پژوهشنامه حج و زیارت
سال هشتم شماره 1 (پیاپی 20، بهار 1402)

Andalusian scholars gave al-Baqīʿ particular attention and commented on it in a variety of ways in their publications. Al-Baqīʿ, as a blessed cemetery, where the Prophet (S) and his Companions attended and many of them were buried there, attracted the Andalusians’ attention, like other Muslims’, and they attempted to reflect its news. This research aims to provide an answer to the question of how al-Baqīʿ was regarded by Andalusian scholars and how it was addressed in their works. Using a descriptive-analytical method and historical evidence, the author of the response expresses the location, virtue, and status of al-Baqīʿ, the events connected to it, and the specifics of the tombs in al-Baqīʿ mentioned in the writings of Andalusian scholars. Of course, this fact should not be ignored that Andalusians occasionally disregarded some well-known symbols of Shīʿism, such as the tombs of Ahl al-Bayt (as), due to political and religious considerations.

This article analyzes the reactions of the United Kingdom (UK) to the pursuit al-Baqīʿ’s issues by Muslims. The research is based on several recently published papers that offer fresh details about the UK’s actions in relation to the responses of the Muslim populations of the specified countries to the reconstruction of al-Baqīʿ. Based on evidence, the UK not only assisted Āl Saʿūd in assuming power but also stayed silent about their crimes under the guise of a policy of non-interference in the Two Holy Mosques and refused to give minimal assistance to Wahhabi crime victims (even transferring the Indian Muslims’ letters to Reza Shah) and stopped Iraqi scholars’ attempts to write letters and express their opposition to Wahhabism. Additionally, by giving them money and air power, the UK assisted the Saudis in repressing those who stood up in opposition to Wahhabi crimes, like the devastation of holy tombs. The strategic objective of backing Wahhabism to infiltrate the Muslim world and the Hejaz and further their own interests in the region was the driving force behind the UK’s positioning. This research is novel since it includes fresh information and documents based on fresh, unpublished records. It is done using a historical-analytical method and based on library papers.

To compete with the Mamluks of Egypt, the Ilkhanids took into account the propensity towards Shīʿism (independent of other cultural variables affecting this topic) and tried to develop their influence and control over the Hejaz. Because of its position in the Hejaz and the special attention the Shiites paid to it, al-Baqīʿ Cemetery was seen as the link between these two pivots in the Ilkhanids’ religious policy. This research uses a descriptive-analytical approach to assess the role and significance of al-Baqīʿ in the Ilkhanids’ religious policy. The findings reveal that al-Baqīʿ gained prominence in the Ilkhanid court because of its propensity for Shīʿism and the shared belief with the Sharifs of Medina. This attention was due to the definitive attribution of Hazrat Zahra’s burial site to al-Baqīʿ and the extension of the name of al-Baqīʿ to all of Medina in the historical accounts of the time that went on by the construction of public buildings and tombs in Medina and the burial of Amirchoupan and his son, Cholukhan, as two of the elders of the Ilkhanid court, in al-Baqīʿ.

A location called “Fāṭima Mosque” and its various applications were documented in writings related to al-Baqīʿ, up until the 5th century. The term “Bayt al-Ḥuzn” first appeared in documents towards the end of the 6th century and has since been frequently mentioned. Some scholars also contend that “Fāṭima Mosque” was truly the tomb of Fāṭima (sa) and support their claim with historical evidence. A fatwa in support of performing prayers in “Bayt al-Ḥuzn” was also issued by a number of the jurists of the two sects. However, there are a lot of questions surrounding these two locations, including whether they are two separate locations or just different names for the same place. What ties the two locations together if they are different? What is their historical nature? Was the first the “Mosque” or “Bayt al-Ḥuzn”? By saying Fāṭima, who was buried there? This historical-narrative research proves that these two interpretations refer to the same location in “Dar ʿAlī” in al-Baqīʿ and that the grave belongs to Fāṭima bint ʾAsad.

Funeral rites are among the religious and cultural practices that have always received attention in various cultures. Such rituals are classified as “rites of passage” in modern religious-cultural studies, which aim to prepare individuals for such a crucial stage of life and encourage them to move on from one stage to the next. This research aims to investigate the roots of common human rituals in the range of world religions and cultures to determine the degree of their similarity, commonality, and holy and cultural authenticity. With an approach relevant to religious phenomenology, this research analyzes Islamic viewpoints throughout the history of Islam about burial rituals—in the collection of verses, traditions, and folk cultures of Muslims. In this way, their natural, human, and social origins are measured and they can be more effectively compared to the rituals of other religions and nations. Taking advantage of such a research approach will undoubtedly provide a new understanding of Islamic teachings and religious rituals for believers; teachings that have sometimes been untouched. Also, such a research approach increases the feasibility of dialogue with other religions based on common concepts.

The beneficial legal system that regulates the territory of al-Baqīʿ can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives, although the majority of written approaches in this field concentrate on the rights of its religious tourists (pilgrims), believers, and beneficiaries. The processing of construction and protection foundations of al-Baqīʿ is another legal feature of this field. However, despite all of these approaches, the main concern of this research is the gap in the history of human rights in this field. More specifically, the current status of al-Baqīʿ, as the outcome of an aggressive seizure in history, is discussed in terms of rights, such as the right to collective memory.  Based on international and human rights standards, this descriptive-analytical research first deals with the principles of the right to collective memory and its importance for citation; then it considers the destruction of al-Baqīʿ as the violation of this right; and finally, despite different solutions in the favor of al-Baqīʿ, it puts forth the main idea of giving juridical personality to the territory of al-Baqīʿ which has common and general demarcations in Islamic jurisprudence.

Architecture was one of the arts that historically were able to match themselves to Islamic ideas and expand over various nations under the label of Islamic architecture. The most prevalent public buildings, after mosques, were tomb structures. Due to their inspiration and civilizational endeavors, Iranian artists and architects left this enduring art in remembrance in other Islamic countries. Iran’s ancient history saw the ongoing emergence of six architectural styles, two of which are connected to the pre-Islamic era and the other four to the post-Islamic years. This research relied on historical sources to discuss the architectural styles of the Imams’ mausoleums in al-Baqīʿ and the typology of their component parts, such as the plans, the domes, the backs, the arches, and the architectural decorations used on the frontage. The research concludes that these tombs can be regarded as examples of Iranian architecture in the Hejaz based on historical and architectural features.