Exterior view of Imam Ali Shrine

The Imam Ali Holy Shrine (Arabic: حرم الإمام علي), also known as Meshed Ali or the Tomb of Ali, is a mosque located in Najaf, Iraq. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Najaf ( BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

Religious status

Part of a series on Ahl al-Kisa Ali Son-in-law of Muhammad First Shi'a Imam Fourth Sunni Caliph

Birth Family Ali Descendants Timeline of Ali's life Succession to Muhammad Hadith of the pond of Khumm The Twelve Imams The Fourteen Infallibles Nahj al-Balagha Birthplace Zulfiqar Ali the Warrior Ali caliphate First Fitna Imam Ali Mosque Views: Sunni Shi'a non-Muslim Ali in Muslim culture

Ali · Fatimah · Hasan · Husayn This box: view • talk • edit

Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of Muhammad and the fourth caliph, is buried there. Ahl al-Kisa ( Arabic: ar اهل الكساء meaning People of the Cloak, refers to the last Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Imāmah (إمامة is the Shī‘ah doctrine of religious spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah This is a subarticle to Reports of unusual religious childbirths and Kaaba. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ ( 599 &ndash 661) was an early Islamic leader Ali ibn Abi Talib was the fourth and final Rightly Guided Caliph of Islam. 17 March 599 coincided with Thirteenth of Rajab, 24 BH: Birth of Ali ibn Abi Talib in the Ka'ba, in the city of Mecca. For the book by Wilferd Madelung, see The Succession to Muhammad. This is a sub-article to the Succession to Muhammad The Hadith of the pond of Khumm ( غدير خم) refers to the saying (i The Fourteen Infallibles (Ma'asumin - معصومين are Twelver Shia Islam religious figures from between the 6th and 9th century AD who Twelver Shia The Nahj al-Balagha ( Arabic: نهج البلاغة "Peak of Eloquence" is the most famous collections of Shi'a hadith, attributed to Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (ca 599-661 CE was a prominent figure in early Islamic history Zulfiqar "Spinecleaver" (ذو الفقار Dhū l-Fiqār) is the legendary sword of the Islamic leader ‘Alī. Ali bin Abi Talib took part in all the battles of Muhammad 's time save the Battle of Tabuk, as standard bearer The First Islamic Civil War (656–661 also called the First Fitna (a=فتنة مقتل عثمان|t=Fitnah Maqtal Uthmān was the first major Civil This is a parallel sub-article to Ali and Sunni. Sunni Muslims hold Ali in high respect as one of the Ahl al-Bayt - as This is a sub-article to Shi'a and Ali (This article is an encyclopedia entry on Ali ibn Abi Talib that is to be compiled with the objective This is a sub-article to Non-Muslim Islamic scholars and Ali. See also Imam Ali Except for Muhammad there is no one in Islamic history about whom as much has been written in Islamic languages as Ali ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Fatimah (فاطمة c 605 –632 was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadija. Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib ( ar الحسن بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (Fifteenth of Ramadhān, 3 AH – Seventh or Twenty-eighth of Safar Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah The Imam Ali Shrine is the third holiest site (see below) for some of the estimated 130 million followers of the Shia branch of Islam worldwide – approximately 10 percent of total Muslims. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as

Asia Times Online reports about Qom being the second holiest city in Iran. In an attempt to impress the importance of the Hazrat-e Masumeh shrine located in Qom, the article quotes the following famous hadith:

Our sixth imam, Imam Sadeq(Peace be upon him), says that we have five definitive holy places that we respect very much. The shrine of Fatema Mæ'sume, sister of Imām ˤAlī ibn-Mūsā Riđā, is located in Qom, the second most sacred city in Iran after Mashhad Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic The first is Mecca, which belongs to God. The second is Medina, which belongs to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (p. b. u. h), the messenger of God. The third belongs to our imam of , Ali, which is in Najaf. The fourth belongs to our imam, Hussein, in Karbala. The last one belongs to the daughter of our seventh imam and sister of our eighth imam, who is called Fatemah, and will be buried in Qom. Pilgrims and those who visit her holy shrine, I promise to these men and women that God will open all the doors of Heaven to them. ^[1]

The Cultural Heritage Photo Agency based in Iran states: “The world's 120 million Shias regard Najaf - a center of scientific, literary and theological studies - as their third holiest site, behind Mecca and Medina”. ^[2] Modarresi News calls it: "The place was the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and third holiest shrine". ^[3]

Zaman Newspaper, based in Turkey, reports that “Because Najaf is home to the Imam Ali tomb and Mosque, Shia Muslims regard Najaf as the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina”. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches ^[4] Referring to Najaf, ShiaNews. com describes it as “the place is the burial site of Islam’s second most important figure and third holiest shrine”^[5]

