Journey to Bayt Al-Maqdis & – Part 5 by Mushtaq Shaikh

 Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (Rd)  Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As)  Prophet Suh‘aib / Jethro (As)  Jordan River  Departing Jordan for Palestine

On Monday morning, November 8, 2010, after breakfast we checked out of our hotel. From the moment we arrived in Jordan, our driver displayed great courtesy and hospitality, which is relatively common amongst our Arab brothers and sisters. Along with offering one of his apartments for accommodation throughout our stay in Jordan, he insisted that we have dinner at his place. We very politely declined both offers. However, upon leaving the hotel, we did inform him of our excess baggage which we did not want to take with us. Fortunately, he was more than happy to make arrangements for its safekeeping during our stay in Bait al-Maqdis. When travelling to the Occupied Territories it is very important to minimize the luggage and leave behind all unnecessary items.

Today our first stop was a burial site believed to be that of a Sahaabi.

Sahaabi Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (Rd)

It is a popular belief amongst the locals that Sahaabi Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (Rd) is buried in . Our driver took us to the small shrine (Fig. 1, 2). It was locked but the tomb was visible through a window. The surrounding residential area is one of the affluent neighbourhoods of Amman. Abdul-Rahman ibn ‘Awf (Rd) was a wealthy Sahaabi with a thriving business. The historians agree upon the fact that he travelled to Al-Shaam (Greater Syria) during his lifetime. Abdullah ibn Abbas (Rd) has narrated: Figure 1: Maqam Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf (Rd), by MS

“Umar ibn Al-Khattab (Rd) departed for Al-Shaam (Greater Syria) and when he reached Sargh1, the commanders of the (Muslim) army, Abu Ubaida ibn Al-Jarrah (Rd) and his companions met him and they told him that an epidemic has broken out in Al-Shaam. Umar (Rd) said, ‘Call for me the early Muhajireen.’ So Umar (Rd) called them, consulted them and informed them that an epidemic has broken out in Al-Shaam. Those people differed in their opinions. Some of them said,

1 An area on the borders of Hijaz and Greater Syria. (Al-Hamawi d.1229CE, 1977, p. 3:211)

Page 1 of 7 ‘We have come out for a purpose and we do not think it is appropriate to return.’ and others said, ‘You have with you other people and the Companions of Allah's Apostle, so we do not think it is right for you to take them to this epidemic.’ Umar (Rd) said to them, ‘Leave me now.’ Then he said, ‘Call the Ansar for me.’ So I called them and he consulted them and they followed the way of the emigrants and differed as they did. He then said to them, ‘Leave me now,’ and added, ‘Call for me whoever is here from the elders of Quraish who emigrated in the year of the Conquest of Mecca.’ I called them and even two people from amongst them did not differ in this matter. ‘We advise that you should return with the people and do not take them to this epidemic.’ So, Umar (Rd) made an announcement, ‘I will ride back to Medina in the morning, so you should do the same.’ Abu Ubaidah ibn Al-Jarrah said. ‘Are you running away from what Allah had ordained?’ Umar (Rd) replied, “Would that someone else had said such a thing, O Abu Ubaidah!’ ‘Yes, we are running from what Allah has ordained to what Allah has ordained. Don't you agree that if you had camels that went down a valley having two places, one green and the other dry, you would graze them on the green one only if Allah had ordained that, and you would graze them on the dry one only if Allah had ordained that?’ At that time Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf (Rd), who had been absent because of some personal need, came and said, ‘I have some knowledge about this. I have heard Allah's Apostle saying, ‘If you hear about it (an outbreak of a plague) in a land, do not go to it; but if a plague breaks out in a region where you are staying, do not run away from it.’ Umar (Rd) praised Allah and returned.” 2 (Al-Bukhari d.870CE).

With respect to his burial place, the more authentic and reliable opinion amongst the historians is that he passed away in Madina. Uthman ibn Affan (Rd) led his funeral prayer and eventually he was buried in Jannah al-Baqi in Madina, Saudi Arabia (ibn Kathir d.1373CE, 1997, p. 7:132) (Ibn Hajar Al- Asqalani d.1448CE, 1995, p. 7:293).

