The Virtues of

al-Shām & Damascus

© 2024 Imam Ghazali Publishing, USA
Title: The Virtues of al-Sham & Damascus
Author: Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Rub'i al-Maliki

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ISBN: 978-1-966329-89-3 (paperback)

First Edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Photo credit
“Minaret of Jesus, Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria” – Bernard Gagnon CC BY-SA 4.0
“Maqam of Khalid Al-Walid” – Muhammad Athan CC BY-SA 4.0
“Map of Islamic Syria and its Provinces” – Constantine Plakidas CC BY-SA 4.0
“Mount Qasioun in Damascus, seen from Abu Roumaneh” – Munfarid1 CC BY-SA 4.0
“Maqam of Bilal” – Unknown
 The Virtues of
al-Shām & Damascus

Compiled by
Imām Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī
ibn Muḥammad al-Rubʿī al-Mālikī
Publisher’s Dedication
We dedicate this to the people of al-Shām.

May Allah bless and have mercy on all the

martyrs who struggled against oppression.

May visions of peace and prosperity in these

blessed lands be realized by the grace of Allah.

May Allah accept the service and sacrifice of all

our teachers from this land.

May we see the liberation of the entire Bilād al-

Shām in our lifetime. Amīn.
 Table of Contents
A MAP of Bilād al-Shām ................................................................. ix
The White Minaret of ʿĪsā  .......................................................x
Mount Qāsiyūn (Jabal Qāsiyūn) ................................................. xi
THE MAQāM of Khālid ibn al-Walīd  ....................................xii
THE MAQāM of Bilāl ibn Rabāh  ........................................... xiii
AUTHOr’s introduction ..................................................................2
Report no. 1 ........................................................................................3
Report no. 2 ........................................................................................4
Report no. 3 ........................................................................................5
Report no. 4 ........................................................................................6
Report no. 5 ........................................................................................7
Report no. 6 ........................................................................................8
Report no. 7 ........................................................................................9

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Report no. 8 ......................................................................................10
Report no. 9 ......................................................................................11
Report no. 10 ....................................................................................12
Report no. 11 ....................................................................................13
Report no. 12 ....................................................................................14
Report no. 13 ....................................................................................15
Report no. 14 ....................................................................................16
Report no. 15 ....................................................................................17
Report no. 16 ....................................................................................18
Report no. 17 ....................................................................................19
Report no. 18 ....................................................................................20
Report no. 19 ....................................................................................21
Report no. 20 ....................................................................................22
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 Report no. 25 ....................................................................................29
Report no. 26 ....................................................................................30
Report no. 27 ....................................................................................31
Report no. 28 ....................................................................................32
Report no. 29 ....................................................................................33
Report no. 30 ....................................................................................34
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Report no. 33 ....................................................................................37
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Report no. 37 ....................................................................................42
Report no. 38 ....................................................................................43
Report no. 39 ....................................................................................44
Report no. 40 ....................................................................................45
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Report no. 41 ....................................................................................46

Report no. 42 ....................................................................................47
Report no. 43 ....................................................................................48
Report no. 44 ....................................................................................49
Report no. 45 ....................................................................................50
Report no. 46 ....................................................................................51
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Report no. 48 ....................................................................................53
Report no. 49 ....................................................................................55
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vi
Report no. 58 ....................................................................................64
Report no. 59 ....................................................................................65
Report no. 60 ....................................................................................66
Report no. 61 ....................................................................................67
Report no. 62 ....................................................................................68
Report no. 63 ....................................................................................71
Report no. 64 ....................................................................................72
Report no. 65 ....................................................................................73
Report no. 66 ....................................................................................74
Report no. 67 ....................................................................................75
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Report no. 69 ....................................................................................77
Report no. 70 ....................................................................................78
Report no. 71 ....................................................................................79
Report no. 72 ....................................................................................82
Report no. 73 ....................................................................................83

