ZS27:AK23 Abdullah bin Umar ibn Khatab ra's Tomb

The tomb of ‘Abd Allah bin Umar Ibn Khatab radiyallah hu anhu (ra) is inside the Masjid Khalid Ibn Walid ra at Hums. It was exactly on the left side immediately after you enter the Masjid from North entrance. Honestly, I did not expect to visit his tomb not until Amir informed me. ‘Abd Allah bin Umar was the son of one of the Caliphs Saidina Umar Ibn Khattab ra. He was a prominent authority in hadth and law, and was known for his neutrality toward factions engaged in the first civil war within the Muslim community. It was recorded from Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah ra, from his father, that Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) said to his father, "’Abd Allah would be a good man if he would pray the tahajjud prayers (late night prayers)." Salim said: "After that, 'Abd Allah would not sleep during the night save for a small amount at a time."’ Abd Allah was 18 at the end of Prophet Muhammad saw's (peace be upon him) life in 632.
I recited Al Fatihah and took few shots.

ZS28: Fascinating Mystical Ma'loula

ZS30:AK24 The Shrine of Habil Ibn Adam a.s

This is the place claimed to be the tomb of Habil, the son of Prophet Adam a.s and the first person to be murdered in the history of human kind in this temporarily world merely due to envy, stubbornness and anger.It is located about 50 km on the hilly outskirt of Damascus, about 20 km to the Syria-Lebanon border. This mystical place is one of the main agenda of our Day 6’s agenda.

Amid the freezing chilly weather – I mean freezing, we arrived there around 07:30 hours. We did not expect the weather was that cold! ..that we did not bring our winter clothing.

The story of the Qabil and Habil had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) by Allah swt more than 1400 years ago. Below is the summary of the story that I gathered from various sources as part of the sharing and learning though my story of my life:
The Prophet Adam a.s. and Hawa 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.
Habil's sister was not beautiful while Qabil's sister was beautiful, resulting in Qabil wanting her for himself, instead of his brother. Prophet Adam a.s. refused unless they both offer a sacrifice, and he whose sacrifice was accepted, would marry Qabil's sister
Habil took the best of his flock, while Qabil brought his crops. 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 swt, 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 and walked to this place with the deceased body. He did not know what to do; ” 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]

ZS31:AK25 The Tomb of Abu Darda ra

Visiting the tomb of Abu Darda radiyallah hu anhu (ra) was one of main agenda in Syria. After exploring the old city of Damascus, we took two taxis to Souk Harami and walked to the Citadel of Damascus along the Barada river – the main river of Dimasqh that flows from ‘Ayn Fijeh, 27 km northwest of Dimasqh.