K. Muhammad Khalid writes in his book, Rijal howl Figure 2: Maqam Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf (Rd), by MS al-Rasul (Men Around the Messenger),

“In 32H he was breathing his last and Aishah (Rd), the Mother of the Faithful, wanted to bestow on him a special honour, proposing as he was dying, to bury him in her room near the Messenger (S), Abu Bakr (Rd) and Umar (Rd). But as a Muslim he was so well-mannered that he was too modest to put himself in this rank. Besides, he had made a previous promise and a pledge with Uthman ibn Madh‘un (Rd). One day they had promised each other that whoever died after the other would be buried near his friend.”3 (Khalid, n.d., p. 473)

From here we proceeded to a town named Al-Salt / Salt.

Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As)

Salt is located approximately 30km north-west of Amman. Its population stands at around 71,100. Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As) is believed to be buried in this city (Al- Zuqruti & Mudanaat, 1997, p. 118) (Uthmani, 1994, pp. 186, 187). He was the second prophet of the Bani-Isra’il /

Figure 3: Sign to Maqam Prophet Yusha‘ (As), by MS

2 The Book of Medicine, What has been mentioned about the Plague, # 5729 3 English translation of Arabic text

Page 2 of 7 Children of Israel and successor to Prophet Musa / Moses (As). He has not been explicitly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, but according to the exegetes he has been referred to twice.

“Said two men from among the God-fearing, on whom Allah had bestowed His favour, ‘Enter the gate (charging) upon them. Once you have entered it, you will be the ones who will prevail. In Allah you must place your trust, if you are believers.’” (5:23)

One of the two men mentioned in this verse is Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As) (Ibn Kathir d.1373CE, 1997, p. 1:246) (Al-Suhayli d.1185, 1992, p. 95).

“(Recall) when Musa said to his young man, ‘I shall not give up until I reach the meeting point of the two Figure 4: Masjid Prophet Yusha’ (As), by MS seas, or else I shall go on traveling for years.’” (18:60)

The young man in this verse is also Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As) (Ibn Kathir d.1373CE, 1997, p. 1:261) (Al-Suhayli d.1185, 1992, p. 188).

Figure 5: New Masjid Prophet Yusha’ (As), by MS Figure 6: Old Masjid Prophet Yusha’ (As), by MS

Prophet Muhammad (S) also spoke of him without mentioning his name.

“…..so, the prophet carried out the expedition and when he reached that town at the time or nearly at the time of the ‘Asr prayer, he said to the sun, ‘O sun! You are under Allah’s Order and I am under Allah’s Order, O Allah! Stop it (i.e. the sun) from setting.’ It was stopped till Allah made him victorious…..” (Al-Bukhari d.870CE) 4

The prophet in this hadith is Prophet Yusha‘ / Joshua (As) (Al-'Aayni d.1451CE, 1998, p. 10:453).

We made our way along the city roads towards Masjid Yusha’ (As). It is situated on a hilltop easily visible from a distance (Fig. 4). In the early 1980’s, a new Masjid (Fig. 5) was built adjacent to the old Masjid (Fig. 6). The old Masjid, where the grave is located, Figure 7: Tomb of Prophet Yusha‘ (As), by MS

4 Chapter of One-fifth of Booty, #3124

Page 3 of 7 dates back to the Mamluk period (Al-Zuqruti & Mudanaat, 1997, p. 118). Both buildings are easily distinguishable. We walked into the old Masjid and there in front of us was an extremely long tomb (Fig. 7). I walked the length of this tomb and it turned out to be 23-24 steps. The length of the tomb does not necessarily portray the height of the deceased. As Mufti Taqi Uthmani has stated, it is possible that in ancient times long tombs were made for religious figures as a token of respect (Uthmani, 1994, pp. 186, 187).

Prophet Suh‘aib / Jethro (As)

Figure 8: Sign to Masjid Shu‘aib (As), by MS Figure 9: Entrance to Masjid Shu‘aib (As), by MS

From Salt we made our way towards Wadi Shu‘aib / The Valley of Shu‘aib. This valley is named after Prophet Suh‘aib / Jethro (As). His grave is thought to be in this valley (Uthmani, 1994, p. 188) (Al- Zuqruti & Mudanaat, 1997, p. 202). Opinions contrary to this exist.