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Report no. 74 ....................................................................................84
Report no. 75 ....................................................................................85
Report no. 76 ....................................................................................86
Report no. 77 ....................................................................................88
Report no. 78 ....................................................................................89
Report no. 79 ....................................................................................90
Report no. 80 ....................................................................................91
Report no. 81 ....................................................................................92
Report no. 82 ....................................................................................93
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Report no. 84 ....................................................................................96
Report no. 85 ....................................................................................97
Report no. 86 ....................................................................................98
Report no. 87 ....................................................................................99
Report no. 88 ..................................................................................100
Report no. 89 ..................................................................................101
Report no. 90 ..................................................................................104
vii
 Report no. 91 ..................................................................................106
Report no. 92 ..................................................................................107
Report no. 93 ..................................................................................108
Report no. 94 ..................................................................................110
Report no. 95 ..................................................................................111
Report no. 96 ..................................................................................112
Report no. 97 ..................................................................................113
Report no. 98 ..................................................................................115
Report no. 99 ..................................................................................116
Report no. 100 ................................................................................120
Report no. 101 ................................................................................121
Report no. 102 ................................................................................122
Report no. 103 ................................................................................124
Report no. 104 ................................................................................126
Report no. 105 ................................................................................127
Report no. 106 ................................................................................128
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Report no. 107 ................................................................................129

Report no. 108 ................................................................................132
Report no. 109 ................................................................................133
Report no. 110 ................................................................................134
Report no. 111 ................................................................................135
Report no. 112 ................................................................................136
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Report no. 114 ................................................................................138
Report no. 115 ................................................................................139
Report no. 116 ................................................................................140
Report no. 117 ................................................................................142
Report no. 118 ................................................................................144

viii
 The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

A MAP of Bilād al-Shām

Bilād al-Shām, commonly known in English as Islamic Syria or simply
Syria, was a significant region under the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and
Ottoman caliphates. It was also a major province of the Fatimid empire.
Its territory largely aligned with the Byzantine Diocese of the East, which
was brought under Muslim control between 634 and 647. Bilad al-Sham
comprises of the area of the region of Syria, spanning the modern nations
of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine, as well as the regions of Hatay,
Gaziantep, and Diyarbakir in modern Türkiye.

ix
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

The White Minaret of ʿĪsā 

The White Minaret of ʿĪsā , located at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,
is traditionally believed to be where Prophet ʿĪsā  will descend during the
end times in Islamic eschatology.
x
Mount Qāsiyūn (Jabal Qāsiyūn)

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Mount Qāsiyūn (Jabal Qāsiyūn) is a prominent mountain overlooking
Damascus, Syria, renowned for its historical, cultural, and religious
significance. Rising above the city, it offers a panoramic view of Damascus
and has been a silent witness to the region's long and storied history. Beyond
its natural beauty, the mountain holds a special place in tradition and local
folklore. Mount Qāsiyūn is connected to stories of Qābīl (Cain) and Hābīl
(Abel), the sons of Prophet Ādam . According to tradition, the mountain
is believed to be the site where Qābīl killed Hābīl, committing the first
murder in human history. A cave on the mountain, known as the "Cave of
Blood" (Maghārat al-Damm), is said to bear witness to this tragic event.
Mount Qāsiyūn is also linked to other prophets and figures in Islamic and
Abrahamic traditions. The mountain is located towards the neighborhood
of al-Ṣāliḥiyya. This area was once renowned for its numerous khānqāhs,
which also served as places of rest for spiritual travelers. It is also home to
the mosque and resting place of Ibn al-ʿArabī, the 12th-century Andalusian
xi
scholar.
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

THE MAQāM of Khālid ibn al-Walīd 

Khālid ibn al-Walīd  was a renowned companion of the Prophet
Muhammad  and one of the greatest military commanders in both
Islamic and military history. He was given the title "The Sword of Allah". After
converting, he was instrumental in numerous decisive victories, including
the Battles of Mu'tah, Yarmūk, and the opening of Makkah.
xii
THE MAQāM of Bilāl ibn Rabāh 
Bilāl ibn Rabāh  was a prominent companion of the Prophet  and the