The Guardian described Najaf, as the third holiest place of Shi'ite Muslims^[6] The Boston Globe reports “for the world's nearly 120 million Muslim Shias, Najaf is the third holiest city, behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. The Boston Globe (and Boston Sunday Globe) is the most widely circulated daily Newspaper in Boston and in New England, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi ^[7] The CNN website states: “the Shia the city of Najaf, Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina and home to the Tomb of Imam Ali, cousin of Muhammad and father of Karbala's Husayn ibn Ali”. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Karbala ( BGN: Al-Karbalā’; also spelled Karbala al-Muqaddasah) is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad at Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 4 AH / 8th January 626 AD at Medina ^[8]

On the website of The Virtual Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Islamic World, a division of the University of Georgia, under Miscellaneous Relevant Links, it cites a link to a news story “about Iraqi troops using the shrine of Ali in Najaf and about the instructions given to American troops not to damage the shrine, which, after Mecca and Medina, is the holiest city for Shias. The University of Georgia ( UGA) is a public research University located in Athens, Georgia, the oldest and largest of the ” And “American authorities have not taken an active public role in the mosque investigation because of Iraqi sensitivity to any US presence at the Najaf Shrine. The mosque is the most sacred Shia shrine in Iraq and the third holiest in the world after Mecca and Medina”^[9]

History

The shrine was first built by the Iranian ruler the Daylamite Fannakhosraw Azod ad Dowleh in 977 over the tomb of Ali. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Buyids (آل بویه Āl-e Buye, Caspian: Bowyiyün also known as Buwaihids or Buyyids, were a Shī‘ah Iranian Aḍud al-Dawla ( Arabic: عضد الدولة) or Azod od-Dowleh Fana Khusraw ( ( September 24, 936, Isfahan - March Events By Place Europe Saint Æthelwold of Winchester, Bishop of Winchester, rebuilds the western end of the Old Minster After being destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I in 1086, and rebuilt yet again by the Safavid Shah Ismail I shortly after 1500. The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish Selçuklular; in Ṣaljūqīyān; in Jalāl al-Dawlah Mālikshāh or simply Malik Shah ( Persian: fa ملكشاه Turkish: Melikşah) (died 1092 was the The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz

During the uprising of March 1991, following the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards damaged the shrine, where members of the Shia opposition were cornered, in storming the shrine and massacring virtually all its occupants. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The Iraqi Republican Guard ( Arabic: الحرس العراقي الجمهوري/al-Haris Al-Jamhuri was a branch of the Iraqi military. Afterwards the shrine was closed for two years, officially for repairs. Saddam also deported to Iran a large number of the residents of the area who were of Iranian descent.

Events in 2003-2006

Since the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. military in 2003, there have been a number of further attacks at the mosque:

• April 10, 2003, Shia leader Sayed Abdul Majid al-Khoei, the son of Grand Ayatollah Abu al Qasim al-Khoei, was killed near the mosque. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei (السيد عبد المجيد الخوئي( Arabic) 16 August, 1962 – 10 April, 2003 Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abul-Qassim al-Khoei ( November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was one of the most influential Al-Khoei had returned from exile in Britain to encourage cooperation with the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Iraq War|2007 in Iraq|2008 in IraqThe post-invasion period in Iraq

• August 29, 2003, a car bomb exploded outside the mosque just as the main Friday prayers were ending. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) A car bomb is an explosive device placed in a car or other Vehicle and then detonated. Somewhere between 85 to 125 people were killed, including the influential Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim (سيد محمد باقر الحكيم(b The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC ( Arabic: المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي العراقي (previously known as Supreme Council for the Islamic The blast is thought to be the work of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (أبومصعب الزرقاوي, Abu Musab from Zarqa)) (October 30 1966 – June 7 2006 born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal

• May 24, 2004, unidentified mortar fire, in which U. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories S. forces were not involved, hit the shrine, damaging gates which lead to the tomb of Imam Ali.

• August 2004, an ongoing battle between combined U. August 2004: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - S. and Iraqi forces, and the Islamist al-Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr, damaged two of the minarets of the mosque in which al-Sadr's forces have taken refuge. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only This page describes the Shia Mahdi Army of contemporary Iraq for the Sunni Mahdi Army of Nineteenth Century Sudan see Muhammad Ahmad. Hojatoleslam Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr or Moktada al Sadr ( ar سيد مقتدى الصدر Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr) (born August 12, For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة On August 23, at least 15 explosions, many sounding like artillery shells, rocked the area, as shrapnel fell in the courtyard of the gold-domed mosque and gunfire echoed through the alleyways. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine Shrapnel is the term originally applied to an anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards relying The fighting was eventually ended by a peace agreement; although the neighboring buildings suffered considerable damage, the mosque itself suffered only superficial damage from stray bullets and shrapnel.

• August 10, 2006 a suicide bomber wearing an explosive harness blew himself up near the shrine, which killed 40 people and injured more than 50 others. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

See also

• Imam Ali
• Timeline of Islamic history
• Islamic architecture
• Islamic art
• List of mosques
• Third holiest site in Islam

References

External links

• GlobalSecurity.org website: past and current history of the mosque
• Fighting, Artillery Barrage Rocks Iraqi Shrine (Reuters; August 23, 2004)