Did you know that the Haram was closed more than 40 times in history?

Did you know that the #Haram was #closed more than #40_times in #history?

This is #not the #first_time in history. Out of the 40 times it happened, #here_are some of the #most_significant_closures of the Haram:

#865_AD: It was first closed in 251 AH. Ismail Ibn #Yusuf_al_Alawi carried out a massacre in Makkah killing hundreds of hujjaj.

#930_AD: This was one of the most disastrous events. The Qaramita, who are an extremist sub group attacked Makkah. They called tawaf around the Kabah as idol worship. They tried to destroy the Kabah and stole the Black Stone. Umrah was stopped in that year. They took the Black Stone with them to Qatif. They tried to invent their alternate version of Hajj instead. For 22 years it remained in their possession until it was bought back. While they were stealing it, #the_black_stone #broke into 7 pieces as it is seen today.

#1258_AD: The #Mongolians attacked Baghdad. They massacred over 2 million people and threw 500,000 books from the House of Wisdom into the river. They also assassinated the Khalifah and his family. Out of fear for their lives and safety concerns amidst this chaos, the people didn't come for Umrah.

☠️#1814_AD: This is the #historic_plague the Prophet peace be upon him spoke about. More than 8,000 people died.

#1831_AD: There was an outbreak of a #contagious_disease from #India. It claimed the lives of over 3 quarters of the Hujjaj present in Makkah at the time.

#1892_AD: There was an outbreak of #severe_cholera. The #bodies of the Hujjaj were #piled_up like mountains around the Haram, till they were able to be buried. What's worse is that this happened on the Day of #Arafat.

#1979_AD: #Juhaiman_Al_Otaibi claimed to be Al_mahdi and with #500_followers, he took an #armed_siege of the Haram for 2 weeks until a coalition of #commandos were able to defeat them and reopen the Haram.

#1987_AD: Around #10000_people around the Haram were affected by #meningitis which is an inflammatory disease impacting the brain and spinal cord.

Even in #Ottoman_times, they had built places around the Haram for #quarantine, so that people coming to Hajj would be placed and treated there in case of any issues.

The #media is trying to scare us because it sells better. My intention is to counter this by calming us down seeking only the reward of Allah (calm while we take the necessary precautions).

We ask Allah to protect our health, heal us, and invite us into His home once it is safe for us to return and visit. Ameen!.