Mustajar (Arabic: المستجار) is a part of the western wall of the Ka'ba, approximately 2 meters in length, located between the Yemeni Corner (Rukn Yamani) and the second door of the Ka'ba, which was sealed during the time of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi. This section is at the back of the Kaaba, directly opposite the current door of the Kaaba.
The meaning of the word Mustajār is 'refuge' or 'sanctuary.' This place is known for the acceptance of repentance and is recommended for supplication and prayer.
Mustajār and Multazam
Two places on the wall of the Kaaba are introduced as places for the acceptance of supplications and repentance, and there are narrations about them: Mustajār and Multazam.
It is usually said that Mustajār is at the back of the Kaaba on the western side, encompassing the distance from the Yemeni Corner (Rukn Yamani) to the sealed door of the Kaaba, and Multazam is on the eastern side, encompassing the distance from the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) to the current door of the Ka'ba.[1] However, the narrations related to Multazam and Mustajār have been mixed together, and sometimes Mustajār and Multazam are considered two names for the same place. It is sometimes said that Shia Muslims consider Multazam and Mustajār to be the same, whereas Sunni Muslims consider them to be different, with Multazam being the area between the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) and the door of the Kaaba.(2) Qāʾidān, " Tārīkh wa āthār-i Islāmī-yi Makka wa Madīna", p. 71. Some Shia scholars, based on the collections of narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt regarding the acts performed at Multazam and Mustajār, have concluded that these two are names for the same place, which is Mustajār.(3)* " Mirāʾat al-ʿUqū"l, vol. 9, p. 106. In Sunni sources, there are also numerous narrations and reports that consider Multazam to be at the back of the Kaaba (the same place as Mustajār)(4) Naʿmatī, "Pazhuheshī dar bāray Multazam" p. 84. Despite all this, in most geographical sources on Mecca, Multazam and Mustajār are distinguished from each other.(5) Fāsī al-Makkī, Shifāʾ al-gharām bi akhbār al-balad al-ḥarām,vol. 1, p. 196. (6) Mālikī, " Taḥṣīl al-Marām fī Aḵbār al-Bayt al-Ḥarām", vol. 1, p. 200/203. (7) Sanjārī, "Manāʾih al-Karam", vol. 1, p. 307. (8) Ibn Zahīra,Al-Jāmiʿ al-laṭīf fī faḍl-i Makka wa ahluhā wa bināʾ al-Bayt al-Sharīf, p. 47.
"Mustajār and the Crack of the Kaaba"
Some consider Mustajār to be the part of the wall of the Kaaba that was split open to allow Fatimah bint Asad, the mother of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), to enter the Kaaba for the birth of her son.(9) Ṭabāṭabāʾī Tabrīzī, "Hidāyat al-Ḥujjāj: Safar-Nāmah-i Makkah", p. 178. (10) Jaʿfariyān,Āthār-i islāmi-yi Makka wa Madīna, p. 97.
"The Supplication of Mustajār" In the rituals of circumambulation (Tawaf), it is mentioned that: It is recommended for the pilgrim, in the last round of their Tawaf, to place their face and hands on the wall, press their stomach and front against the wall of the Kaaba, and say:
"The Supplication of Mustajār" "O Allah, this house is Your house, and this servant is Your servant, and this is the place of one who seeks refuge with You from the Fire." Then, they should confess their sins and seek forgiveness, and afterwards say: "O Allah, from You comes the spirit, relief, and well-being. O Allah, my deeds are weak, so multiply them for me and forgive me for what You have seen of me that is hidden from Your creation. I seek refuge with Allah from the Fire. "(Then, after that, the person should make any supplications they wish, touch the Yemeni Corner (Rukn Yamani), come to the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad), complete their Tawaf, and say:) O Allah, make me content with what You have provided me and bless me in what You have granted me."(11) Khomeinī, "Manāsk Ḥajj Motābaq ba Fatwā-ye Imām Khomeinī ba Ḥawāshī Marājiʿ Taqlīd wa Istiftāʾāt Jadīd", p. 436.
Notes
- ↑ Ṣafāʾī Farūshānī, " Makkah dar Bistar-i Tārīkh", p. 99_101.
References
- Jafarīān, Rasūl. *Āthār Islāmī Makkah wa Madīnah*. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1389 AH.
. Naʿmatī, Muḥammad Rezā. "Pazhuheshī dar bāray Multazam." *Majallah Mīqāt Ḥajj*, no. 43, Farvardīn 1382 SH.
. Ibn Zahīra, Muḥammad Jārullāh. Al-Jāmiʿ al-laṭīf fī faḍl-i Makka wa ahluhā wa bināʾ al-Bayt al-Sharīf. Edited by ʿAlī ʿUmar. Cairo: Maktabat al-Thaqāfa al-Dīnīyya, 1423 AH.
. Qāʾidān, Aṣghar. *Tārīkh wa Āthār Islāmī Makkah Mukarramah wa Madīnah Munawwarah*. Mashʿar: 1400 AH.
. Mālikī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad. *Taḥṣīl al-Marām fī Aḵbār al-Bayt al-Ḥarām*. Makkah: Maktabat al-Asadī, 1424 AH.
. Fāsī, Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad. *Shifāʾ al-Gharām bi-Aḵbār al-Balad al-Ḥarām*. Edited by a committee of prominent scholars and literati. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, n.d.
. Ṣafāʾī Farūshānī, Niʿmat Allāh. *Makkah dar Bistar-i Tārīkh*. Qom: Markaz Jahanī ʿUlūm Islāmī, 1386 AH.
. Sanjārī, ʿAlī b. Tāj al-Dīn. *Manāʾih al-Karam*. Makkah: Jāmiʿah Umm al-Qurā, 1419 AH.
. Khomeinī, Rūḥ Allāh. *Manāsk Ḥajj Motābaq ba Fatwā-ye Imām Khomeinī ba Ḥawāshī Marājiʿ Taqlīd wa Istiftāʾāt Jadīd (1393)*. Mashʿar: 1409 AH.
. Ṭabāṭabāʾī Tabrīzī, Muḥammad Rezā. *Hidāyat al-Ḥujjāj: Safar-Nāmah-i Makkah* (d. 1320 AH). Compiled by Rasūl Jafarīān. Qom: Nashr-i Mūrikh, 1386 AH.
. " Mirāʾat al-ʿUqū"l