BENEFIT 513: Can We Say Al-Madinah "Al-Munawwarah"?

Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajoori ḥafidhahullāh states: "When the Prophet ﷺ entered Madinah, Anas (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: “Everything in it became illuminated, and when the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ passed away, everything in it became darkened.” Because of this, some people came to refer to the city as “Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah,” meaning that everything was illuminated by the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ. Some said: after his death, should it then be called the darkened city? We say: no. Light still remains in it. It had once been darkened by ignorance, then it was illuminated by guidance and revelation, and it became a sanctuary (ḥaram). Therefore, describing it as 'Al-Munawwarah' carries no religious objection, nor is it negated by the statement, “when he passed away, everything in it became darkened,” for it became darkened in their perception, while the light of Allāh remained. The Qur'ān remained, the Companions remained, the Sunnah remained, and it continued to be a place most conducive for people to seek knowledge. Hence, there is no harm in using the term 'Al-Munawwarah'; there is no prohibition in applying it, whether based on what is indicated in the narration of Anas or whether it is a later convention or expression—none of that is forbidden. Why was it called Munawwarah? Because it attained a distinction: it became a sanctuary, and there is no other city on earth that became a sanctuary in this manner. Moreover, it is the land in which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ lived, and within it is his grave. There is no known grave of any prophet on earth besides that one. If someone were to claim, for example, that the grave of Hūd is in Ḥaḍramawt, we would say: you have no proof or evidence; Allāh knows best. There is no grave on earth known with certainty to be that of a prophet except the grave of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ—there is no disagreement regarding this. Furthermore, knowledge flourished there more than elsewhere, among other virtues. Even if someone were to say this—our shaykh (Muqbil Al-Wādi’ee), may Allāh have mercy on him, used to object to calling it Al-Munawwarah—yet it appears, and Allāh knows best, that there is nothing in this designation that conflicts with sound creed.