Madina (Madinah), “The City of the Prophet”, is located in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of the Al Madinah Province. After Mecca, it is the second holiest city in Islam. It became Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) home after the Hijrah. The city was known as Yathrib, but was personally renamed as Medina by the Prophet (PBUH). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is buried in this city. Like Mecca, entry to Madina is also prohibited for all non-Muslims. Three oldest mosques are located in Madina. These are Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet’s Mosque), Quba Mosque (Islam’s first mosque), and Masjid al-Qiblatain (Here the qibla was changed from Jerusalem to Mecca). Jannat al-Baqi, a grave yard, is just across from Masjid an-Nabawi where Hazrat Fatimah and Hazrat Hassan are buried.
