The birthplace of the Prophet (saw), the birthplace of Lady Khadija and the two buildings which used to be in the Bagi’e cemetery have all been ruined and destroyed. The Bagi’e cemetery in Medina, where many members of the Prophet’s household are buried, used to have two buildings which were destroyed in 1925. At present there are many buildings which are being demolished in both Medina and Mecca.[1]
When the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (saw) was destroyed, the Al-Jazeera English news channel reported it, and stated: “The government in power in Saudi Arabia has turned to systematically ruining Islamic buildings. One of the places that have been demolished is Prophet Muhammad’s birthplace, which has now been changed into a library.” According to the same report all the historical places of Mecca have been buried under new commercial buildings. [2]
Many Muslims are of the view that what is left of Muslim heritage is being wiped out by Saudi Arabia. However there is still one historical place which is left untouched and that is the Noor Mountain, where the cave of Hira is situated. This cave is where the first verses of the holy Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet (saw).[3]
The heritage of Muslims and Islam should be protected not destroyed by the Saudi Government. Our heritage is what brings us together and unites us so it is vital that we guard them. One of the pilgrims, who has recently returned from Hajj stated the following regarding the birthplace of the Messenger of Islam: “I knew the library was the Prophet’s (saw) birthplace, so I went there and touched the walls because surely a building where the birth of the prophet has taken place is holy. However there was always an angry guard making sure nobody got close to the building, when I asked him what this building was, he replied: “It’s a library.” I asked him what about before it was a library, he replied: “It was always a library”. It was evident that he knew well it was the birthplace of the Prophet but wanted to hide it, the question was why. When I did touch it he hit and pushed me and reacted so aggressively I was shocked. Why is there this hostile attitude towards Muslim heritage? I have no idea.