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

first caller to prayer. Born into slavery in Makkah, Bilāl endured immense
persecution after accepting Islam. Despite being tortured with scorching
stones placed on his chest, Bilāl’s unwavering belief led him to repeatedly
declare, “Ahad, Ahad” (God is One). Bilāl was later freed by Abū Bakr 
upon the Prophet's instruction. After the Prophet  left this world, Bilāl
struggled to remain in Madinah, where every sight reminded him of the
Beloved . Unable to bear the separation, he moved to Shām. One night,
Bilāl saw the Prophet  in a dream, who said, “Bilāl, you haven’t visited us
in so long!” Overcome with longing, Bilāl immediately mounted his ride and
journeyed tirelessly back to Madinah. When he made the adhān that day
after so many years, the city of Madinah trembled with emotion. Every man
and woman wept, overcome with memories of the Prophet . When Bilāl
reached the words “Ashhadu anna Muḥammad...”, he broke down in tears,
unable to complete it without seeing the Prophet . On his deathbed, he
said, “What a day of happiness! Tomorrow, I will meet Muḥammad  and
xiii
his Companions.”
 The Virtues of
al-Shām & Damascus

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Compiled by
Imām Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī
ibn Muḥammad al-Rubʿī al-Mālikī

1
 � ِ ‫الَّر ْْح �َٰم‬
َ ‫ِٰن‬
‫الَّر ِِح ي�م‬ َ ‫ِب� ْْسم ال َِّلِه‬
ِ ِ
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most
Merciful

‫أخربنا الشيخ املسند األصيل الكبري مجال ادلين أبو املعايل عبد اهلل بن‬
َ َ� َ ُ � ُ ََُ َ � َ
‫َمْحد بن خادل‬ ‫اِهَّلل َحُمَّمد ْبن أ‬
ِ ‫عَّمر احلالوي بسَّماعه ىلع أيب َعب ِد‬
‫الفاريس بسَّماعه ىلع أيب بكر َحُمَّمد بن إسَّماعيل بن األنَّمايط‬
‫بسَّماعه ىلع هبة اهلل بن أَمْحد بن طاووس أخربنا الشيخ اثلقة سديد‬
َُ َ
‫ادلين أبُو َحُم ََّمد هبة اهلل ب�ن اخلرض بن هبة اهلل بن أَمْحد بن طاووس‬
‫ أخربكم الشيخ أبو الفضائل نارص بن‬:‫أيده اهلل بقراءيت عليه قلت هل‬
:‫َحُمَّمود القريش احلاج يف سلخ رجب سنة ست وثالثني ومخس مائة قال‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

‫حدثنا الشيخ أبو احلسن يلع بن أَمْحد بن زهر اتلَّمييم املاليك يف سنة‬
َُ َ
‫ثَّمان وثالثني وأربع مائة حدثنا الشيخ أبُو احلسن يلع ب�ن َحُم ََّمد بن‬
‫شجاع الربيع املاليك بدمشق حرسها اهلل يف املسجد اجلامع سنة مخس‬
:‫وثالثني وأربع ماية قال‬

Shaykh al-Musnid al-Aṣīl al-Kabīr Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Maʿālī

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar al-Ḥalāwī informed us, based on his hearing
from Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Khālid al-Fārisī,
who heard from Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn al-Anmāṭī,
who heard from Hibah Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭāwūs. Shaykh al-
Thiqah Sadīd al-Dīn Abū Muḥammad Hibah Allāh ibn al-Khiḍr
ibn Hibah Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ṭāwūs – may Allah support him
– informed us by my reading to him. I said to him: Shaykh Abū al-
Faḍā’il Nāṣir ibn Maḥmūd al-Qurashī, the Hajj pilgrim, informed
2
you at the end of Rajab in the year 536 AH, saying:
‫ أنبأنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر بن نرص بن َحُمَّمد الشيباين‬-1
‫حدثنا أبو الفضل العباس بن بيهس بَّمرص حدثنا يلع بن احلسن بن‬
‫حاق العيين حدثنا عَّمر بن عبد الغفار‬َ ‫عبد املؤمن حدثنا َُحُمَ ََّمد بن إ �س‬
ِ
1
‫حدثنا املسعودي عن عون بن عبد اهلل بن عتبة قال قرأت فيَّما أنزل‬
‫ الشام كنانيت فإذا‬:‫اهلل عز وجل ىلع بعض األنبياء أن اهلل تعاىل يقول‬
.‫غضبت ىلع قوم رميتهم منها بسهم‬

