The Virtues of the Levant: A Translation from Matlab al-Nāsik fī ʿIlm al-Manāsik

The detailed work of al-Imām Abī ʿAbd-Allāh Shihāb al-Dīn al-Tūrbishtī al-Ḥanafī, Maṭlab al-Nāsik fī ʿIlm al-Manāsik, contains sections on the virtues of the Levant and its people, its importance now, in the past, and in the end of times, followed by a section on al-Aqṣā, a translation of which may similarly follow. All of these shed light on the spirit of the Levantine peoples, particularly the Palestinians, in light of current events, for where many others would break apart in the advent of such atrocities—in the face of the loss of families, bloodlines, destruction of homes and one’s homeland as well as all that he had ever known—the Palestinian, as Taha Abderrahmane succinctly indicates, remains to be the embodiment of the Perfect Man (al-Insān al-Kāmil) in our age, proclaiming God’s praise and treading forward with duty regardless of what befalls him. This is hardly detached from the blessings the Levantine lands have been imbued with, and as such, there can hardly ever be a more appropriate time to forward a piece recounting their virtues and significance.

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God, Glorified be He, said, “And We delivered him and Lūṭ to the land which We had blessed for the worlds.”¹ He also said, in His rendition of the words of Mūsā, “O people, enter the blessed land which has been written for you.”² None from the people of knowledge differed on the fact that the land being referred to in these verses was the Levant (al-Shām). 

The entirety of al-Shām is purified and blessed, but what is constituted by the term [al-Shām] has been differed upon by the exegetes. There were those who held that it was the land of the Bayt al-Madqis; others held that it referred to Palestine, Damascus, and some of Jordan; yet others opined that it was the land wherein the Ṭūr resided and some surrounding regions; and there were those still who held that it was al-Shām in its entirety, and in order of precedence, this is foremost, as the Messenger ﷺ, in a report narrated regarding the virtues [of the region], generalized it as such, and therefore it is not appropriate to draw specifications without further evidence. As such, whatever enters the boundaries of al-Shām becomes worthy of receiving the virtues oft-narrated and the protection promised.

As for sanctification (taqdīs), it is Divine purification (taṭhīr) that occurs by God’s oversight. It has been narrated [regarding the place] that it was made the residence of [many of] the Prophets during their lives, as well as their places of burial, and there has never been a time that preceded wherein it was not illuminated by this light, and the people thereof did not cease to stand up for the truth in opposition to their enemies, and such is the case still, as has been reported from the most truthful amongst the truthful ﷺ. God, the Exalted, purified it majorly from the filth of disbelief, and seized the obstinate people of shirk with their heads, as was done so with the two Sanctuaries (al-Ḥaramayn) and its surrounding regions.

It has been differed upon as to what the particular blessing was. Some said that it was given ample water, greenery, fertility, prosperity, and good living for both the rich and the poor; others said that its blessings were upon all the worlds, in that the majority of the Prophet ﷺs were raised therein, where they made their call [to the dīn] heard, their words became apparent, the laws (sharāʾiʿhim) laid forth, and their religious statements [and sentiments] were clarified.

The revelation may be understood in two ways, as it has arrived in two forms. When a servant in the land of God [the Exalted], he seeks blessings from God [the Exalted] in both appearance and meaning, as they lack what is hidden as they lack what is apparent, and thus neither aspect may be specified or given precedence over the other, as both are correct [in their own respects], and God [the Exalted] knows best.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abī Ṭalḥah al-Khūlāniy, named Dharʿ, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “There will be four armies, so upon you is al-Shām, for God [the Exalted] has guaranteed al-Shām for me.”³

In another chain from al-Ṭabarānī, it was narrated on the authority of Kharīm bin Fātik al-Asadī, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, that he heard the Messenger ﷺ say, “Al-Shām is God’s [the Exalted] whip on His earth, through which He exacts revenge on whomever He wills among His servants. It has been forbidden for their hypocrites to prevail over their believers, and they will not die except in distress and sorrow.”⁴

From a chain tracing back to Abū al-Qāsim al-Ṭabarānī, it has been narrated on the authority of ʿAfīr bin Maʿdān that he heard Salīm bin ʿĀmir narrate from Abī Amāmah, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Al-Shām is God’s [the Exalted] Chosen Land, and thus he who leaves it does so under His displeasure, and he who enters it does so by His Mercy.”⁵

If it is asked, “How is this report reconciled with the ḥadīth which states, ‘Al-Shām will be conquered and its people will be destroyed along with their families and those who obeyed them. Madīna is better for them, only if they knew?’”⁶ We respond, “One aspect of this is that we make this the exception to the case, due to our knowledge of the virtues of the Two Mosques and the sanctity of the Ḥaramayn. The other facet is to duly follow.”