Wadi Shu‘aib is located around 8km south of Salt and 5km west of Mahis. The drive from Salt through Wadi Shu‘aib is a very pleasant drive. A picturesque valley with olive and fig trees blanketing the slopes. The lush greenery down the valley with a stream flowing at the lower end was extremely beautiful. This valley is well-known for its produce. The road was twisting and turning down into the valley until our driver took a turn on to a side road and straight ahead we saw a Masjid. It is here where the locals claim

Figure 10: Inner courtyard with wudu basin, by MS Figure 11: Outside of Masjid Shu'aib (As), by MS

Prophet Suh‘aib (As) is buried. Like all other masajid that are built at historical sites, this too was well- designed. The masjid is built around an inner court with an octangular wudu basin capped with a dome (Fig. 10). Olive and fig trees have been planted at the entrance. The place was very clean and well maintained. This is something we had noticed at all the masajid which are built at historical sites. After performing Zuhr we made our way to the room next to the prayer hall, where the grave is situated. The Imam along with some other people, who had come for salat, also accompanied us into the room.

Page 4 of 7 There are multiple verses in the Holy Qur’an regarding Prophet Suh‘aib / Jethro (As) and his people (7:85, 88, 90, 92; 11:84, 87, 91, 94; 26:177; 29:36). He was a prophet sent to the People of Madyan5. As for the location of his grave, Sami Al- Maghluth writes that he is buried in Madyan (Al-Maghluth, 2005, p. 52). A grave in Hadramawt is thought to be of Prophet Suh‘aib (As) but Al-Najjar doubts its authenticity (Al-Najjar, n.d., p. 172). Ibn Kathir has quoted Wahab ibn Munabbih stating that Prophet Suh‘aib (As) passed away in Makkah and is buried within the vicinity of the Ka‘bah along with his followers (Ibn Kathir d.1373CE, 1997, p. 1:176).

Figure 12: Fig tree in Masjid Shu'aib (As), by MS

Al‘Aayni, on the authority of Ibn Al-Jawzi, has also written that he is buried in Al-Masjid Al-Haram. Some say he is buried in Hittin (Al-'Aayni d.1451CE, 1998, p. 11:148). Al-Hamawi and M. Sharrab have written that the grave of Prophet Suh‘aib (As) is in Khiyarah west of Tabariyyah / Tiberias near Hittin (Sharrab, n.d., p. 365) (Al-Hamawi d.1229CE, 1977, pp. 2:274, 409).

After paying our respects, we decided to make our way to King Hussein / Allenby Bridge without any further delay. We were all a little impatient and excited, for the primary objective of our journey was only a few hours away.

Departing Jordan for Palestine

With hearts throbbing out of excitement, and some nervousness, we made our way towards the bridge crossing. Private vehicles are not permitted to cross. All passengers must use the government buses to cross no man’s land. These buses travel back and forth between the two terminals on either side of the Jordan River. Transportation services are provided by the Jordanian government. When crossing over you are actually entering occupied Palestinian Territory. It is not an official border crossing since the Palestinian Territory is not a recognized independent state, yet travelers are required to show their passports to the ‘Israeli’ immigration authorities in the arrival terminal which is situated ‘in’ the , a mind-boggling political puzzle indeed.

Our guide was only permitted to drive up to a certain point. After he dropped us off, we walked to the departure lounge. In the departure hall our luggage was sent through security while we submitted our passports for clearance and paid an exit fee. The exit fee for each traveller was 8 JOD. Along with the exit fee there is also a bus fare, 3 JOD for each passenger and 1.25 JOD for each piece of luggage.6 No discount for children and babies. They only accept local currency, so foreigners should exchange their currency in Amman. There is a bank at the departure terminal that also provides currency exchange service. After paying all the required fares we boarded the coach. Tourist from Europe and North America were also with us. We were only a dozen people on this coach, when the driver came in and returned our passports. We were now on our way to the ‘other side’.

5 Please refer to the previous chapter for a comprehensive discussion on the location of Madyan. 6 Prices as of Nov.2010, 1.00 JOD = 1.37994 CAD on June, 06/2011, www.xe.com

Page 5 of 7 Stories of travelers having to wait for hours upon hours at the arrival terminal on the pretext of security clearance are well heard of. We were hoping and praying for the best, yet prepared for the worse. We had sufficient water and snacks for ourselves and the children. I had also charged my cell phone to full power before leaving our hotel and had given my wife copies of all travel documents including hotel reservation. As the coach left the terminal, I started praying to Allah beseeching for his protection and assistance in crossing with ease and eventually to pray in Masjid Asqa. I reminded my wife to do the same, for without the help and grace of Allah nothing is possible and if He has destined for us to visit Masjid Aqsa, then no force can stop us. We decided to engage in the dhikr of Allah until we would reach our hotel in Al-Quds.

