The Breeze of Dusk with the Scent of Musk

Chapter 5: The Koran Memorizer

In Bilad Ash-sham in the city of Damascus lives Mohammad Azzumurrud who is a carpenter. Mohammad Azzumurrud is 25 years old. He lives with his father, Abdurrahman Azzumurrud, and his mother, Zaynab Albahr. His mother tongue is Arabic, the language of Holy Koran.

Bilad Ash-Sham (Arabic: بلاد الشام) is an Arabic word which means the countries of Ash-sham (Bilad in Arabic means countries). At that time, Bilad Ash-sham included the four modern countries of Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. In the Arabic and Islamic civilization, Bilad Ash-sham is a blessed land for many reasons and here are four main reasons:

First, many of the Prophets of Allah were from Bilad Ash-Sham especially the Prophets from the sons of Israel. Israel is the name of Prophet Jacob who is the son of Prophet Isaac who is the son of Prophet Abraham peace be upon them all. Bilad Ash-sham was mentioned indirectly in the Holy Koran where Allah says:

"And We (Allah) rescued him (Prophet Abraham) and Lut (Prophet Lot) to the land which We have blessed for the Alameen (mankind and jinn). (71)" [THK: S 21: V 71].

Mohammad Attabari (محمد الطبري), one of the greatest Muslim scholars, said in his famous book about the exegesis of the Holy Koran which is known in Arabic as Tafseer Attabari (تفسير الطبري) that Allah rescued Prophet Abraham and Prophet Lot from the land of Iraq to the land of Ash-sham when Prophet Abraham and Lot migrated to Bilad Ash-sham.

Second, at the time of Prophet Muhammad, the tribe of Quraysh (the tribe of Prophet Muhammad) used to have two journeys during the year, one in summer to Bilad Ash-sham and one in winter to Yemen. Allah mentioned these two journeys in the Holy Koran in the Quraysh Sura:

"(It is a great Grace and protection from Allah), for the taming of the Quraysh, (1) (And with all those Allah's Grace and Protections for their taming, We cause) the (Quraysh) caravans to set forth safe in winter (to the south), and in summer (to the north without any fear), (2) So let them worship (Allah) the Lord of this House (the Kaabah in Makkah). (3) (He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. (4)" [THK: S 106: V 1-4].

Third, Bilad Ash-sham contains one of the three sacred cities of the Islamic nation. The three scared cities of the Islamic nation are Makkah (Mecca) which contains the Sacred Mosque (nowadays in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Madinah (Medina) which contains the Mosque of Prophet Muhammad (nowadays in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Jerusalem which contains Alaqsa Mosque (nowadays in the State of Palestine).

Alaqsa Mosque is sacred for Muslims because Prophet Muhammad travelled to it by a miracle of Allah then he ascended to the Heavens accompanying Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) where he saw so many signs of Allah. The journey of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Jerusalem, his ascent to the Heavens and then his return to Makkah was in a single night by a miracle of Allah. The journey of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Jerusalem was mentioned in the Holy Koran where Allah says:

"Glorified (and Exalted) is He (Allah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him]. Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque (at Makkah) to the Furthest Mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer (1)" [THK: S 17: V 1].

Fourth, Prophet Muhammad prayed explicitly for Bilad Ash-Sham where he said once: "O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Sham! O Allah! Bestow Your blessings on our Yemen." [BH-1]

For these reasons and others, Bilad Ash-sham occupies an exalted rank in the heart of the Islamic nation. Prior to Islam, Bilad Ash-sham was under the rule of the Romans. After Islam, Muslims conquered Bilad Ash-sham and they defeated the Romans in a myriad of battles until the Romans withdrew and Bilad Ash-sham became completely under the rule of the Islamic nation. Bilad Ash-sham was opened by Arabs and Muslims during the reign of Caliph Abu Bakr Assiddique and his successor Caliph Omar Ibn Alkhattab, the two greatest companions of Prophet Muhammad [W-5]. The word Caliph means in Arabic (the successor of). The caliph is the supreme leader of the Islamic nation and is equivalent to the king of a kingdom or the emperor of an empire.