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar ibn Naṣr ibn Muḥammad
al-Shaybānī informed us, saying: Abū al-Faḍl al-ʿAbbās ibn Bihis in
Egypt informed us, saying: ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbd al-Mu’min
informed us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-ʿAynī informed us,
saying: ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Ghaffār informed us, saying: al-Masʿūdī

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

informed us, on the authority of ʿAwn ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUtbah,
who said: I read in what Allah the Almighty revealed to some of the
Prophets that Allah, the Most High, says: “Al-Shām (Greater Syria)
is My quiver. When I am angry with a people, I strike them with an
arrow from it.”1

(1) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 3

 ‫ حدثنا يلع بن أيب َحُمَّمد عبد الرَمْحن بن عثَّمان بن القاسم حدثنا أبو‬-2

2 ‫يلع احلسن بن حبيب حدثنا يزيد بن عبد الصَّمد حدثنا الوحايظ‬

‫ الرأس الشام وإن مرص اذلنب وإن العراق‬:‫حدثنا سعيد عن قتادة قال‬
.‫اجلناح‬

ʿAlī ibn Abī Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿUthmān ibn al-
Qāsim informed us, saying: Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb informed
us, saying: Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Samad informed us, saying: al-Waḥāzī
informed us, saying: Saʿīd from Qatādah narrated: “al-Shām
(Greater Syria) is the head, Egypt is the tail, and Iraq is the wings.” 2
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

4 (2) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

 َ َ� ُ � َ � َ َُ
‫اِب �ْب ُن عبد اهلل املري حدثنا أبو يلع‬
ِ ‫رص َعبد الو‬
‫ه‬ ٍ ‫ أخربنا أبو ن‬-3
‫احلسني بن إبراهيم بن جابر الفرائيض حدثنا أبو سعيد َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد‬
‫بن فياض حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن إبراهيم دحيم حدثنا الويلد حدثنا‬
3
‫ابن هليعة عن يزيد بن أيب حبيب عن عبد الرَمْحن بن شَّماسة عن زيد‬
َ ُ ُ ْ َ
‫ س ِِمعت َرسول اهلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول يا طوىب‬:‫بن ثابت قال‬
‫للشام يا طوىب للشام يا طوىب للشام قالوا يا رسول اهلل وبم ذلك قال‬
.‫تلك مالئكة اهلل باسطوا أجنحتها ىلع الشام‬

Abū Naṣr ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Mirrī informed us,

saying: Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Farā’iḍī informed
us, saying: Abū Saʿīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Fayyaḍ informed
us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥman ibn Ibrāhīm Duḥīm informed us, saying:

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

al-Walīd informed us, saying: Ibn Lahīʿah narrated from Yazīd ibn
Abī Ḥabīb from ʿAbd al-Raḥman ibn Shamāsah from Zayd ibn
Thābit, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah  say: “Blessed
is al-Shām, blessed is al-Shām, blessed is al-Shām.” They asked,
“O Messenger of Allah, why is that?” He replied, “That is the land
[over which] the angels of Allah spread their wings.”3