After about 10 minutes walk, we arrived at the old outer gate of the Citadel. On the left hand side, immediately after the gate, within the wall, is a small Masjid where the tomb of Abu Darda ra located. The door or the passage way to the masjid is narrow but as you go in, the prayer hall is relatively big that could accommodate around 150 congregation at one time. The place is well maintained and its old kind caretaker, I presumed, was very kind and benign to us.
Standing in front of the tomb was just like a dream came true. I have heard and read a lot about his story and Hadiths narrated by him – one of the great Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). After I took few shots, I recited al-Fatihah and tears shed out from my humble eyes.
Abu Darda ra was a trader in Madinah who converted from Judaism to Islam. And, here is the story of how he embraced Islam:
Early in the morning, Abu Darda ra awoke and went straight to his idol which he kept in the best part of his house. He greeted it and made obeisance to it. Then he anointed it with the best perfume from his large shop and put on it new raiment of beautiful silk which a merchant had brought to him the day before from Yemen.
When the sun was high in the sky he left his house for his shop. On that day the streets and alleys of Madinah were crowded with the followers of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) returning from Badr. With them were several prisoners of war. Abu Darda ra surveyed the crowds and then went up to a Khazraji youth and asked about the fate of Abdullah ibn Rawahah.
"He was put through the most severe tests in the battle," "but he emerged safely..."
Abu Darda ra was clearly anxious about his close friend, Abdullah ibn Rawahah. Everyone in Madinah knew the bond of brotherhood which existed between the two men from the days of Jahiliyyah, before the coming of Islam to Madinah. When Islam came to the city, Ibn Rawahah embraced it but Abu Darda ra rejected it. This however did not rupture the relationship between the two. Abdullah kept on visiting Abu Darda ra and tried to make him! See the virtues, the benefits and the excellence of Islam. But with every passing day, while Abu Darda ra remained a mushrik, Abdullah felt more sad and concerned.
Abu Darda ra arrived at his shop and sat cross-legged on a high chair. He began trading-buying and selling and giving instructions to his assistants unaware of what was going on at his house. For at that very time, Abdullah ibn Rawahah had gone to the house determined on a course of action. There, he saw that the main gate was open. Umm ad-Darda was in the courtyard and he said to her:
"As-salaamu alayki - Peace be unto you, servant of Allah."
"Wa alayka-s salaam - And unto you be peace, O brother of Abu Darda."
"Where is Abu Darda?" he asked.
"He has gone to his shop. It won't be long before he returns."
"Would you allow me to come in?"
"Make yourself at home," she said and went about busying herself with her household chores and looking after her children.
Abdullah ibn Rawahah went to the room where Abu Darda ra kept his idol. He took out an adze which he had brought with him and began destroying the idol while saying:
"Isn't everything bad which is worshipped besides Allah?"
When the idol was completely smashed, he left the house. Abu Darda's wife entered the room shortly afterwards and was aghast at what she saw. She smote her cheeks in anguish and said:
"You have brought ruin to me, Ibn Rawahah."
When Abu Darda ra returned home, he saw his wife sitting at the door of the room where he kept his idol. She was weeping loudly and she looked absolutely terrified.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Your brother Abdullah ibn Rawahah visited us in your absence and did with your idols what you see." Abu Darda ra looked at the broken idol and was horrified. He was consumed with anger and determined to take revenge. Before long however his anger subsided and thoughts of avenging the idol disappeared. Instead he reflected on what had happened and said to himself:
"If there was any good in this idol, he would have defended himself against any injury." He then went straight to Abdullah and together they went to the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). There he announced his acceptance of Islam. He was the last person in his district to become a Muslim.

ZS32: Mezzeh - The Modern Elite Dimashq

Damascus or Dimashq by the local and also known as the "City of Jasmin" , is the capital of Syria as well as one of the country's 14 governorates. The Damascus Governorate is ruled by a governor appointed by the Minister of Interior. In addition to being widely known as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant.

On the 5th day of our trip, out of our curiosity (yes, we know - curiosity kills the cats) we decided to explore the exclusiveness of Dimashq. We arrived there around 12:30 hours after 15 minutes drive from Merjeh, another popular district where we stayed. Well…, the people in general were different, I mean their grooming were more extravagant and wore lavish branded items. We went straight to the Damasquino Mall and after one round of window shopping, our biological timer alarmed us to fulfill our biological needs. After 5 days in Syria, Attila Mongolian Restaurant, which served Mongolian cuisine akin to the Chinese’s had attracted us, complied with our customary-break requirement.

Currently, the city has an estimated population of about 1.7 million. Located in southwestern Syria, it is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.7 million people. Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, 80 km inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and lied on a plateau 680 meters above sea-level. It is divided into at least 21 districts and one of it is Mezzeh the modern elite district of Damascus.

In this Mall, there were many world class branded items. I was tempted with one of branded pair of shoe and decided to grab it. Unfortunately, the shop did not take credit cards or any charge cards, which turned me off. I did not carry bundles of cash and I would be stupid idiot if I did. Then, we moved on to Nike Store and bought Azmi and Amir Nike items. Again, they did not take credit cards. This time, I decided to fork out whatever cash that I had amid the shortage and frustration. In general, branded items were very expensive compared to Egypt or Malaysia or other parts of the world. And, most of the items were comparatively old – out-of-date collections. What we like most about this place was the hospitality of the people were commendable.

Little bit about Mezzeh: It is a relatively new neighborhood of Damascus lies to the southwest of central Damascus, along the Mezzeh highway. It started gaining importance when the French constructed the Mezzeh military airport there, which was the main airport in Damascus until Damascus International Airport was opened. Mezzeh today is one of the most modern and expensive areas of Damascus where major embassies inhabit.

One could see many modern new contemporary buildings and apartments built in this district. Amir informed me, all these buildings are ridiculously expensive.