In a chain tracing back to Sulaymān Ạhmad al-Ḥāfiẓ, it was narrated that ʿAbd-Allāh bin al-Ḥārith heard ʿAmr bin al-ʿĀṣ, may God [the Exalted] be pleased with him, say, “[I heard the Messenger ﷺ of God say, “An Angel came to me in a dream and carried the Pillar of the Book from under my head and pillow, and carried it to al-Shām.”⁷

In another chain from al-Ṭabarānī, it was narrated on the authority of Abī al-Dardāʾ, may God be pleased with him, who said, “The Messenger ﷺ of God said, ‘I was asleep when I saw the Pillar of the Book being carried from under my head. I had thought that it had left it, and so my eyes followed it until it positioned itself in al-Shām. Indeed, when trials (fitan) persist, belief will be in al-Shām.’”⁸

ʿAbd-Allāh bin ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him, said, “I heard the Messenger ﷺ of God say, “I was asleep when I saw the Pillar of the Book being carried from underneath my head. My eyes followed it, and it was placed upon al-Shām, for when the trials manifest, belief will be in al-Shām.” He said this thrice.”⁹

As for the meaning of his statement—”I saw the Pillar of the Book being carried from underneath my head”—it refers to the pillar of all, and what all stands upon. From this is the ḥadīth of ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him: “One comes to you with the pillar of his stomach”—meaning on his back, for the back touches the stomach and acts as a support for [the body]—and so the pillar of the Book is what the Book stands, is made apparent, and is strengthened by. What is intended thereby, and God knows best, is kingship, Sultanate, and power, for it is through these that the Law is upheld, the ḥudūd are established, the borders are protected, the enemies of the dīn are fought, as well as groups of misguidance (ḥizb al-ḍalālah), and Shayṭān is opposed.

What supports this interpretation is what has been narrated from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār—from the Torah, in his report—that “he (i.e. the Prophet ﷺ) shall be born in Makkah, with emigrate with a good woman, and his rulership shall be in al-Shām.”¹⁰ As for the meaning of “from underneath my head,” it means that he was responsible for its preservation and guarding himself, as a man guards his possessions.

Al-Shām was not humiliated as a center for the soldiers of Islām, or as a sentinelship for the mujāhidīn. They guarded the borders and rose up the occasion to fight the enemies of God as lions hunt their prey, so that the word of God prevails over them, and such is how the Book was upheld. Regarding the meaning of this statement, he ﷺ indicated, “The group from my nation which evidently upholds the truth shall never perish.”¹¹ It has also been narrated from the authority of ʿImrān bin Ḥuṣayn, may God be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “The group from my nation that fights for the truth shall not cease to do so, until another fights the False Messiah.”¹²

It has been narrated on the authority of Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger ﷺ said, “A group from my nation will fight at the gates of Damascus and what surrounds it, the gates of Bayt al-Maqdis and what surrounds it. They are not deterred by the betrayal of those who betray them, and they will be the upholders of truth till the Hour arrives.”¹³ By “the gates of Damascus,” what is meant by the report is that the enemies in some cases will be deterred, and in other cases they will be drawn out [and expelled] from within.

It was narrated on the authority of Abū Umāmah  al-Bāhilī, may God be pleased with him, that the Messenger ﷺ said, “A group from my nation persisting upon the truth shall not cease to prevail upon those that oppose them. They shall not be harmed  until the Decree of God is issued to that effect.” It was asked, “O Messenger ﷺ of God, where shall it be?” He replied, “Bayt al-Maqdis.”¹⁴

It has been narrated on the authority of Salamah bin Nufayl that the Messenger ﷺ said, “The heartland of Islām is al-Shām.”¹⁵

The heartland in this case refers to where a group of people is located, written with a fatḥa generally but with a ḍammah by the people of Madīnah. Salamah bin Nufayl said that it was to be written with a sukūn, and al-Kindī and al-Tarāghimī agreed with him to that effect. He was from Haḍramawt in Yemen, lived in Ḥomṣ, and his reports are from the people of al-Shām.¹⁶

Ibn ʿUbayd said, “Al-Shām was mentioned to ʿAlī bin Abī Ṭālib, may God be pleased with him, when he was in Iraq, and the people said, “Curse them, O Commander of the Faithful.” He replied, “No, for I heard the Messenger ﷺ say, ‘The Saints are in al-Shām, and they are forty men—when one of them passes away, God replaces his position with another. It is for them that God provides rain, defeats their enemies, and averts torment from the people of al-Shām.’”¹⁷

