The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. It is the first monumental work of architecture in Islamic history.
The spot where the mosque now stands was originally a temple dedicated to the idol Hadad in the Aramaean era about 3000 years ago. When the Romans ruled Damascus a temple was built for the worship of Jupiter. It then became a Christian church dedicated to John the Baptist in the Byzantine era towards the end of the fourth century.
Following the Battle of Yarmouk in 636 CE, Damascus was conquered by the Muslims under the leadership of Khalid-bin Waleed (r.a.). The Muslims shared the church building with the Christians for worship. The Muslims prayed in the eastern section of the structure and the Christians in the western side.
This collective use continued until the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I, when the prayer space became inadequate both in terms of capacity and the need for an architectural monument to represent the new religion. The caliph negotiated with Christian leaders to take over the space, and in return al-Walid promised that all the other churches around the city would be safe, with the addition of a new church dedicated to the Virgin granted to the Christians as compensation. The church was purchased from the Christians before being demolished and between 706 and 715 the current mosque was built in its place.
Construction of the mosque was based on the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in Madinah, which had many functions: it was a place for personal and collective prayer, religious education, political meetings, administration of justice, and relief of the ill and homeless. The caliph asked and obtained from the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire for 200 skilled workers to decorate the mosque, as evidenced by the partly Byzantine style of the building. The new mosque was the most impressive in the Islamic world at the time, and the interior walls were covered with fine mosaics. The building became one of the marvels of the world, because it was one of the largest of its time. The exterior walls were based on the walls of the temple of Jupiter and measure 100 by 157.5 m.
The Umayyad Mosque holds special significance to Shi‘ah Muslims, as this was the destination of the descendents of the Prophet (s.a.w.), made to walk here from Iraq, following the battle of Karbala.
The prayer hall consists of three aisles, supported by columns in the Corinthian order. It was one of the first mosques (the other being al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem) to have such a shape and in this way, the visitors could see the mihrab, the alcove indicating the direction of Makkah, and each other more easily.
In 2001 Pope John Paul II visited the mosque, primarily to visit the relics of John the Baptist. It was the first time a pope had paid a visit to a mosque.
This is the madressa (seminary) of Ibn Kathir, the famous mufassir (commentator) of the Holy Quran. It is situated close to the monastery of Bahira.
His full name is Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din Isma’il bin 'Umar bin Kathir Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi. He was born in 1301 in Busra, Syria (hence Al-Busrawi).
Upon completion of his studies he obtained his first official appointment in 1341, when he joined an inquisitorial commission formed to determine certain questions of heresy. Thereafter he received various semi-official appointments, culminating in 1366 with a professorial position at the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus. Ibn Kathir wrote a famous commentary on the Quran named ‘Tafsir ibn Kathir’ which linked certain Hadith, or sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w.), and sayings of the Sahaba on verses of the Quran, in explanation. Tafsir Ibn Kathir is famous all over the Muslim world as one of the most widely used explanations of the Quran today.
Ibn Kathir was renowned for his great memory regarding the sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and the entire Quran. Ibn Kathir is known as a qadi (judge), a master scholar of history, and a mufassir (Quran commentator). Ibn Kathir saw himself as a Shafi scholar, this is indicated by two of his books, one of which was Tabaqaat ah-Shafai’ah, or The Categories of the Followers of Imam Shafi.
In later life, he became blind. He attributes his blindness to working late at night on the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in an attempt to rearrange it topically rather than by narrator. Ibn Kathir died in February 1373 in Damascus.
Famous writings of Ibn Kathir:
Tafsir ibn Kathir
The Beginning and the End (Arabic: Al Bidayah wa-Nihayah).
Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya
Tabaqaat ah-Shafi’iah
Signs Before the Day of Judgement
Sins and their Punishments
Stories of The Prophets
References: Ibnkathir.atspace.com
Wikipedia
Monastery of Bahira the monk
This ruin used to be the monastery of the Nestorian monk Bahira, who spotted the signs of Prophethood on the young Muhammad (s.a.w.) while the Prophet was on a trade caravan on the way to Syria.
When Muhammad (s.a.w.) was about 12 years old, he accompanied his uncle Abu Talib on a trade journey to Syria. In a place called Busra a very interesting incident took place, which caused Abu Talib to return Muhammad to Makkah.
On their trade journey they met a monk by the name of Bahira, who lived a simple life in a monastery. He had very simple provisions and lived a harsh life, surviving on the bare essentials. His diet was very simple and the clothes he wore were also coarse and well worn. He was looking outside and saw a caravan approaching. His residence was on the main caravan route and he regularly saw caravans passing by, carrying different goods destined to be sold in the great markets of Syria.
