibn Aqeel, or Muslim ibn Aqil, was the cousin of Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, and the son of Aqeel ibn Abu Talib. Muslim ibn Aqeel was sent ahead as an envoy to Kufa to see if the people could be trusted to be loyal to the Imam Husayn. He sent word back saying that the people of Kufa...

 - first cousin of Husayn ibn ‘Alī
Husayn ibn Ali
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ‎ was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...

, his companion Hānī ibn ‘Urwa
Hani ibn Urwa
Ibn Ziyad summoned a retainer, Ma'qil, who he tasked to act a spy and pretend he was a Shi'a in order to locate the whereabouts of Muslim ibn Aqeel. With 3,000 dirhams in his hand and by falsely convincing Muslim ibn Awsaja al-Asadi of his sincerity, Ma'qil was invited into the presence of Muslim...

, and the revolutionary Mukhtār al-Thaqafī
Al-Mukhtar
al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ‘Ubayd Allah al-Thaqafī was an early Islamic revolutionary who led an abortive rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphs after the death of Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala.-Life:...

.

Dimensions

Today the area of the building measures approximately 11,000sqm.

The mosque contains nine sanctuaries and four traditional locations. It has four minarets and is served by five gates.

Renovation

The 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq
Da'i al-Mutlaq
The term Dāʻī al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted missionary". In Ismā'īlī Islām, the term dāʻī has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imāms, and the Daʻwa or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation. "The Daʻwa" was a term for the...

 of Dawoodi Bohra Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
Mohammed Burhanuddin
Doctor Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. The Dawoodi Bohras are a sub group within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam.- Biography :Burhanuddin was born in Surat, Gujarat, India...

 undertook the renovation of the mosque, which was then completed in early 2010. It has many special features:
1)The mosque has been decorated with gold and silver and precious stones such as diamonds, rubies and in every corner of the mosque one will find Ya Ali written.
2)The Qibla in which maula Ali was martyrd has been made with a gold zari. It is made up of gold, silver, rubies, diamonds. Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
Mohammed Burhanuddin
Doctor Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Dā‘ī l-Muṭlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras. The Dawoodi Bohras are a sub group within the Mustaali, Ismaili Shia branch of Islam.- Biography :Burhanuddin was born in Surat, Gujarat, India...

 has made The zari of qibla.
3)The whole interior of the Mosque has verses of quran surrounded in gold in unique arabic writing.
4)In the section of the qibla there are tear shaped engravings in marble bordered with gold and rubies.
5)The whole mosque has marbles and tiles which have been brought from Greece. These tiles are also being used at Kabatullah in Mecca. The special feature of these tiles is that it is cool in bright sunlight and in summers especially in places with dry climate like in Iraq.
6)Special Rugs have been brought from Iran which are used inside the mosque.

Significance

The Mosque is revered for many reasons:
  • It was the place where ‘Alī
    Ali
    ' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...

     was fatally struck on the head while in Sujood
    Prostration
    Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...

  • Contains the tombs of Muslim ibn ‘Aqīl
    Muslim ibn Aqeel
    Muslim ibn Aqeel, or Muslim ibn Aqil, was the cousin of Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, and the son of Aqeel ibn Abu Talib. Muslim ibn Aqeel was sent ahead as an envoy to Kufa to see if the people could be trusted to be loyal to the Imam Husayn. He sent word back saying that the people of Kufa...

    , Hānī ibn ‘Urwa
    Hani ibn Urwa
    Ibn Ziyad summoned a retainer, Ma'qil, who he tasked to act a spy and pretend he was a Shi'a in order to locate the whereabouts of Muslim ibn Aqeel. With 3,000 dirhams in his hand and by falsely convincing Muslim ibn Awsaja al-Asadi of his sincerity, Ma'qil was invited into the presence of Muslim...

    , and Mukhtār al-Thaqafī
    Al-Mukhtar
    al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ‘Ubayd Allah al-Thaqafī was an early Islamic revolutionary who led an abortive rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphs after the death of Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala.-Life:...

  • There are markers within the mosque indicating the locations for where the court of ‘Alī
    Ali
    ' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...

     used to preside, where he was claimed to perform miracles, and where ‘Alī ibn Husayn and Ja‘far as-Sādiq
    Ja'far al-Sadiq
    Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...

     used to perform Salah
  • Islamic traditions relate that Adam
    Adam
    Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...

     established the mosque, that it was later the dwelling place of Noah
    Noah
    Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...

     and that this was the place where he built the Ark
    Noah's Ark
    Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...

  • Traditions say that 12,000 Prophets
    Prophets of Islam
    Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...

     had performed Salah within this mosque, including Abraham
    Abraham
    Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...

    , Noah
    Noah
    Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...

    , and Muhammad
    Muhammad
    Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

     on the Night of Ascension
    Isra and Mi'raj
    The Isra and Mi'raj , are the two parts of a Night Journey that, according to Islamic tradition, the Islamic prophet Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621. It has been described as both a physical and spiritual journey...

     - all are marked within the mosque
  • According to Shia belief. it was from this mosque that the diluvium of Noah
    Noah
    Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...

     started submerging earth, as well as being the place from where the water was re-absorbed - also marked within the Mosque
  • Shia Imām Ja‘far as-Sādiq
    Ja'far al-Sadiq
    Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...

     said that up to twelve miles of land in all directions from the mosque are blessed by its holiness.
  • Ja'far al-Sadiq
    Ja'far al-Sadiq
    Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...

     was also recorded as remarking that the "mosque in Kufa is superior to that of Jerusalem" and that "performing two prostrations of prayer here would be better for me than ten others at any mosque."
  • There are also traditions which state that performing one prayer in this mosque is the same as having performed one thousand prayers elsewhere, and performing one obligatory prayer here is equal to having performed an accepted Hajj
    Hajj
    The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...

  • The secretariat of Al-Kufa Mosque and its shrines describes the mosque as being one of the sole four dignified mosques to which Muslims must travel, and that it comes in third place after the Kaaba and the mosque of Prophet."

External links

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