It has been narrated on the authority of Salamah bin Nufayl al-Kindī who said, “I was seated by the Messenger ﷺ when a man said, “O Messenger ﷺ of God, the people have humiliated the horses and laid down their weapons. There is no jihād; war and its burdens have been laid down.” The Messenger of God ﷺ took his face in his hands and said, “They are wrong. War is to come, for from my nation a group shall not cease to fight for the sake of the truth. For them shall God cause hearts to stray [from truth to falsehood, and from belief to disbelief so they may be fought] until the Hour is established and the Promise of God is made manifest. Horses have goodness tied to their forelocks till the Day of Judgment. I shall be held without being confined;¹⁸ you will follow a group, some striking the necks of others, and the place of safety for the believers will be al-Shām.’”¹⁹

As has been narrated on the authority of Zayd bin Thābit: “We were with the Messenger of God ﷺ, writing the Qurʾān on patches, when the Messenger ﷺ said, ‘Glad tidings for al-Shām.” When we asked why, he replied, ‘For the Angels of the Most Merciful have spread their wings over it.’”²⁰

On the authority of Shahr bin Ḥawshib, it has been narrated: “When Egypt was conquered, the people of al-Shām were insulted. ʿAwf bin Mālik came out with his shield and said, ‘O Egyptians, do not insult the people of al-Shām, for I heard the Messenger ﷺ say, “Therein are saints, and through them is help sought and provisions dispersed.”’”²¹

It has been narrated on the authority of the grandfather of Bihz bin Ḥakīm who said, “I said, O Messenger ﷺ of God, show me what is best! Then the Messenger ﷺ pointed to al-Shām.”

From the reports we have cited thus far, if there are chains found which are not preferred by textual investigators (ahl al-naql), such as Abī Sinān ʿĪsā bin Sinān, ʿAfīr bin Maʿdān al-Ḥimṣī, also known as Abū ʿĀidh, ʿĪd al-ʿAzīz bin ʿUbayd-God bin Ḥamzah bin Ṣuhayb, al-Walīd bin ʿAbbād, ʿĀmir al-Aḥūl, ʿAmr bin Wāqid al-Qurashī al-Dimashqī, Sharh bin Ḥūshab, Abī Ḥātim ʿAdiyy bin al-Faḍl al-Baṣrī. The authentic reports in this chapter outnumber the weaker ones, and the people of knowledge have agreed upon the virtues of al-Shām and the virtues of emigrating thereto in the end of times amongst all the hardships and treachery. The investigations we have conducted suffice us here, and there may be some reports which have apparently been authentic but were proven to be otherwise, except in cases where we are certain of their authenticity, as in the report of Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī: “Al-Shām is the whip of God [the Exalted] upon the earth, in which His chosen servants [reside].”²²

As for the chain of what we have now narrated, ʿAfīr bin Maʿdān is one of the narrators. He says, regarding the meaning of the report, that ʿAbd-Allāh bin ʿUmar said, “Emigration will follow emigration, and the best of those will be the emigrants of Ibrāhīm.” It has also been narrated on his authority that he heard the Messenger ﷺ say, “Emigration will follow emigration, and the best of those will be the emigrants of Ibrāhīm. The worst of its people will remain upon the earth and will be consumed thereby. Their souls will be taken, which will reside in the Fire with monkeys and swines.”²³

His saying that “emigration will follow emigration” refers to another emigration following the breach of the initial pact, for its aim is fulfilled if it is undertaken prior to conquests [of such lands under Islām]. And so when the first is invalidated, the second must follow. It was worded in this manner as the listeners know what is being referred to.

As for his statement that “the best of people upon the earth are the Abrahamic emigrants,” it clarifies that emigration shall commence with its commemoration, undertaken to al-Shām for al-Shām was the place where Ibrāhīm had emigrated. Thus it may be seen that the meaning of the statement is that the emigration will be to al-Shām after Madīnah.

If it is asked, how may we reconcile this with the report which states, “There is no hijrah after the conquest, but only jihād and intention?” We reply as follows: when Makkah was in a state of war for God and His Messenger ﷺ, emigration was obligatory upon the believers who were able for some reasons:

One, so that there is space for the dīn to become manifest.

Two, is this not how the parties of Shayṭān revealed themselves?

