What is the significance of Jannat-ul-Baqee' in Islam? Please also specify, if there are any benefits for the dead souls who are buried in there?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

If what you mean by Jannatul Baqee' is the graveyard of Al-Baqee' which is situated in Madeenah, then naming this grave with the word Jannah (Paradise) is not reported, as far as we know, neither in the Book of Allaah nor in the Sunnah of the Prophet and no scholar ever named it as such [Jannah].

As regards whether or not the dead will benefit from being buried there, the answer is that in principle a dead person in the grave is either enjoying himself in a garden of Paradise or being punished according to his actions and not according to the place where he is buried. A wretched person [who is going to enter Hellfire] will be punished in his grave if Allaah so wishes even if he is buried in Al-Baqee'. Indeed 'Urwah Ibn Az-Zubayr said: 'I do not wish to be buried in Al-Baqee', I would rather be buried in another graveyard. The people in the grave are of two kinds: either a transgressor, and I would not like to be buried with him, or a pious person, and I do not like that his bones will be dug for me to be buried in his place (this is said because the graveyard is small and in order to burry new people, the bones of old dead bodies are removed).' [Maalik and Al-Bayhaqi] We may conclude from this that it is possible that a transgressor is buried there in Al-Baqee'.

There is no doubt that Al-Baqee' has a characteristic which other graveyards do not have, as there are many pious people who are buried there, like the companions and the righteous predecessors and it is near the Prophet's grave. It is confirmed that the Prophet said: "Whoever amongst you can die in Madeenah, he has to endeavour to this effect as I will intercede for those who died in Madeenah." [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi] So whoever dies in Madeenah and is buried there in Al-Baqee' will have this excellence, Inshaa' Allaah.

The Prophet said about Al-Baqee': "Seventy thousand people will be resurrected from Al-Baqee' graveyard on the Day of Judgement, their faces will be as bright as the full moon and they will enter Paradise without reckoning." At-Tabaraani reported the narration with the following wording as quoted by Ibn Hajar: "Seventy thousand people will be resurrected from this graveyard and they will enter Paradise without reckoning; their faces will be as bright as the full moon."

Ibn Hajar indicated that if this is confirmed then there is a great excellence for the people of Madeenah.

Allaah Knows best.