ZS33:AK26 The Tomb of Dihya al Kalbi ra

Dihya al Kalbi ra is said to be the most handsome Companions of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him). According to Sayeda 'Aishah rha, the Prophet's wife, he saw Jibril a.s twice “in the shape that he was created” and on other occasions as a man resembling Dihyah al-Kalbi, an extraordinarily handsome disciple of Muhammad.In one narration attributed to Abu 'Uthman ra: " I was informed that Jibrail a.s came to the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) while Umm Salamah rha was with him. Jibrail a.s started talking (to the Prophet saw). Then the Prophet asked Umm Salama rha; "Who is this?" She replied, "He is Dihya al-Kalbi." When Jibrail a.s. had left, Umm Salamah rha said; "By Allah, I did not take him for anybody other than him (i.e. Dihya) till I heard the sermon of the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) wherein he informed about the news of Jibrail a.s." The subnarrator asked Abu 'Uthman ra; “From whom have you heard that? Abu 'Uthman ra said; “From Usama bin Zaid ”.

He was the envoy who delivered the Prophet Muhammad saw’s (peace be upon him) message or letter to the Roman Emperor Heraclius at Busra, Syria.
We visited his tomb on the 5th day of our backpacking trip in Syria, located about 10 minutes drive from Mezzeh district. Unfortunately though, I could not recall the name of this cemetry or place.

ZS34:AK27 The Shrine of Sayeda Zainab rha Ibn Ali ra

Arrived by el Tramco at around 16:30 hours, we visited the shrine of Sayeda Zainab binti Ali Ibn Abu Talib ra on the 7th Day of our trip to Syria. The prayer call – Adzan was aired from various minarets of the nearby masjids. Amir brought the kids to the prayer hall, while Azmi accompanied Nana, Afiqah and I to the shrine building.

Sayeda Zainab al Kubra is the daughter of the Caliph Ali Bin Abi Taleb radiyallahu anhu (ra), and the granddaughter of the prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him), from his daughter Sayeda Fatima al Zahraa rha and sister of Saidina Hasan ra and Saidina Husein ra. She was born in the holy city of al Madinah al Munawarah on the 5th Jamadi-ul-Awwal in the 5th year of Hijrah /627 A.D. Her Holiness became famous for her knowledge of the Holy Qu'ran and virtuous life. Her character she reflected the best attributes. In sobriety and serenity she was likened to Umm-al-Mumineen Sayeda Khadijah rha, her Grand-Mother, in chastity and modesty to her mother Sayeda Fatima al-Zahra rha and in eloquence to her father Saidina Ali karammallahhu wajhah.
As we entered from one of the four main doors, we saw the gold (pure) plated dome that glittered to our eyes. There was a big spacious courtyard around the building of the shrine. By the way, female is not allowed to enter the main building. However, female could sit or rest or etc, around the roofed area of the courtyard. Outside the building, we saw a small group of women clad in black circumambulating the shrine building, some were weeping near the corridor of the building and some were just sitting sadly chanting words that I myself did not understand. Well, none of my business! I went in with my D90 and took few shots of the overly decorated shrine. There were many people, I mean men, sitting around the shrine reciting Qur’an (I think), reading books and chanting holy words. And, some I observed were kissing, licking and banging their forehead on the shrine. Amazing scene! 5 minutes later, the security stopped me for taking photo. “mamnu’ shuwara ya Muallim” he politely hold me. I was a little bit confused though, thus with my very little knowledge of Arabic, I’d asked him why he allowed the other gentleman taking photo with his camera phone?! He explained to me, the camera phone was ok but not my DSLR?! This has made me further confused. Anyway, I’d complied with the rules. I left the hall and satisfied with I have taken.
Nana and Afiqah were frustratingly peeping through the casted iron grill partition around the corridor trying to see what’s inside.
Her shrine in "al Ghouta” of Damascus is one of the most important Moslem shrines in the world and a wonder of Islamic architecture, visited by hundreds of visitors every day. Historians say that Mr. Mousa Murtadha, grandfather of the custodians of the Shrine of Zainab al Kubra constructed the mausoleum from rows of stones, bricks and wood. In 1870 the ceiling crashed down to be renewed with bricks supported by a wooden skeleton by Mr. Salim Murtadha, who gave the custody of the shrine to his son, and then to the oldest of his successors. Now a committee headed jointly by Dr. Hani Murtadha and Eng. Mohammad Ridha Murtadha is sponsoring the site.

