Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, city of light and holiness, is one of the three places most sacred to Muslims. With Makkah Al Mukarramah and Al Quds Ash Sharif, each is distinguished by a special epithet which, although not mentioned in the Holy Quran or in the traditions of the Prophet (PBUH), has acquired an Islamic consensus derived from people's beliefs and feelings towards them. Interestingly, all three have had different names over the centuries - this is especially the case with Makkah and Al Quds, both of which have had several names or epithets. Before Islam Al Madinah had just one name, Yathrib, and became Al Madinah (the City) only after Muslims entered it for the first time in the seventh century.