Third, so that the Messenger ﷺ may be assisted and the obstacles to his calling be removed so that its foundations may be established and the perfection of the dīn be attained.

When Makkah was conquered and the Arabs embraced Islām and the dīn was widespread in the Ḥijāz, there was no aim left from the aims of emigration that would oblige such, and so there remained no emigrant to be asked or informed about the virtues of emigration that applied to him; nor did there remain those who could any longer be called muhājirīn [as they originally were], and nor would they be entitled to their ranks, stations, or the rights that pertained to them, for hijrah itself had come to an end.

It is also an exhortation towards the virtues of belief and charity prior to conquests, and for this there is a supporting verse: “Not equal among you are those who spent before the conquest [of Makkah] and fought [and those who did so thereafter]…”²⁴ As for his statement that there is no emigration after the conquest [of Makkah], aside from the meanings we have mentioned, there is a clarification of the concession available. For emigration is undertaken for the preservation and improvement of one’s dīn, it does not persist in all circumstances. The exegetes have commented, on the statement of God, the Exalted—“Has the earth not been expanded for you so that you may emigrate therein”—herein lies the evidence that when a man lacks a space in which he may fortify his religion and fulfill his obligations due to the absence of certain causes, emigration becomes necessary for him. The Messenger ﷺ praised the nomads (farrāriyyīn) to this effect.

Hijrah thus has always been commendable and has been mentioned between two particular emigrations—to Madīnah, and to al-Shām—for these are particularly preferable to all else. As the Times approach and trials increase, the believers are tested due to the prevalence of evil, hardships in practicing the dīn amongst those in whom immoralities are widespread. It is not known that the good is good, and evil is not repelled, and nor is it known either that the dīn [they profess] is theirs. And so emigration becomes necessary for them to a land where they may establish the dīn and escape evil.

As for the trials we have elucidated upon in the Holy Lands to which the Friend of God [Ibrāhīm], peace be upon him, had emigrated, in which God had saved him from the grasp of his Pharaoh: “And We delivered him and Lūṭ to the land which We had blessed for the worlds.”¹

Our times have been described to us previously, by he who is the truest in speech ﷺ, for trials the size of mountains have encroached upon us from the East, disbelief has taken hold at the stagnation of Islām, the power [of kufr] coming forth upon the earth. We believe that these times are signified by the following verses: “On the Day the blast [of the Horn] will convulse [creation], there will follow it the subsequent [one].”²⁵ Ibn al-Aʿrābī informed us that we are in such times with his own poetic verses:

Regarding the days, keep their count, for soon
Shall you see them in the form of nights.

The free have become slaves, the honorable humiliated, the ignorants have begun to be seen as the wise, and the sinners are adamant in practicing that which the Law has debased, imposing that upon which the dīn has left to one’s own will; they disobey those they are ordered to obey, whilst obeying those they are ordered to disobey. What a misfortune it is that the most ignorant see themselves as the rulers of their lands and the guardians of their people, when they have neither any organization nor any directive, nor any she-camel or camel involved in the matter. You will not see them except that they wander as vagabonds in their misguidance, stubborn in his transgression, obedient to his greed, and unquestioningly follow their desires. “And when it is said to him, “Fear God,” pride in the sin takes hold of him.”

There is no doubt that for the wise and the people of religion who are upon the clarity of the truth that they are pleased by the swift course of their affairs, and are not harmed by their overturning.

The filthy slept away from what is honorable,
Thus fate alerted them as though they had not slept.
How vile they are when given authority,
And how noble they become at the loss of their blessings.

For which meaning have you placed emigration to al-Shām prior to, and considered more virtuous than, emigration to the Ḥijāz when the latter is more virtuous?

The point to be taken away here is that emigration is tied to its circumstances and times rather than to a particular place. That is because when the believers gather in al-Shām they will be one hand, united against their enemies, fighting upon the truth as was noted by the ḥadīths. Emigration to al-Shām therefore will be out of love for Islām and the desire to avert fitan for the believers. They support the believers with their wealth if they are wealthy, or increase their ranks [by joining them] if they are not so, calling them [to righteousness] and advising them throughout, or calls them towards union in the soil of the Ḥijāz, causing the Holy Land to be cleansed of the filth produced by the people of polytheism and the violations of the foundations of faith—to abandon all for the sake of jihād for the humble servant as therein would otherwise prevail falsehood over the truth, and God [the Exalted] would not let that be.

Residing in the Ḥijāz is characterized by poverty, a lack of sustenance and the means of proper living, and deprivation, and so emigration to al-Shām became necessary for the strengthening of one’s religion and assisting the [propagation of] truth in the end, just as emigration to Madīnah had been necessary in the initial stages. And God knows best.

