There are a few. I'll try to explain why each is significant, as well as where it is located:
1. Mecca (Saudi Arabia) is by far the most important, and the site of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage), which all Muslims are expcted to undertake once if they are physically/financially capable of making the trip. Muhammad (pbuh) came from there, as did all of the first Muslims who heard the message of Islam from him. The Kaaba, which Muslims face during prayer, is located in Mecca. We believe that it was a shrine built by Abraham, which later fell into disuse and was filled with pagan idols. When the Muslims took control of Mecca they removed the idols and restored its original status as a holy site for Abrahamic monotheism.
2. Medina (Saudi Arabia) is the second most important, and people often take a detour to visit it after their pilgrimage to Mecca. The first Muslims were persecuted in Mecca and had to flee. Medina (originally a Jewish settlement called Yathreb) was the only place where they could find refuge. About a decade later, they returned to Mecca and it is from this point on that the Muslim community became a political entity as well as a religious group.
3. Jerusalem (Israel/Palestine) is the third major holy city. As I said before, the first Muslims lived alongside Jews. One of the first things that God told Muhammad (pbuh) is that Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the same God. So in the early years, when Mecca was a pagan stronghold instead of a Muslim one, Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem, alongside the Jews. They did not face Mecca until the Kaaba was purged of its pagan idols. Muslims also believe that Muhammad (pbuh) ascended to heaven for one night and was given a glimpse of it during his lifetime. Jerusalem was the point from which he ascended. This is why Jerusalem is so heavily disputed in the Palestine/Israel conflict. It is an important site for both Jews and Muslims, so both groups want control of it, or at the very least unrestricted access to their major shrines. Pro-Israel groups will claim that the Muslim claim is invalid because the Qur'an does not specifically mention Jerusalem. But I have explained that Jerusalem is important to us because it is the site of a major event in Muhammad's (pbuh) life. The Qur'an is our guide on how to live. It is not a history text or a biography of Muhammad (pbuh). So no matter what an extremist on any side tries to say, both Muslims and Jews have valid reasons to consider Jerusalem a holy site and demand the right to be there, although it is the #1 site for Jews and only the #3 site for Muslims.
4. There are also some cities in Iran and Iraq that are considered holy pilgrimage sites for Shi'ite Muslims, but not Sunnis. I cannot treat them adequately, because I am Sunni and not Shi'ite, so perhaps someone else can add more info. One example is Karbala, Iraq, where Hussein ibn Ali (a very important Shi'ite figure) was killed in the 7th century. (See the answers to questions about the Sunni/Shi'ite split and the holiday of Ashura if you would like more information about him. His head resides in the Umayyad mosque of Damascus, Syria, and I have seen Shi'ites making pilgrimages there to see it, but I would not necessarily consider Damascus a "holy site" just because of that). The city of Qom in Iran is also important to Shi'ites, but I am not sure why. I do know that when many Shi'ites prostrate themselves for prayer, they will lay a small mound of earth on their prayer rug and touch it with their foreheads. I believe this is because the rug is made from wool, and some Shi'ites feel that touching the wool during prayer could be misconstrued as worshiping a sheep. Unfortunately, some bigoted Sunnis think (wrongly!) that it means that Shi'ites worship dirt. But that's a digression... the point I wanted to make is that I believe most Shi'ites specifically use soil from Qom for this practice, whatever their reason may be.
Comments
Very informative. Thank you.
by Im Alec has abandoned this account on May 30th, 2007
A very good answer, thank you.
by Halskiisaklink on May 30th, 2007
u did a great job in answering this question.
by CINDY on June 26th, 2009