ZS35:AK28 Maqam Abu Hurairah ra

The tomb of Abu Hurairah Radiyallah hu anhu (ra) was the 28th tomb, the last tomb of many prominent peoples that we had visited in Syria. It is located inside the well-known Souq Hamiddy, about 10 meters on the right hand side from the west side entrance of the Souq. A small masjid is built to ensure his Maqam or tomb is well managed and remembered by all Muslims globally. We went there at about 13:15 hours after we performed our prayers at one of the Masjid near our hotel at Merjeh.

Abu Hurairah ra also known as `Abd al-Rahman ibn Sakhr Al-Azdi (603 – 681) was born in Baha, Yemen into the Banu Daws tribe from the region of Tihamah on the coast of the Red Sea. His father had died, leaving him with only his mother and no other relatives. His name at birth was Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah", which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten"He was one of the popular companions of Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) and the great narrator of al Hadith most quoted in the isnad by Muslims.
According to reliable source, Abu Hurairah ra embraced Islam through Tufayl ibn Amr the chieftain of his tribe. Tufayl had returned to his village after meeting Prophet Muhammad saw (peace b upon him) and become a Muslim in the early years of his mission. Abu Hurairah ra was one of the first to respond to his call, unlike the majority of Tufayl's tribesmen.
Subsequenetly, he accompanied Tufayl to Mecca to meet Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) who renamed him Abd al-Rahman (servant of the Merciful, one of the 99 beautiful names of Allah swt).
He had a wife named Bushra; the proof of this is in Fadi'l Aa'mal. His mother, who was still a polytheist, was with him. He prayed for her to become a Muslim, but she refused. One day, he again invited his mother to believe in the One God and His Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). She answered with some bad words about the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him). Abu Hurairah ra went to the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) with tears in his eyes. “Why are you crying, Abu Hurairah?” asked the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him). “I always invite my mother to Islam, and she always refuses,” said Abu Hurairah. “I asked her again today. But she said some things about you that made me sad. Can you pray to Allah swt for her to turn to Islam?” Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) prayed for Abu Hurairah’s mother to accept Islam. When Abu Hurairah went home, he found the door closed. He heard the splashing of water. He tried to enter the house, but his mother said, “Wait a minute. Don’t come in yet.” Then she got dressed and said, “You can come in now.” When Abu Hurairah ra went inside, his mother said, “I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger.” Abu Hurairah again went to the Prophet crying. But this time his tears were tears of joy. “I have good news ya Rasul Allah,” he said. “Allah swt has answered your prayer and guided my mother to Islam.”

As a young man, he worked for Bushra bint Ghazwan. Through this phrase millions of Muslims from the early history of Islam to the present have come to be familiar with the name Abu Hurairah ra. In speeches and lectures, in Friday khutbahs and seminars, in the books of hadith and sirah, fiqh and ibadah, the name Abu Hurairah ra is mentioned in this fashion:
"On the authority of Abu Hurairah ra, who said: The Messenger of Allah saw (peace be upon him) said; ...."
Many companions were amazed at the number of hadiths he had memorized and often questioned him on when he had heard a certain hadith and under what circumstances.
Once Marwan ibn Al-Hakam ra wanted to test Abu Hurairah ra’s power of memory. He sat with him in one room and behind a curtain he placed a scribe, unknown to Abu Hurairah ra, and ordered him to write down whatever Abu Hurairah ra said. A year later, Marwan ra called Abu Hurairah again ra and asked him to recall the same hadiths which the scribe had recorded. It was found that he had not forgotten a single word.

ZS36: Lunch near the Biggest Restaurant in the World

This was the last place that we visited in Syria – al Karia restaurant, which I could not recall the name, adjacent to the biggest restaurant in the world - te Damascus Gate, next to Syria Ski-Land, about a kilometer from the Fun Land Damascus and around 18 km from the Dimashq city center. We arrived there around 14:15 hours. A gorgeous well-groomed Syrian waiter ushered us to a boat-like area. We left everything to Amir.
The dining area was surrounded with various types of Syrian Spring flowers that colored us our day. In between of the flowers garden, within the dining area, there is a man-made river equips with an artificial Noriah or water wheel that gave us a fabulous freshness, feeling and ambience.The food was great, the service was remarkably commendable and the price was very reasonable for this type 4 star restaurant in Syria.