His saying that “God’s Self despises them (taqdharuhum nafsu-llāhi)” serves as an example of their foolishness and despicable nature, lack of harmony and acceptance, and absence of acceptance from God. What is meant by “despicable” here is what one’s nature rejects and man himself hates, and this is closer in meaning to the statement of God, Glorified and Exalted be He: “But God disliked their being sent.”²⁶

By the usage of the term “Self” (nafs), what is being indicated is His Essence. If this is the case, there is a distinction being necessarily indicated between the possessor and the possessed, and thus the two are to be affirmed in their particular ways of indication. To elaborate, however, Exalted is God, the King and the Truth, above resembling all emergents. What is intended thereby, as is clarified, that its reality is hidden from language and is accessible to those of understanding and insight. It is repelled by only two: those who are ignorant of its aspects, or those who tread with diseases in their hearts—and we seek refuge from God from resembling either of the two.

As for his saying that “they will be thrown in the Fire with apes and swines,” it was said that this indicates their resurrection with the worst of creatures, which implies that they will be transformed from the accursed nations and appear with them, indicating their corruption in their forms and their detachment from the meaning of humanity.

As for the virtues we have mentioned, these are virtues that the eyes of the seers rest upon, and the hearts of the seekers turn toward. It is a land that contains its gathering, and its mosques are filled with those who are bound to it, being home to and the lands of the mujāhidīn and the Sentinels whose souls were taken away herein. This suffices as praise.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said, “There is not one among my companions who dies upon the earth except that light will shine upon him.”²⁷ The Companion added, “No land is known after the Ḥijāz that this is applicable to except al-Shām.” They are divisible into three categories: a martyr whose blood was shed in the path of God; he who dedicates himself to jihād in his youth until God takes his soul; and he who upholds the matters of Muslims properly in any region, educates the ignorants, rectifies the corrupt, and straightens the crooked.

It is furthermore only our right to add that Mercy from God is upon the believers whether they are alive or deceased—God will brighten their faces, soothe their souls, purify their soils, and bless their progress.

We cite now whose names we have previously identified, in accordance with their meetings in particular regions. May God benefit us through love for them and allow us to follow their guidance.

The first of the martyrs attained martyrdom in al-Shām—Muʾtah, in particular, which is a village located in Ḥaurān. The Messenger ﷺ sent Zayd bin Ḥārithah, may God be pleased with him, in Jumād al-Ūlā in the eighth year, six months after his return from the ʿUmrah al-Qaḍāʾ, towards al-Shām with three thousand men. When they were in Maʿān, news arrived that Heraclius had amassed in Maʾrib with a thousand Romans and a thousand Arabized men. They stayed for two days and said, “We stood and informed the Messenger ﷺ about the great numbers of our enemies, when ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Rawāḥah likewise stood in protest and encouraged the people [to fight and remain steadfast]. They set out until they met the Romans in a village by the name of al-Balqāʾ, also known as Sharāf. They witnessed what none other could bear of the enemy’s swords and mounts, and so they withdrew to Muʾtah where they fought severely until the Commanders appointed by the Messenger ﷺ had been killed, one after the other—the first being Zayd; the second Jaʿfar bin Abī Ṭālib; and the third ʿAbd-Allāh bin Rawāḥah. Ibn Rawāḥah was killed in the evening, and so the people elected Khalīd ibn al-Walīd who spent the night strategizing. When morning came, he made his vanguard a rearguard and his rearguard a vanguard, and his right flank a left flank and his left flank a right—the enemy did not recognize their flags and had begun thinking that reinforcements had come, and [upon realizing that such was not the case] they were left in a great panic and vehemently slaughtered. Khālid then withdrew with those he had, as did the enemy.”²⁸

He said, may God be pleased with him, that the scholars of the expeditions differed upon the matter. Some opined that the Muslims withdrew, and cited the report of Umm Salamah as evidence—that she said to the wife of Salamah bin Hishām bin al-Mughīrah, “Why is that I do not see Salamah present for the prayer with the Messenger ﷺ?” She replied, “By God, he is not able to go out. Every time he leaves, the people shout, “O fleer!” So he stays in his house and does not leave, [although] he was in the battle of Muʾtah.”²⁹