He noticed that this caravan was different; there was something special about it. He decided to invite the people to a meal and find out more. Bahira sent a message to the caravan that his hospitality was extended to all the members of the caravan. The caravan traders accepted the invitation and arrived at the monk’s place.
When they arrived, Bahira searched their faces looking for something. He said that I offered my hospitality to everyone, was there anyone left behind? They said that they had left a young boy called Muhammad to look after the camels. Bahira insisted that they send someone to get Muhammad and bring him to the entertainment. When Bahira saw the face of Muhammad he was delighted for he was aware from the scriptures of the arrival of a mighty prophet and he could see the signs on the young boy.
After the food, Bahira approached Abu Talib saying that Muhammad would be a great prophet one day. He said that when he had seen the caravan in the distance there was a cloud hanging over them, which was shading them from the great heat of the desert. When the caravan had stopped under a tree the cloud had also stopped above them.
Bahira said that he had seen the stones and the trees prostrating to Muhammad as Muhammad had been walking by. They only do this for a prophet of Allah. He looked at the Muhammad’s back and noticed the seal of the prophets, which was an oval shape protruding just below Muhammad’s shoulder blades. He said that this was one of the signs of a great prophet to come that was taught to them in their books.
Bahira said “This is the master of all humans, Allah will send him with a message which would be a mercy to all humans”. Bahira advised that Muhammad should be taken back to Makkah at once, if the Jews found out about Muhammad they would try to kill him. Abu Talib took the advice of this wise old monk and sent Muhammad back with some of the guides.
Tomb of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (r.a.)
This is the tomb Umar bin Abdul-Aziz, the eighth Umayyad Caliph who ruled from 99 A.H. to 101 A.H. Muslims historians agree that he was a just and devout ruler, compassionate, caring and beloved by his people. He was also a Tabiee (companion of the companions of the Holy Prophet).
Aslam (r.a.) narrates that he was once accompanying Umar bin Al-Khattab (r.a.) on his patrol of Madinah at night, it so happened that he leaned against a wall (to rest) when he felt tired. It was midnight, and (we heard) a woman say to her daughter, “O my daughter, get up and mix that milk with some water.” The girl said, “O mother, did you not hear the decree of Amir Al-Mu’minin (chief of the believers) today?” The mother said, “What was that?” The girl said, “He ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed with water.” The mother said, “Get up and mix the milk with water; you are in a place where Umar cannot see you.” The girl told her mother, “I cannot obey Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in private.” Umar heard this, and told me: “O Aslam, go to that place and see who that girl is, and to whom she was speaking, and whether she has a husband.” So I went to that place, and I saw that she was unmarried, the other woman was her mother, and neither of them had a husband. I came to Umar and told him what I had found out. He called his sons together, and said to them: “Do any of you need a wife, so I can arrange the marriage for you? If I had the desire to get married, I would have been the first one to marry this young woman.” Abdullah said: “I have a wife.” Abdur-Rahman said: “I have a wife.” ‘Asim said: “I do not have a wife, so let me marry her.” So Umar arranged for her to be married to ‘Asim. The woman gave birth to a daughter (named Fatima), who grew up to be the mother of Umar bin Abdul-Aziz.
Umar bin Abdul Aziz was extremely pious and disdainful of worldly luxuries. He preferred simplicity to the extravagance that had become a hallmark of the Umayyad lifestyle, depositing all assets and finery meant for the caliph into the public treasury. He abandoned the Khalifal palace to the family of Suleiman and instead preferred to live in modest dwellings. He wore rough linens instead of royal robes, and often went unrecognized.
Though he had the people’s overwhelming support, he publicly encouraged them to elect someone else if they were not satisfied with him (an offer no one ever took him up on). Umar confiscated the estates seized by Umayyad officials and redistributed them to the people, while making it a personal goal to attend to the needs of every person in his empire. Fearful of being tempted into bribery, he rarely accepted gifts, and when he did he promptly deposited them in the public treasury. He even pressured his own wife - who had been daughter, sister and wife to three separate caliphs - to donate her jewelry to the public treasury.
While Umar’s reign was very short, he is very highly regarded in both Shi’a and Sunni Muslim memory. Indeed, he is considered one of the finest rulers in Muslim History, second only to the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, and is affectionately referred to by some as the Fifth and last Rightly Guided Caliph.
According to most historians, Caliph Umar died in Aleppo, Syria, on the 5th or 6th of Rajab, 101 A.H. (some have mentioned the 20th) when he 39 or 40 years old. He was buried in Dair Siman in a plot purchased from a Christian.