(3) It was narrated by al-Tirmidhī (3954) with this wording, and by Aḥmad
(21607) with a slight variation. 5
 َ ُ � َ ُ � َ� َ � َ ُ � ُ ََُ � َ َُ
‫اِهَّلل ب � ِن حيىي القطان‬
ِ ‫ أخربنا أبو بك ٍر َحُمَّمد ْبن َعب ِد الرَمْح ِن ْبن َعبد‬-4
4 ‫حدثنا خيثَّمة بن سليَّمان حدثنا أيب حدثنا سعيد بن عبد العزيز‬
ُ ُ َ َ َ َ ََ َ �َ � َ
‫ قال َرسول‬:‫اِهَّلل ب � ِن َح َوالة قال‬
ِ ‫حدثنا مكحول عن إيب إدريس َعن َعب ِد‬
ًُْ ِ َ َ
‫ام َوجنًدا‬ ‫ ستجنًدون أجنادا جنًدا بِالش‬:‫اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
َ َْ ً ْ ُ َ َ ْ
‫ خر يل يا رسول‬:‫ فقلت‬،‫ فقِمت‬:‫ قال عبًد اهلل‬،‫اَيْلِم ِِن‬ ِ ‫اق وجنًدا ب‬
ِ ‫بِال ِعر‬
ْ َ ْ َ ْ ََْ َ َ ْ َ ْ ََْ ََ ْ َ َ َ ْ ُ َْ َ
ِ ‫اهلل فقال عليكم بِالش‬
ِ ِ‫ام َفِمِن أىَب فليلحِق ِبِيِمنِ ِه ولَيست ِِق مِِن غًد ِر‬
َََ َ َْ ََ َ َ
.‫فإِن اِهَّلل عز وجَل قًد تكَّفَل يل بالشام وأهله‬
َََ َ
‫ فسَّمعت أبا إدريس حيدث بهذا احلديث يقول َو َم �ن تكفل‬:‫قال ربيعة‬
َ َُ
.‫اِهَّلل بِ ِه فال ضيعة عليه‬

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Yahyā
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

al-Qaṭṭān informed us, saying: Khaythamah ibn Sulaymān informed

us, saying: My father informed us, saying: Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz
narrated from Makḥūl from Abū Idrīs, who narrated from ʿAbdullāh
ibn Hawālah, who said: The Messenger of Allah  said: “You will
be recruited into armies: one in al-Shām, one in Iraq, and one in
Yemen.” ʿAbdullah said: I stood and said, “O Messenger of Allah,
choose for me.” He replied, “You should join al-Shām. Whoever
refuses should go to Yemen and drink from its streams, for Allah,
the Glorified and Exalted, has taken responsibility for al-Shām and
its people.”4

Rabīʿah said: I heard Abū Idrīs narrate this hadith and say: “Whoever
Allah takes responsibility for, they will never be forsaken.”

6 (4) An authentic hadith, narrated by al-Ḥākim (4/510) and Aḥmad (5/33).

‫ أخربنا أبو احلسن عبد الوهاِب بن جعفر امليداين حدثنا أبو يلع‬-5
‫احلسني بن إبراهيم بن جابر الفرائيض حدثنا أبو سعيد َحُمَّمد بن فياض‬
‫حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن إبراهيم دحيم حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم حدثنا‬
5
‫يس‬ َ ‫يد ََع �ن أَيب إ �در‬َ َ � ََ َ � َ
‫ز‬‫ي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ة‬ ‫يع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ن‬‫َع‬ ‫مكحول‬ ‫ن‬� ‫يد �ْب ُن ََعب�د ال� َعزيز ََع‬ُ ‫َسع‬
ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ
َ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ � َ � َ ِ � َ�
ِ‫ س ِِمعت رسول اِهَّلل‬:‫الين َعن َعب ِد اهلل بن حوالة وهو من األزد قال‬ ِ ‫اخلو‬
ًُْ َ ِ َ
‫صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول ستجنًدون أجنادا جنًدا بِالشام وجنًدا‬
َ ُ َ َْ ً ْ ُ َ َ ْ
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل‬ ِ ‫اَيْلِم ِِن قال عبًد اهلل فقِمت إىل َرس‬ ِ ‫اق وجنًدا ب‬ ِ ‫بِال ِعر‬
ْ َ ََْْ ََ ْ َ َ َ ْ ُ َْ َ
‫ام َفِمِن أىَب فليلحِق‬ ِ ‫عليه وسلم فقلت خر يل فقال عليكم بِالش‬
َََ َ َْ ََ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ ْ َْ ََ
.‫ِبِيِمنِ ِه َولَيست ِِق مِِن غًدرِِ ِ فإِن اِهَّلل عز وجَل قًد تكَّفَل يل بالشام وأهله‬
‫ َو َم �ن‬:‫ فسَّمعت أبا إدريس حيدث بهذا احلديث ويقول‬:‫قال ربيعة‬
َ َُ َ َ َ َ
.‫اِهَّلل بِ ِه فال ضيعة عليه‬ ‫تكفل‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar al-Maydānī informed us,
saying: Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Jābir al-Farāʾiḍī informed
us, saying: Abū Saʿīd Muḥammad ibn Fayyāḍ informed us, saying:
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ibrāhīm Duhīm informed us, saying: al-Walīd
ibn Muslim narrated to us, from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, from Makḥūl,
from Rabīʿah ibn Yazīd, from Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī, from ʿAbd Allāh
ibn Ḥawālah, who was from the tribe of Azd, who said: “I heard the
Messenger of Allah  say: 'You will be divided into armies: an army
in al-Shām (Greater Syria), an army in Iraq, and an army in Yemen.'
Abdullah said: 'I stood up and asked the Messenger of Allah :
"Choose for me (where I should be)." He replied: "You must go to al-
Shām. If you refuse, then go to Yemen and drink from its wells, for
Allah, the Exalted, has guaranteed al-Shām and its people for me."'"5

