Allah h akbar…Allah hu Akbar (Allah is great…Allah is great). The Maghrib Prayer Call – adzan aired through loud speakers from all beautiful Masjids at Hims refreshed us about the Greatness of Allah swt and reminded us to make sincere concerted efforts to become better person than yesterday. The time was 18:58 hours; we were still on the road in the middle of the Hims town, looking for the Khalid Ibn Walid Masjid, which was one of the important agenda of the day. Amid our ravenous probably due to our hectic trip from Tartous , Hims welcomed and cheered us with its beautiful landscape lighted with colorful neon.
We arrived at the Masjid around 19:25 hours. It was cold chilly evening – I think around 18 degrees centigrade. The magnificent view of the Masjid flooded with spotlights from all sides further boosted our excitement – exhilarated us. Time ticked, we went straight to the ablution area, refreshed and prepared ourselves for the Maghrib and ‘Isya congregation prayer. The prayer was lead by Azmi.
A little bit about Hims, also spelled Homs; Located 162 kilometers north of Damascus, it is a city in western Syria and the capital of Hims Govenorate. Hims did not emerge into the light of history until the 1st century BCE at the time of Seleucids. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Emesani dynasty who gave the city its name. It was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and made capital of a district that bore its current name. Throughout the Islamic era, Muslim dynasties contending for control of Syria sought after Hims due to the city's strategic position in the area.Today, Hims is a major industrial center in Syria, and with a population of 1,500,000, it is the third largest city in the country. Its population reflects Syria's general religious diversity, composed mostly of Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims, with a Christian minority. Hims treasured the body of the great Islamic commander, Saidina Khalid Ibn Walid ra, his son Abd Rahman Ibn Walid, the son of the second Caliph of Islam Abdullah Ibn Umar ibn Khattab ra, perhaps many others, hence its significance to the Islamic world.
After performing our obligations, we paid our visit and respect to the tomb of Saidina Khalid Ibn al Walid ra – one of the great companions of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). He was actually from the Makkan tribe of Quraish, that initially opposed the da’wah of the holy Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). He is noted for his military prowess, commanding the forces of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Abu Bakr as Siddiq ra and Umar Ibn Khattab ra, hence he got his title – Saifullah al Maslul – the drawn Sword of Allah swt. His strategic achievements include the conquest of Arabia, Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria within several years from 632 to 636. He is also remembered for his decisive victories at Yamamah, Ullais, Firaz, and his tactical marvels, Walaja and Yarmouk (mentioned in my early entry when we visited the valley of Yarmouk during the Day 1 of our adventure).
With the knowledge that I have possessed through ta’lim session and other reliable sources, plus our visit to the valley of Yarmouk, it was very quite difficult for me to describe my inner feeling, when standing in front of his tomb. Al Fatihah.
After performing our obligations, we paid our visit and respect to the tomb of Saidina Khalid Ibn al Walid ra – one of the great companions of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). He was actually from the Makkan tribe of Quraish, that initially opposed the da’wah of the holy Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). He is noted for his military prowess, commanding the forces of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Abu Bakr as Siddiq ra and Umar Ibn Khattab ra, hence he got his title – Saifullah al Maslul – the drawn Sword of Allah swt. His strategic achievements include the conquest of Arabia, Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria within several years from 632 to 636. He is also remembered for his decisive victories at Yamamah, Ullais, Firaz, and his tactical marvels, Walaja and Yarmouk (mentioned in my early entry when we visited the valley of Yarmouk during the Day 1 of our adventure).
With the knowledge that I have possessed through ta’lim session and other reliable sources, plus our visit to the valley of Yarmouk, it was very quite difficult for me to describe my inner feeling, when standing in front of his tomb. Al Fatihah.
0 comments:
Post a Comment