In the report of Khuzaymah bin Thābit, “We were defeated.”³⁰

There were those who opined that both parties withdrew after a skirmish, without either being the victor. Others believed that the Muslims had won over the polytheists. I see that this resembles the report of Jābir: “Some Muslims were wounded, and they captured some of the war spoils left behind by the polytheists.”³¹ There is also the saying of Khālid: “On the day of Muʾtah, nine swords were broken in my hand, and nothing remained in my hand save for a Yemeni blade.”³² In some other chains regarding the report of Khālid [it has been transmitted that]: “Then the flag was raised by a sword from the swords of God, by whose hand God granted victory.”³³

As was reported by the ḥadīth of Umm Salamah and Khuzaymah bin Thābit: “Some of them were defeated and reproached for it. The Messenger ﷺ heard of the news and said, ‘Your brothers have met the enemy.’ He continued, ‘Zayd fought until he was martyred, after which the banner was taken by Jaʿfar who also fought until he was martyred; the flag was then taken by ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Rawāḥah who fought till he was martyred.’”³⁴ He cited Zayd and Jaʿfar weepingly and said, ‘My brothers, my friends, and my confidants.’”³⁵

When Yaʿlā bin Maniyyah walked to the Messenger ﷺ with their news, he said, “If you wish, inform me first, or if you wish, let me tell you. He said, “Tell me, O Messenger ﷺ of God.” So he told them the news and described it for them, upon which he replied, ‘By Him who has raised you with the Truth, I have not omitted a single letter from their reports.’ Thus the Messenger ﷺ said, ‘God, Blessed is He, raised me upon the earth until I saw their battle.’”³⁶

We have cited this from their ḥadīths, made exhortations regarding their stations and virtues, and we do not cease to mention anything in this regard except for a few names, for in some transmissions form Anas, he said, “Seventy during the day of Muʾtah.”³⁷ This refers to the Companions who were martyred on that day, whose names we have not received save for a few.

As for the Emigrants (muhājirīn), there was Zayd bin Ḥārithah from the people of Badr; Jaʿfar bin Abī Ṭālib who had partaken in both emigrations; and for the saying of the Messenger ﷺ that “God replaced his hands with two wings with which he could fly to Paradise.”³⁸ He was called “the one with two wings.” Masʿūd bin al-Aswad bin Ḥārithah bin Naḍlah al-ʿAdawī was one of the Companions of al-Shajarah; Wahb bin Saʿd bin Abī Sarḥ al-ʿĀmirī one of the people of Badr; as for Suwaid bin ʿAmr, the Messenger ﷺ introduced brotherhood between him and Wahb bin Saʿd—when they were martyred, they were slain together as well.

As for the Helpers (anṣār), ʿAbd-Allāh bin Rawāḥah, ʿIbādah bin Qays al-Khazrajī, Jābir and Abū Kilāb, the sons of Abī Ṣaʿṣaʿah al-Māziniyyān—Māzin from Banī al-Najjār.

From them are also the martyrs of al-Ajnādīn, a region in the land of Palestine between Ramallah and Bayt Jibrīn, hailed as al-Ajnādīn in the year thirteen in the latter period of the Caliphate of Abū Bakr before his passing away, may God be pleased with him.

There were some who pronounced “Ajnādīn” with a kasrah (i.e. as Ajnīdīn).

From those who have named amongst the muhajirīn, there is Ṭulaib bin ʿAmīr al-Qurashī, the son of the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ; Habbār bin Sufyān bin ʿAbd al-Asad al-Makhzūmī; Abān bin Saʿīd bin al-ʿĀṣ al-Qurashī al-Umawī, and his brothers ʿAmr and Khālid, the sons of Saʿīd. Abān and Khālid were martyred during the Battle of Yarmūk—and the first of these is more firmly established—as well as Tamīm bin al-Ḥārith al-Qurashī al-Sahmī.

As for other than the Emigrants, we may cite al-Ḥārith bin Aws bin ʿAtīk al-Anṣārī, Waḥīd bin ʿAmr bin Ḥamamah al-Dūsī, ʿAbd-God bin ʿAmr bin al-Ṭufayl, his father being “the one with light” al-Azadī al-Dūsī.

After the Battle of Ajnādīn, the Battle of Marj al-Ṣaffār commenced during the Caliphate of ʿUmar bin al-Khaṭṭāb, may God be pleased with him, the Commander being Khālid ibn al-Walīd.

As for those who were martyred in the battle, there were Faḍl bin ʿAbbās bin ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, may God be pleased with him, although there is a difference of opinion in this regard, as well as Salamah bin Hishām al-Makhzūmī.

Martyred in ʿAyn al-Tamr still under the leadership of Khālid were Muhsham al-Suhamī, also known as ʿAmr bin Riʾāb, and Bashīr bin Saʿd, the father of al-Nuʿmān al-Anṣār.

