Middle East Tour by Hasan Shabbir

1. Middle-East tour A & R Chohan (2008)

2. This presentation gives a pictorial record of holy Islamic sites we visited during trips to the Middle-East. It is intended to raise more awareness among muslims of our history and heritage. The locations of graves of Prophets and Sahabah are shown only for information purposes. Please note that apart from the major sites all other places are not 100% proved to be genuine; the knowledge of these places have been carried down the ages. Allah (swt) knows best. A & R Chohan (2008)

3. Jordan

4. Cave of Ashabe-kahf, Amman Where several Christian boys sought refuge from a tyrannical pagan king. Allah (swt) caused them to sleep for approximately 309 years. Their story is mentioned in the holy Quran in Surah Kahf.

5. Place of Mu’ta Where the muslims first fought against the Romans. The graves of 3 sahabah, Zaid bin Haritha, Jafar bin Abi Talib and Abdullah bin Rawahah (r.a.) are here. It was in this battle Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (Saifullah – the sword of Allah) first became amir of a muslim army.

6. Tomb of Hazrat Shoayb (a.s.) There is a grave in this mosque which is believed to be the grave of Hazrat Shoayb (a.s.). He was the father-in-law of Hazrat Musa (a.s.) and was sent to the people of Madyan.

7. The Treasury, Petra. This is one of a series of buildings built by the Nabateans who followed a pagan religion. Some scholars are of the opinion that they were the people of Thamud. The holes in the walls are footholds which they used for positioning while they carved into the rock.

8. Tomb of Harun (as), Petra. The white building on top of this mountain is believed to house the tomb of Hazrat Harun (a.s.) who was the brother of Hazrat Musa (a.s.). It is close to the valley of Petra.

9. Syria

10. Omayyad mosque, Damascus. This mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Originally the site was a pagan temple, then a church before the mosque was built by Caliph Al-Walid 1 between 706 and 715.

11. Omayyad mosque, Damascus. This minaret, which is on the left side of the mosque is known as the Jesus minaret. It is from here that Hazrat Isa (a.s.) will descend back on earth towards the end of time.

12. Shrine of Yahya (a.s.), Damascus, Legend has it that this small structure within the Omayyad mosque houses the head of Hazrat Yahya (a.s.) (John the Baptist).

13. Grave of Salahuddin Ayyubi, Damascus The green tomb on the right houses the grave of Salahuddin Ayyubi, the great general who repelled the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem for the muslims.

14. Grave of Khalid bin Waleed (r.a.) Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (r.a.), the companion of Rasulullah (s.a.w.) and the greatest muslim general is buried along with his son in a corner of this mosque in Hims.

15. Monastery of Bahira the monk This ruin was the monastery of Bahira, a righteous Christian monk who was aware of the coming of a great prophet. When the prophet Muhammed (saw) was between nine and twelve years old he accompanied his uncle Abu Talib to a business trip to Syria. Bahira saw a cloud giving constant shade to the prophet and recognised him to be the one that was foretold in the scriptures.

16. Krak de Chevalier, near Hims This is the interior of Krak de Chevalier castle, the best preserved Crusader castle in the world. Salahuddin Ayyuby laid siege to it but was unable to conquer it. It was eventually taken from the Crusaders by Sultan Baybers.

17. Palestine

18. Front view of Masjid-e-Aqsa The name ‘Al-Aqsa mosque’ translates to ‘the farthest mosque’ and is the 3 rd most holy place for muslims. It was here that in around 621 AD the prophet Muhammed (saw) came on the night journey from Mecca riding on the Buraq. Note that the whole land on which the mosque is located is regarded as sacred to muslims and known as Haram Sharief.

19. The mihrab of Masjid-e-Aqsa This marble structure is the mihrab of the present al-aqsa mosque. The mimbar on the right was given by the Jordanian government after the original (which was given by Salahuddin Ayyubi) was destroyed in a fire started by a fanatical jew in 1967.

20. The original qiblah, Masjid-e-Aqsa The floor underneath the present mosque is regarded to be the real al-aqsa mosque. This area underground is believed to be the original qibla to where muslims initially prayed. It is in the opposite direction of the present qibla in Mecca.

21. Underneath the present mosque The stone pillars on the right are believed to have been erected by jinnat in the time of Hazrat Sulaiman (a.s.). The small mihrab is believed to be the place where Mariam (a.s.) used to receive out of season fruits when she was pregnant with Hazrat Isa (a.s.).

22. Marwan-e-masjid This praying area, which is underground and on the left side of the present al-aqsa mosque was the Marwan-e-masjid and has recently been restored. When the Crusaders had control of the mosque they used to use this area as stables for their horses and it became known as Solomon’s stables.

23. Dome of the rock, Jerusalem The Dome of the Rock (Qubbatus Saqqara) is often mistaken to be the Al-Aqsa mosque. This structure was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik from 688 to 691 and houses the sacred rock from which the prophet Muhammed (saw) ascended to heaven after the night journey to Jerusalem.

24. Interior of Dome of the Rock This is the actual rock in the foreground and a cave exists underneath it. It is the opinion of some scholars that the angel Israfeel (a.s.) will blow the soor (trumpet) from this place to herald the Day of Judgement.

25. Buraq masjid This small structure, on the right of the al-aqsa mosque is believed to be the place where the prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) tied the buraq, the winged riding animal upon which he rode during the night of ascension. The western wall which is on the right is what the jews call the Wailing Wall.

26. Crusader cross (on Haram Sharief) This is the remains of the cross on which the Crusaders, upon conquering Jerusalem, slaughtered thousands of the resident muslims on. It was broken up when Salahuddin Ayyubi re-conquered the city.

27. Masjid-e-Khalil, Hebron Masjid-e-Kalil in Hebron is built over a small cemetery where lies the graves of four of the most illustrious prophets and their wives. The four prophets are Hazrat Ebrahim (a.s.), his son Isaaq (a.s.), his son Yaqub (a.s.) and his son Yusuf (a.s.). A view down to the cemetery can be seen from the small circular structure above.

28. Tomb of Hazrat Ebrahim (a.s.) This is the tomb of Hazrat Ebrahim (a.s.) which is built directly above his actual grave which is below ground. On the far side are the windows from the jewish synagogue which is built right next to the mosque. This place is a source of great friction between muslims and jews.

29. Tomb of Hazrat Isaaq (a.s.), Hebron These are the tombs of Hazrat Isaaq (a.s.) (right) and his wife Rifaqah (left) and are directly over their graves which are below ground. These tombs are on the muslim side along with Sarah (a.s.), one of the wives of Ebrahim (a.s.). The tombs of Hazrat Yaqub and Yusuf (a.s.) are on the jewish side. Jews and muslims are allowed to enter the others area for 10 days in a year.

30. Mosque of Hazrat Yunus (a.s.) The grave of Hazrat Yunus (a.s.) is housed inside this mosque, not far from Jerusalem. Occasionally, Jews come to visit also.

31. Grave of Abdullah bin Masood (r.a.) This small structure (close to the mosque of Yunus a.s.) contains the grave of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (r.a.); one of the most eminent companions of Rasulullah (s.a.w.). The olive tree on the left is believed to be more than 1400 years old.

32. Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem It is believed by the Christians that Hazrat Isa (a.s.) was born in this place. A marble floor (inset) denotes the exact spot.

33. Tomb of Hazrat Lut (a.s.) This building on the right houses a tomb which is believed to be of Hazrat Lut (a.s.) and is situated near the Dead Sea.

34. A & R Chohan (2008)