Jannat Al-Mu‘alla

JANNAT AL-MU‘ALLA T he land where Makkah is situated slopes downward on one side and upward on the other. The lower part is called Misfalah, and the higher part is known as Mualla. In the elevated section lies an ancient graveyard called Jannat al-Mu‘alla. It is located in the direction of Mina from Makkah. This graveyard is the resting place of Khadijah, may God be pleased with her. It also includes the graves of the Prophet Muhammad’s son, Abraham and his mother Aminah bint Wahb. The graves of his uncle Abu Talib and his grandfather Abdul Muttalib are also here. Notable figures such as the Companion Abdullah ibn alZubayr and the caliph Abu Jafar al-Mansur are buried here as well. The graveyard contains many other tombs— reminders of those noble individuals who once walked the earth just as we do today. Homes are signs of the living, while cemeteries are signs of the dead. Cemeteries remind us that those buried there were once living individuals who, after completing their span of life, moved on to the next stage of existence.