The cause of his death is attributed to the reforms he initiated, which greatly angered the Umayyad nobility. It is reported that they bribed a slave of his to administer a deadly poison. The Caliph having felt the effect of the poison sent for the slave and asked him why he had poisoned him. The slave replied that he was given one thousand dinars for the purpose. The Caliph deposited the amount in the public Treasury and freeing the slave asked him to leave the place immediately, lest anyone should kill him.
He reportedly left behind only 17 dinars with a will that out of this amount the rent of the house in which he died and the price of the land in which he was buried would be paid.
The tomb of Habil Damascus . Habil rhe son of Hazrat Adam a.s the first person to be murdered on this earth.The Prophet Adam (a.s.) and Hawwa (Eve) were blessed with two sons, Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain). When they grew up, Habil, the younger brother, became a shepherd. He herded sheep, goats and other animals. The elder brother Qabil, worked as a farmer, tilling the fields.- One day both decided to make a sacrifice to please their Lord. Habil took the best of his flock, while Qabil brought his crops. Suddenly a spark of light came down and burnt Habil’s offering to ashes. Thus Allah (swt) accepted Habil’s sacrifice, but rejected Qabil’s sacrifice. Qabil felt hurt at being disgraced and insulted. His face darkened with anger and his heart became hardened: “No,” cried Qabil, “ I will kill you!” At this treat from his elder brother, Habil did not shout back. He just said calmly: ”Even if you raise your hand to kill me, I will not fight back, for I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” - But Qabil’s anger got the better of him and he killed his innocent brother Habil. But soon Qabil’s anger cooled down and he felt very sorry: ”Now I have killed my brother,” said Qabil to himself in deep sorrow, ” Then Allah sent a raven, which landed on the ground near the body. The raven began to scratch the ground to tell Qabil that he should bury his brother’s dead body under the earth. Woe is me! Cried Qabil helplessly. “I am worse even than this raven, for I cannot hide my brother’s dead body.” Qabil felt his meanness all the more so, because even a raven could teach him a lesson. Narrating the story of the two brothers, the Quran reminds us in Surah al Ma’idah: “If anyone killed a person - except as punishment for murder or other corruption in the land - it shall be looked upon as if he had killed all mankind. And whoever saved a human life, shall be looked upon as if he had saved all mankind.” [5:32] *Reference:*Stories from the Quran – Saniyasnain Khan
Krak des Chevaliers, Crusader castle
Krak des Chevaliers is regarded as being one of the best preserved Crusader castles in the world. It is located 65 km west of the city of Hims, close to the border of Lebanon.
Krak des Chevaliers was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades who were contemporaries of the Knights Templar. It was expanded between 1150 CE and 1250 CE and eventually housed a garrison of 2,000. The inner curtain wall is up to 100 feet thick at the base on the south side, with seven guard towers 30 feet in diameter
Salahuddin Ayyubi unsuccessfully besieged the castle in 1188 CE.
In 1271 CE the fortress was captured by the Mameluke Sultan Baybars on April 8 with the aid of heavy catapults, at least one of which was later used to attack Acre in 1291 CE. Baybars refortified the castle and used it as a base against Tripoli. He also converted the Hospitaller chapel to a mosque.
Sultan ahmet Mosque,which was constructed by the 14th Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I,who ruled between the years of 1603-1617,is the greatest and most splendid mosque of Istanbul.The constuction of mosque was started in 1609 by architect Mehmet Agha,who was a student odf Architect Sinan and who undertook the architectural works of the structure and the constrution was completed in 1616.The premises consisted of a madrasah,a hospital,an Arasta Bazaar,a school,a mausoleum,a caravansary and a public fountain together with the mosque.The hospital and the caravansary were damaged in 19th century. Sultan Ahmet Mosque is the last impressive structure of Ottoman religious architecture.Although many other mosques were built after this one,none of them reached to the dimension and to the elegance of the decorations of Sultan Ahmet Mosque.Located in Sultanahmet Area.
Chaukhanditombs are situated 29 km (18 mi) east of Karachi on N-5 National Highway near Landhi Town in Pakistan. The Chaukhandi tombs are remarkable for the elaborate and exquisite stone carving.
The style of architecture is typical only to the region of Sindh, and unique in that it is found nowhere else in the Islamic world. Generally, the elements are attributed to Jokhio (also spelt Jokhiya) also known as the family graveyard of Jokhio tribe, some people of Baluch tribe also buried were built between the 15th and 18th centuries.
