Bayt al-Nur
 | |
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Type | Shrine |
| Location | Qom |
| Specifications | |
| Status | Active |
Bayt al-Nūr (Arabic: بيت النور) was Lady Ma'suma's (a) worshipping and living place in Qom. This place which was originally the house of Musa b. Khazraj was endowed after the demise of Lady Ma'suma (a) and was called mihrab or ma'bad of Fatima (a), Bayt al-Nur and al-Buq'a al-Sittiyya; and in the next years, a mosque and a school called al-Sittiyya school were built beside it.
Its custodianship is upon "Mireh'i Sayyids" and every year, special ceremonies are held there on the Lady Ma'suma's (a) birth and demise anniversaries and the anniversary of her entrance to Qom.
Location
Bayt al-Nur was the place for Lady Ma'suma's (a) stay in Qom for seventeen days before her demise and has always been considered by people as a pilgrimage site. It is located in an old neighborhood of Qom called Mir Square (between the two localities of Azar and Chaharmardan). It was located in south-west of Qom then, but after the expansion of the city, it became one of the central parts of Qom[1].
History
Bayt al-Nur is a place of staying mentioned in historical documents including Tarikh-i Qom written by Hasan b. Muhammad al-Qummi and its history dates back to 201/816-7, when Lady Ma'suma (a) entered Qom[2] .
Bayt al-Nur was originally the house of Musa b. Khazraj, one of the great personalities of Qom who went to welcome Lady Ma'suma (a) together with other great personalities of Qom when they were informed that she was approaching there from Saveh. He brought her to this place (Bayt al-Nur). Lady Ma'suma (a) began worshipping in this place and passed away due to illness after a short period of time and was buried in Babilan garden. After the demise of the Lady (a), Musa b. Khazraj endowed where she worshipped and its surrounding area. This place is mentioned in historical documents as mihrab or ma'bad of Fatima (a), Bayt al-Nur and al-Buq'a al-Sittiyya which is a room 3m by 3.5m in size and decorated by mirror work[3]. Its architecture and the construction of mihrab contain symbols signifying the holiness of the place to pilgrims. The dome-like ceiling which is considered a symbol of heaven in the Islamic architecture, using the mixture of stone and mirrors, tiles, lighting inside the room, decorative paintings, etc. are among such symbols[4].
In the next years, a mosque and a school called al-Sittiyya school were built beside mihrab of Lady Ma'suma (a)[5]
Custodianship and Usage
The custodianship of Bayt al-Nur is upon a board of trustees including Mireh-i Sayyids and the servitude of this place has been hereditary among them in different generations. They have endowed some properties for it and have played some roles in its reconstruction[6].
Bayt al-Nur is a pilgrimage site[7], where in addition to the mourning and birth ceremonies for the Ahl al-Bayt (a), special ceremonies are held on the Lady Ma'suma's (a) birth and demise anniversaries and the anniversary of her entrance to Qom[8].
Notes
- ↑ Faqīhī,Tārikh-i madhhabī-yi Qom, p. 94
- ↑ Qummi, Tārīkh-i Qom, pp. 213-14; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 48, p. 290.
- ↑ Fayḍ, Ganjīna āthār-i Qom, p. 699.
- ↑ Khānmuḥammadi, Insānshināsi-yi qadamgāh
- ↑ ʿAqīqī Bakhshāyishī, Madāris-i ḥawza-yi ʿilmiya-yi Qom yā mahd-i parwarish-i shakhṣiyathā-yi buzurg.
- ↑ Khānmuḥammadi, Insānshināsi-yi qadamgāh
- ↑ Zuhra Kashānī, Tārīkh-i 1200 sāla-yi ḥawza-yi ʿilmiya-yi Qom, p. 157.
- ↑ Khānmuḥammadi, Insānshināsi-yi qadamgāh
References
- Anwārī, Ḥasan. Farhang-i buzurg-i sukhan. Tehran: Intishārāt-i Sukhan, 1382 Sh.
- Dehkhodā, ʿAlī Akbar. Lughatnāma. Tehran: Dānishgāh-i Tehrān, 1377 Sh.
- Faqīhī, ʿAlī Asghar. Tārikh-i madhhabī-yi Qom. Qom: Intishārāt-i Zāʾir, 1378 Sh.
- Fayḍ, ʿAbbās. Ganjīna āthār-i Qom. Qom: Intishārāt-i Mihr-i Ustuwār, 1349 Sh.
- Khānmuḥammadi, Karim, Muʾazzin, Maʿṣūma. Insānshināsi-yi qadamgāh. Journal of Farhang-i Raḍawī, no. 11, 1394 Sh.
- Zuhra Kashānī, ʿAlī Akbar. Tārīkh-i 1200 sāla-yi ḥawza-yi ʿilmiya-yi Qom. Qom: Research Institute of Hawzeh and University, 1394 Sh.
- ʿAqīqī Bakhshāyishī, ʿAbd al-Raḥīm. Madāris-i ḥawza-yi ʿilmiya-yi Qom yā mahd-i parwarish-i shakhṣiyathā-yi buzurg. Maktab-i Islam Journal, no. 4.
- Qummī, Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-. Tārīkh-i Qom. Translated by Hasan b. Ali Qummi and edited by Jalal al-Din Tihrani. Tehran: Intishārāt-i Ṭūs, 1361 Sh.
- Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār al-jāmiʿa li-durar akhbār al-aʾimmat al-aṭhār. Third edition. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.