When we booked our Hajj in 2006, our group leader said we'll be flying with Syrian Airlines and there is a possibility that we may have to stay in Damascus on the way back.
Alhamdulillah we completed our Hajj and on the way back we got on the plane for Syria. As we entered, the air host asked if we are Hujjaj. We said yes. Immediately he told us to go to first class!
We landed in Damascus. We stayed 3 days there. By the way, Hajj was between December 2006 to January 2007.
It was my dream to go Syria one day, so Qadrullah we were there for the first time in our lives. Me, my mum and my brother.
We landed in Damascus and left the airport on a coach. We drove down the motorway. Our driver asked if we were Shia or Sunni. We replied Sunni. There's a lot of Shia and Sunni here. We asked the driver where Khalid ibn Walid RadhiAllahu Anhu was buried. He said it was quite far from where we were.
We reached the hotel and checked into our room. We were in the ground floor. The room had stairs going up to two beds and one bed was on the bottom floor. I've never been in a hotel room with two floors!
Outside the room was a garden. I saw a dog there looking at me I'm afraid of dogs and didn't go out!
We had dinner. Buffet. Coming from a basic accommodation during Hajj, this was luxury. The food was lovely MashaAllah. We spent our day relaxing and praying in the hotel prayer room.
The next day the hotel manager said that he'll take us on a tour of Damascus. "I will get you state of the art coaches." He said. In front of the hotel was a green coach, with ornaments hanging down from the roof.
"It looks like a bus from Pakistan," suggested one of our group members, amused. Pakistan has these lovely buses. We got on and the tour started.
We first went to Masjid Ruqayyah. Apparently she is the daughter of Hussain RadhiAllahu Anhu. It was a big Masjid, with the grave of Ruqayyah Rahimahullah buried inside. I stood by her grave and made Dua for her. She is buried in a enclosed area, which was a green coloured glass box if I can remember. Some people were wailing. Others were wiping their face and hands on the box. I don't know why they do that as this isn't from the teachings of the great-grandfather of Ruqayyah Rahimahullah, our beloved Rasulullah Sallallahu Alyhiwasallam.
Outside the Masjid there were people slapping their backs the way some shias do. I remarked to my brother that these might be Shias and a man gave me a look!
We went to the Grand Umayyad Mosque. This is the grand Mosque of Damascus. A beautiful building. We entered the courtyard. It had marble floors which were rather slippery. There's a wudu area at the centre of the courtyard.
We were shown the white Minaret which Esa Alyhiwasallam would descend from on his return to Earth. This Masjid is also where Dajjal will come to attack Muslims.
We entered the Masjid. It was huge. We prayed Zuhr. In the Masjid was another green glass structure. Here is the tomb of Prophet Yahya Alyhiwasallam. We left the Masjid and got back on the coach.
Next to the Masjid was the grave of the great warrior and sultan of Islam, the conqueror of Al-Quds, Salahuddin Ayyubi Rahimahullah. It was another of my dreams to visit his grave. I once learnt that in 1920 a French general went to this grave and kicked it and said "Wake up Salahuddin, we are here." Too late mate! A man was selling postcards outside the Masjid so I bought some.
We then visited the graveyard of Bab Saghir. This is a huge graveyard where many people were buried here.
We went to a small building and were told the great Sahabah and Muazzin, our master Bilal RadhiAllahu Anhu is buried. We went down a small flight of stone stairs into a room where there were a few graves.
I stood by his grave. I can only imagine him giving Azan and how beautiful those moments would have been. Next to his grave was that of a little child, was told it was the child of Ja'far RadhiAllahu Anhu, the cousin of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alyhiwasallam.
I've come to learn that there's a difference of opinion as to where Bilal RadhiAllahu Anhu is buried. Allah knows best.
Our guide took us to more graves. He suggested some of these graves were of the Mothers of the believers Hafsah, Umm Salama and Umme Habiba RadhiAllahu Huma. I didn't believe him as I know they are all buried in Jannatul Baqi, Madina. Nevertheless I made Dua for the inhabitants.
Then we were heading towards the grave of Habil, the son of Adam Alyhiwasallam. On our way we went past the presidential palace. Our coach was stopped by a military officer who asked if anyone had cameras. They don't like photos being taken of the presidential palace.
Our coach went up a mountain! Outside the window we could see empty land, stretching as far as the eyes can see. Hardly any life; only sand and rocks. We were going uphill and if the coach took a wrong turn it would have certainly tumbled down. Allah saved us!
The coach came to a stop outside a small building. The tour guide told us that this is where Habil is buried. Habil was a son of Adam Alyhiwasallam who was murdered by his own brother, Qabil.
As we entered the building, we came across a long and green structure. We were told this is the grave of Habil. I've never seen a grave this long, SubhanAllah.
We came back to the hotel and rested. The next day we got ready to head back home. The hotel staff came out to see us off.
May Allah bring peace to Syria again and make it easy for the people there, Aameen.
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