Syria - Thank you So Much for your Hospitality

Alhamdullillah, our trip came to an end. The past 8 days in Syria and Lebanon had indeed enhanced our knowledge and better understanding on the past life of the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him), his families, his Companions and other stories of the past Prophets of Allah swt. At around 15:45 hours, we finally arrived at the Departure Terminal 1 of the Syrian International Airport.
We had travelled and covered more than 1000 kilometers from Busra on the south, Aleppo on the north, Latakkia-Banias –Tartous on the western fringe of the Mediterranean and Hims in the center of Syria, which was almost two-third of Syria. Praise only for Allah swt and millions of thanks to Him for granting us the wealth, health and time to discover and experience the great stories of many great prominent people that we used to hear from many wise men and read through the Holy Qur’an el Kareem, el Hadiths and books. We walked more than 10 kilometers; climbed more than 650 steps of the Qasiyun mountain; we dared ourselves crossing 3 kilometers the rough angry Mediterranean water and ‘consulted’ hundreds friendly Syrian and Lebanese exploring the historical spots to enrich our CPU and our faith.

Alhamdullillah, we smoothly crossed the Security point, the ticket counter and the Immigration counter with less hustle. The Officers were very friendly and efficient. After wandering around the Duty-free arcade and other facilities inside the departure terminal of the relatively small airport, found nothing interesting, we went in to the departure lounge. At around 17:30 hours, we were mobilized to the Syrian Airline Boeing 747.

To Amir and Azmi, thank you so much for the time you had spent with us and all the knowledge that you had prudently shared that had definitely impacted our life.
To the charming hospitable people of Syria and Lebanon, on behalf of family – the backpackers, I would like to record our sincere millions of thanks for accommodating us and giving us opportunities to further improving our paradigm, attitude and characters.
To my lovely wife Nana and my superlative kids – Afi; M Afiq, M Asri, M Aiman and Afiqah; I hope our recent adventurous trip in one way or another, had build your inner strength and at the same time - ‘fun’!
Last but not least, O Allah Rabbul Jalil, please bestow upon us your Blessing, Grace and Mercy for any good things that we do in future. We beg You thousand apologies for all the shortcomings and please accept our repentance.
Masalamah Syria, Lebanon…….

Hanging Out at Casper & Gambini's City Stars

It was our Q1 family gathering. And, this time we had it at the terrace of the popular Casper, City Star, Cairo. It was rather a roof top restaurant. Luckily my good friend A Zaidi had made a booking arrangement with them, otherwise we will be sitting on the garden or standing under the chilly Cairo sky. The terrace was crowded with mainly teenagers who were having their school Easter break and a long holiday for the Coptic in Egypt.
We arrived a little bit late, around 21:00 hour, which was mainly due to the crowded Cairo roads and delayed check-in process. Consequently, our orders arrived late. Worth waiting though, the mushroom soup and the cold platter starter were mouth watering. Afi, M Afiq and M Asri ordered Rib Eye with potato mash and Philly Steak pizzas, while M Aiman tried Tenderlion and Afiqah went for Red Pasta Shrimp. The foods were indeed marvelous and the service was acceptable. Except for the hiccup with the English, the crew was very polite and responsive to your call.

The ambience was amazing; hence, we adjourned at 23:56 hours. Thanks to A Zaidi for the arrangement and the rest of the family members for making the dinner a very memorable one.

The kids were definitely happy. The beautiful spacious garden allowed them to play while enjoying the full moon of the 15th Rabiul Akhir 1431 hijjri.

Ta'lim : Part XVI

Hadrat Asma Radiyallahu Anha (rha) had a very large heart for spending in the path of Allah swt. In the beginning, she used to spend carefully with measure and weight. Once the Prophet Muhammad saw (peace be upon him) said to her, “ O Asma, do not put by and be calculating; spend in the path of Allah swt liberally.” After this, she started spending most generously. She would advise her daughters and housemaids: “Don’t wait for any surplus or excess of requirements before spending in the path of Allah swt. As the requirements go o increasing in the chances of having something, excess will become more and more remote, and the time for spending in the path of Allah swt will never come. Remember that you will not lose by spending in charity.”
Although these people were poor and lived hand to mouth, yet there were liberal in spending and generous of heart. The Muslim today complains of their poverty, but they will be hardly any group of people among them who are so poor and needy as the Sahabah used to be. We have already read how they had to go without food for several days together, and how some of them had to keep stones tied to their bellies to relieve their pangs of hunger.