Regarding the battles of al-Shām, the Battle of Fiḥl occurred during the initial years of the Caliphate of ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him in Jordan, where Kaʿb bin Marrah al-Bahzī also passed away. Martyred therein were al-Sāʾib bin al-Ḥārith al-Qurashī al-Suhamī.

The Day of Yarmūk, a region in al-Shām, should not go unmentioned. It is where the Battle of Yarmūk took place on Monday, fifty days after the month of Rajab, in the year 15 AH, under the Caliphate of ʿUmar, may God be pleased with him.

As for the Emigrants who passed away, there were Nuʿaym bin ʿAbd-God al-Naḥḥām al-Qurashī al-ʿAdawī, ʿAyyāsh bin Abī Rabīʿah al-Makhzūmī, Hishām bin al-ʿĀṣ bin Wāʾil al-Suhamī, Naḍīr bin al-Ḥārith bin ʿAlqamah al-Qurashī al-ʿAbdarī, ʿAbd-God bin Sufyān bin ʿAbd al-Asad al-Makhzūmī—although there are differences regarding his brother, we have cited him amongst those who were martyred in Ajnādīn—Saʿīd bin al-Ḥārith bin Qays al-Suhamī, who had emigrated to Abyssinia, Firās bin al-Naḍīr a;-ʿAbdarī, who likewise had emigrated to Abyssinia, Abū al-Rūrah bin ʿAmīr al-Abdarī, the brother of Muṣʿab who had also emigrated to the same destination.

The best of the Quraysh were also martyred therein: Suhayl bin ʿAmr al-ʿĀmirī and his son ʿInbah, al-Ḥārith bin Hishām bin al-Mughīrah al-Makhzūmī, and his nephew ʿIkrimah bin Abī Jahl bin al-Mughīrah, as well as ʿAmr bin al-Ṭufayl al-Dūsī Dhū al-Nūr.

Amongst those who joined the path of the martyrs during the Plague of Amwās, which occurred in Palestine and Jordan and claimed about twenty-five thousand lives. It was said that the first plague in the lands of Islām was in al-Shām. It was said that ʿAmwās was a village between Ramallah and Bayt al-Maqdis. Abū ʿUbaydah bin al-Jarrāḥ—one of those Promised Paradise—and Muʿādh bin Jabal al-Khazrajī al-ʿUqabī al-Badrī, buried in Jordan, were amongst those who passed away therein. The same applies for Sharḥabīl ibn Ḥasanah, one of the Emigrants to Abyssinia—one of the few from one of Quraysh and one of the allies of Banī Zahrah—and Yazīd bin Abī Sufyān, one of the Muslims during the conquest, strong in goodness and piety. These were the Commanders of the armies. “Commanders of the armies” was used because al-Shām had five armies: Damascus, Ḥomṣ, Qinnasrūn, Jordan, and Palestine. Such was said for all these lands.

ʿĀmir bin Ghīlān bin Salamah al-Thaqafī were amongst those who lost their lives during the Plague of ʿAmwās. As was mentioned, twenty passed away from the family of al-Walīd bin al-Mughīrah, and the same was the case for the family of Ṣakhr.

As for the Companions who were buried, may God be pleased with them, in the cities of al-Shām and its surrounding regions, and in Bayt al-Maqdis, we may mention: ʿIbādah bin al-Ṣāmit, one of the leaders during the night of ʿAqabah, who also participated in Badr and the noble Pledge, passed away in Palestine and was buried in Bayt al-Maqdis. It was also where Wāthilah bin al-Asqaʿ al-Laythī was buried, having reached the age of 100 years, and being a servant of the Messenger ﷺ.

In Damascus, [present were] ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib bin Rabīʿah bin al-Ḥārith bin ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib al-Hāshimī, Bilāl bin Rabāḥ, the muʾaddhin of the Messenger ﷺ and one of the first converts to Islām and its witnesses, Sahl bin al-Ḥanẓalah al-Anṣārī from those who partook in the noble Pledge and seclusion from the masses, was steadfast in prayers and remembrance, and did not sit with anyone. There was also Abū al-Dardāʾ al-ʿUwaymir bin ʿĀmir al-Khazrajī, exalted in great knowledge, and esteemed in character; Fuḍālah ʿUbayd al-Laythī, one of the aṣḥāb al-ṣaffah; Abū Hāshim bin ʿUtbah bin Rabīʿah al-ʿAbshamī; and Muʿāwiyah bin Abī Sufyān al-Umawī.

