Jannat al-Mu'alla

About Jannat al-Mu'alla

Cemetery located in Mecca

Jannat al-Mu'alla, also known as the Ma'la cemetery or al-Hajun, is the historic burial ground of the people of Makkah, in use since before Islam and still active today. It lies north of the Masjid al-Haram near the Mosque of the Jinn, at the start of the Hajun road on the right as you head towards the mosque from the Mu'abda district. After al-Baqi' in Madinah it is the most revered cemetery in Islam. Several of the Prophet Muhammad's relatives and companions are buried here, most famously his first wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, as well as his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, his uncle Abu Talib and his more distant forefathers, along with many of the early generations of scholars and rulers across the centuries. A weak hadith praises it: "What an excellent cemetery this is." The cemetery still serves the city: funeral prayers for Makkah's dead are usually held in the Grand Mosque, after which the worshippers carry the bier the short distance here for burial, and the grounds include washing and shrouding facilities run by the municipality. In keeping with the practice of the Hijaz, the graves are plain, without domes or built tombs.

Where:

Mecca, Saudi Arabia