The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque restored the historic pillar commonly known as the Pillar of Umm Hānī, which marks the location of the house of Umm Hānī bint Abī Ṭālib (رضي الله عنها) within al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, near King ʿAbdulʿAzīz Gate.
This site is traditionally associated with the place from which the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ was taken on the Night Journey (al-Isrāʾ) to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and from there ascended (al-Miʿrāj) to the heavens.
The Presidency had removed the historic pillar several years ago as part of the Maṭāf expansion project, while carefully preserving it. After the completion of the expansion works, the pillar was returned to its original location, maintaining its historical symbolism.
Historical Testimony
The Makkan historian Dr. Samīr Barqah explained that the restored pillar represents the symbolic location of the house of Umm Hānī, identified in Makkan historical memory as the starting point of the Isrāʾ journey.
Umm Hānī’s name was Fākhitah bint Abī Ṭālib—and it is also reported that her name was Hind. She was the sister of Sayyidunā ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) and the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ.
The Makkan historian Muḥammad Ṭāhir al-Kurdī states in his book al-Tārīkh al-Qawīm that:
Her house was located approximately 120 meters from the Kaʿbah, in the direction of Bāb al-Wadāʿ.
The Route of the Night Journey
According to these historical accounts:
From the house of Umm Hānī, the Prophet ﷺ began the journey on al-Burāq, the heavenly mount of the Prophets.
The journey proceeded in the direction of Ṣafā, then across the sky of Makkah, passing by Yathrib (later al-Madīnah)—where the Prophet ﷺ would later migrate and pray—then through Sinai, until reaching Bayt al-Maqdis.
There, al-Burāq was tied at the wall, and the Prophet ﷺ led the other Prophets in prayer.
Thereafter, he was taken up to the heavens, where the daily prayers were prescribed, before returning to Makkah al-Mukarramah.
A Note on Devotional Practice
It is also mentioned that before the pillar was removed for expansion, it carried a strong fragrance of ʿūd and musk, due to repeated perfuming by visitors to al-Masjid al-Ḥarām over many years—so much so that the pillar had turned dark in color from frequent anointing.