In Ḥomṣ, there were ʿIyāḍ bin Ghanam al-Qurashī al-Fihrī, the son of the uncle of Abī ʿUbaydah bin al-Jarrāḥ, Khālid bin al-Walīd al-Makhzūmī, al-Nuʿmān bin Bashīr al-Anṣārī al-Khazrajī, ʿAbd-Allāh bin Basr al-Māzinī, one of those who died later in al-Shām from the Companions, Abū Amāmah Ṣudayy bin ʿAjlān al-Bāhilī, and Sāhil bin Sālim, the father of Shaddād al-Abasī.

In Palestine, we may mention Shaddād bin Aws, Abū Qarṣāfah Jandarah bin Khayshanah al-Kinānī; in ʿAsqalān, there was ʿAbd-Allāh bon Saʿd bin Abī Sarḥ al-Qurashī al-ʿĀmirī; in Ḥawrān, Saʿd bin ʿAbādah, who was present at the Pledge and at Badr, a leader of Khazraj, and fed people generously; in Barqah, Ruwayfiʿ bin Thābit al-Anṣārī; and in Raqqah, Wābiṣah bin Muʿbid al-Asadī, the lion of Khuzaymah.

As for those who passed away in al-Shām from the Sentinel Companions—and it has not been verified where they are buried—we see Murthad bin Abī Murthad al-Ghanawī from the people of Badr, Abū Muḥammad Masʿūd bin Aws al-Anṣārī also from the people of Badr, Abū Kabashah al-Anmārī, Wahb bin ʿUmayr bin Wahb and others.

They were the ones cited, may God be pleased with them all, and their names have appeared [most prominently] due to the desire of those who seek blessings by visiting them, for they are more worthy of interceding to God [on behalf of the people], as they enjoyed the company of the Messenger ﷺ of God. They are great means, exalted in status, having even preceded al-Qaṣwā, and as such it is hardly befitting to end the chapter except by mentioning the verses of the poet who wrote:

I long to visit the lands where there is contentment,
But I cannot for I feel estranged.

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1. Al-Anbiyāʾ, 71 [↩] [↩]
2. Al-Māʾidah, 21 [↩]
3. Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 4222 [↩]
4. Ibid., 4163 [↩]
5. Ibid., 7718 [↩]
6. Qāsim bin Salām, Gharīb al-Ḥadīth, 2:467-468 [↩]
7. Musnad Aḥmad, 4:198 [↩]
8. Ibid., 5:198 [↩]
9. Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 13:14545 [↩]
10. This is a part of the report that has been cited by al-Dārimī in his Sunan, Ibn Shabbah in his Tārīkh al-Madīnah (2:634), Abū Nuʿaym in Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ (5:386), and others. [↩]
11. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1920 [↩]
12. Musnad Aḥmad, 4:437 [↩]
13. Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ, 7948 [↩]
14. Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 7643 [↩]
15. Ibid., 6309 [↩]
16. See: Tahdhīb al-Kamāl by al-Muzanī, 11:323 [↩]
17. Musnad Aḥmad, 1:112 [↩]
18. He shall not be held in the dunyā but shall proceed to the next life. [↩]
19. Sunan al-Nasāʿī, 3561 [↩]
20. Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3954 [↩]
21. Al-Ṭabarānī, Muʿjam al-Kabīr, 120 [↩]
22. Al-Ḥākim, Mustadrak, 4:555 [↩]
23. Sunan Abū Dāwud, 2482 [↩]
24. Al-Ḥadīd, 10 [↩]
25. Al-Nāziʿāt, 6-7 [↩]
26. Al-Tawbah, 46 [↩]
27. Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3860 [↩]
28. Ibn Saʿīd, Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, 2:119-120 [↩]
29. Al-Ḥākim, Mustadrak, 3:45 [↩]
30. It is a part of the report cited by al-Bayhaqī in Dalāil al-Nubuwwah, 4:374 [↩]
31. Ibid., 4:373 [↩]
32. Ibn Abī Shaybah, Muṣannaf, 36969 [↩]
33. A part of the report narrated by al-Bukhārī in his Ṣaḥīḥ, 3:4 [↩]
34. Compiled by Ibn Saʿd and al-Bayhaqī and Ibn ʿAsākir [↩]
35. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Istiʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb, 2:546 [↩]
36. Al-Bayhaqī, Dalāʾil, 4:360 [↩]
37. Part of a report already cited. [↩]
38. Part of a report cited by al-Ṭabarānī in Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ, 6936 [↩]