Makkah geographically lies at the center of the Earth and it is an emotionally powerful magnet that draws Muslim worshipers from all corners of the world. It is the dream of every Muslim to go around the ebony black Ka'bah and to drink from the cool Zamzam water. Muslims yearn to visit the Prophet's mosque in Madinah as well; to offer prayers and eventually die and be buried there; becoming neighbors with the Prophet in the afterlife. The National Adillaa Foundation for the service of the guests of Allah in Madinah, under the auspices of the Ministry of Haj, shares in the happiness of the pilgrims upon their arrival, and greets and guides them. The foundation also helps pilgrims find health care and it provides lost-and-found services. If a pilgrim were to die in the vicinity of Madinah, the organization even assists in the burial process. Data and statistics collected over the years by Adillaa on pilgrims visiting the holy city showed that the 99 percent of the relatives of pilgrims, who died during their stay in the Kingdom, express the wish of the deceased to be buried in the Prophet's city. Before they even embark on the Haj journey, pilgrims make their family promise to bury them in Madinah if Allah has decreed for them to die in Saudi Arabia. The highest percentage of pilgrim deaths noted by the foundation is among the delegations from Egypt, with 23 percent of all pilgrims who die in Madinah being Egyptian. The country that has the second largest number of pilgrim mortality in Madinah are 19 percent Pakistani pilgrims. Then, around eight percent of pilgrims from Indonesian died in Madinah. The public relations director of the foundation, Muhammad Abdullah Basrawi, shared his own personal encounters with a number of pilgrims and their families who so dearly aspired to be buried in Madinah. “I met with an Indian couple who had arrived in Madinah and had sold everything they owned; their farm, livestock, and valuable belongings, to perform Haj. The husband had a vision that he would travel with the intention of Haj but would die in Madinah before even making it to Makkah. However, their stay in Madinah ended and they both left in order to perform Haj. They communicated with me from Makkah to reassure me that their Haj was successful and uneventful and they were preparing to return to India; his wife jokingly hinted that his vision had not been fulfilled. Later, I learned that their flight from Jeddah had been suddenly cancelled and the only alternative was to catch a plane from Madinah. And indeed after they reached Madinah, the Indian pilgrim died a natural death and he was buried in Madinah, just as he had always dreamed of,” said Basrawi.
Basrawi also said that the Muslims's affection with Madinah and their desire to be buried there is indisputable because there are countless Ahadeeths on the virtues of dying and being buried in there. According to an authentic Hadith,”Whosoever is able to die in Madinah let him die there, for indeed, on the Day of Resurrection I will intercede for those who die in Madinah.” “It is the blessings and mercy of Allah that pilgrims seek when they pray that they will die and be buried in Al-Baqi' Al-Gharqad graveyard,” Basrawi added. Recalling another incident, Basrawi said, that several years ago there was an Egyptian delegation of pilgrims who had just completed the Haj and were on their way to Madinah to visit the Prophet's Mosque on a bus. One elderly pilgrim among them passed away. The wife of the deceased pilgrim refused to allow the bus to return to Makkah, although it had covered a distance of only 60 km. The bereaved wife persisted that they continue their trip so that her husband could be buried in Madinah. The land itself in Madinah is blessed as it is the city which became a safe haven for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims who fled from the prosecution that they had endured in Makkah. Its inhabitants opened their homes and hearts to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions. The migration or hijra to Madinah was so significant to the survival of the Muslim community and the future spread of Islam that the Islamic calendar begins in that year rather than the year of revelation in Makkah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had unbridled love for that city because after the Muslims conquered Makkah he chose to return to Madinah, his second home and he died there as well. For us to believe in the sanctity of the city, it suffices that the Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated, “Oh Allah, bestow upon Madinah twice the blessings which you have bestowed upon Makkah.” Believers of all nationalities and races want to be near the land that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was so fond of. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself wished to exhale his last breath in Madinah as it is recorded by Imam Malik that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said: “There is nothing like dying in the way of God, but there is not on the face of this Earth a piece of land more beloved to me that my grave should be in, than this (Madinah).” And he repeated this statement three times. That is part of the reason why pilgrims long for their last days in this world to be spent in Madinah, and that they be laid to rest in its grounds. The neighbor is more important than the home. The overwhelming desire to be buried in Madinah stems from the wish to be neighbors of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his wives (the Mother of Believers), and men like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Hamza (May Allah have mercy on them). Over 10,000 companions have been buried in Al-Baqi graveyard in Madinah, including the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his son Ibrahim (May Allah have mercy on him).
