Al-Juhfah: Difference between revisions

Al-Juhfah is a region 183 km away from [[Mecca]]<ref>Nāṣirī, ''Mīqāt-i Juḥfa'', p. 167.</ref> and one of the important [[miqats]] of [[hajj al-tamattu']] and [[al-'umra al-mufrada]] for residents of [[Syria]] and [[Egypt]] and those who pass by there.<ref></ref> This city is 9 km away from [[Ghadir Khumm]], near the Red Sea and today those who go to Mecca from Jeddah wear ihram there.

This city was called Mahya'a meaning vast place.<ref></ref> It perhaps was called so because of being located in a vast land between Ghadir Khum and the Red Sea.

In narrations from the [[Prophet (s)]] and [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]], both names of Mahya'a and al-Juhfah were used for this region.

Due to its historical and religious location (being a miqat) and being on the way of commercial caravans, al-Juhfah has always been important. Reports suggest the development of al-Juhfah in first centuries of Islam.

After the 5th/11th century, al-Juhfah gradually lost its position and began to decline, so that [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] (d. 626/1228-9) mentioned its development in the past and its decline in his time. Also toward the end of 8th/14th century, Abu l-Fada' reported about al-Juhfah's destruction and isolation. According to the report of some travel writers, toward the end of 9th/15th century, this region even lost its religious function so that some reported that [[hajj]] pilgrims wore [[Ihram]] in Rabigh near al-Juhfah.

In later centuries, especially in contemporary period, al-Juhfah regained its religious position once again; although it has not restored its developent as it had in the past and some ruinsof its past still remains.

During the time of [[the Prophet (s)]], al-Juhfah had important events, one of its most important ones were some [[Sariyya]]s of the Prophet (s) such as [[Sariyya of 'Ubayda b. al-Harith]] ([[Sha'ban]], [[1]]/Febraury/ March 623) in Rabigh near al-Juhfah and also Sariyya of Kharrar led by Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas ([[Ramadan]], [[1]]/ March/ April 623).