We left the Jordanian side and entered no man’s land. Looking outside the window we saw the mountains of Palestine getting closer. While making our way through this deserted area, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Jordan River.

Jordan River

The religious scriptures talk about the Jordan River either directly or indirectly. It has been frequently mentioned in the Bible. Christians believe that Prophet E‘esa / Jesus (As) was baptized in the Jordan River. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah mentions a river in the story of Talut / Saul (2:249). Majority of the Qur’an exegetes believe the ‘river’ in this verse is the Jordan River (Ibn Kathir d.1373CE, 1997, p. 2:7). When I saw the Jordan River it wasn’t how I imagined it to be, a large deep flowing river, but it was somewhat small and shallow. Jimmy Carter writes in his book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid:

“After going to sea on one of the missile boats that had been spirited from the French despite the post-1967 arms embargo against Israel, we drove east and then south as close as we could to the Jordan River. All our lives we had studied and sung about this stream, so we visualized a mighty current with almost magical qualities. We were amazed to find that it was not as large as the small creeks that flow through our own farm. We learned that much of the water was being diverted from the stream to irrigate Israeli crops – then one of the prime causes of the animosity between Israel and its eastern neighbours. Barbed wire and roadblocks kept us away from the security zone along the river’s bank, but with special permission from a border security guard, I took a quick dip in the Jordan River near where I thought Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist.” (Carter, 2007, p. 28)

Nevertheless, its mention in religious texts and historical books was sufficient to ignite my curiosity to see its physical state.

After a brisk ride across no man’s land, we saw a sure sign of entering Occupied Territory, Israeli soldiers.

To be continued…………………………………………

Page 6 of 7 Bibliography

The Holy Qur’an

Al-'Aayni, M. (d.1451CE) (1998). 'Umdah al-Qari sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (in Arabic) (1st ed.). (J. Al-Attar, Ed.) Beirut, Lebanon: Darul-Fikr.

Al-Bukhari, M. (d.870CE) (n.d.). Al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar min Umur Rasul Allah (S) wa Sunanihi wa Ayyamihi (in Arabic). Karachi, Pakistan: Qadimi Kutub Khana.

Al-Hamawi, Y. (d.1229CE) (1977). Mu'jam al-Buldan (in Arabic) (e-copy). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Sadir.

Al-Maghluth, S. (2005). Atlas Tarikh al-Anbiyaa wa al-Rusul (in Arabic) (7th ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Maktabah Obekan.

Al-Najjar, A.-W. (n.d.). Qasas al-Anbiyaa (e-copy) (in Arabic) (3rd ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al- Turath al-Arabi.

Al-Suhayli, A.-R. (d.1185) (1992). Al-Ta'rif wa al-I'lam fima Ubhima fi al-Qur'an min al-Asma al-A'lam (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Tripoli, Libya: Kulliyah al-Dawah al-Islamiyyah.

Al-Zuqruti, I. M., & Mudanaat, J. H. (1997). Mu'jam al-Buldan al-Urduniyyah - Muhafadhah al-Balqa (in Arabic) (Vol. 1). Amman, Jordan: Al-Markaz al-Jagrafy al-Mulky al-Urduny.

Carter, J. (2007). Palestine Peace Not Apartheid . New York, New York, USA: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, A. (d.1448CE) (1995). Al-Isabah fi Tamyeez al-Sahaabah (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah.

Ibn Kathir, I. (d.1373CE) (1997). Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (in Arabic) (2nd ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al- Kotob Al-Ilmiyah.

Khalid, K. M. (n.d.). Rijal howl al-Rasul (Men Around the Messenger) (in Arabic). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Al- Fikr.

Sharrab, M. M. (n.d.). Mu'jam Buldan Falistine (1st ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Daruk-Ma'mun At-Turath.

Usmani, M. T. (2006). The Meanings of the Noble Qur'an with Explanatory Notes (1st ed.,). Karachi, Pakistan: Maktaba Ma'ariful Quran.

Uthmani, M. T. (1994). Jahaan Didah (in Urdu). Karachi, Pakistan: Idaratul Maarif.

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