(5) It was narrated by Abī Dāwūd (2483). 7

 َ ‫ أخربنا أَبُو َُحُمَ ََّم ٍد ََعب� ُد‬-6
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن �ْب ُن عثَّمان حدثنا أبو يلع بن حبيب‬

6 ‫حدثنا أبو زرعة عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمرو حدثنا أبو نعيم حدثنا األعَّمش‬
ّ
‫األنصاري عن أبيه عن عبد اهلل بن مسعود‬ ‫عن عبد اهلل بن رضار‬
ِ‫ قسم اهلل اخلري عرشة أعشار فجعَل تسعة أعشار‬:‫ريض اهلل عنه قال‬
‫بالشام وبقيته يف سائر األرضني وقسم الرش عرشة أعشار فجعَل جزء‬
.‫بالشام وبقيته يف سائر األرضني‬

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān informed us,

saying: Abū ʿAlī ibn Ḥabīb informed us, saying: Abū Zurʿah ʿAbd
al-Rahmān ibn ʿAmr informed us, saying: Abū Nuʿaym informed us,
saying: al-Aʿmash narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḍirār al-Anṣārī, from
his father, from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿud , who said: “Allah divided
goodness into ten parts, assigning nine-tenths to al-Shām (Greater
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Syria) and one part to the rest of the lands. And He divided evil
into ten parts, assigning one part to al-Shām and nine parts to the
rest of the lands.”6

(6) Al-Ṭabarānī and Ibn ʿAsākir narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd, who said:
"Allah divided goodness into ten parts: He placed nine parts in al-Shām and the
remaining part across the rest of the lands. He also divided evil into ten parts: He
8 placed one part in al-Shām and the remaining parts across the rest of the lands."
‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر بن نرص حدثنا خيثَّمة حدثنا أَمْحد بن‬-7
‫أيب خيثَّمة حدثنا هارون بن معروف حدثنا ضَّمرة بن ربيعة عن الويلد‬
‫ أنت األنًدر‬:‫ اهلل يقول للشام‬:‫بن صالح األزدي قال يف الكتاِب األول‬
7
‫ومنك املنرش وإَيْلك املحرش فيك ناري ونوري مِن دخلك رغبة فيك‬
‫فربمحيت ومِن خرج عنك رغبة عنك فبسخطي تتسع ألهلها كِما‬
.‫تتسع الرحم للودل‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar ibn Naṣr informed us, saying:

Khaythamah informed us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Abī Khaythamah
informed us, saying: Hārūn ibn Maʿrūf informed us, saying: Ḍamrah
ibn Rabīʿah narrated from al-Walīd ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Azdī, who said: In
the earlier scripture, Allah says regarding al-Shām: “You are My
treasure house. From you will the resurrection arise, and to you will

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

people return. In you is My fire and My light. Whoever enters you
with desire for you, then they will receive My mercy. But whoever
exits you out of desire for some other land, then they will face My
wrath. You are expansive enough for your people, just as the womb
is expansive for the child.” 7

(7) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 9

 ‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا أبو الفضل بن بيهس‬-8

8 ‫بَّمرص حدثنا أَمْحد بن ثابت بن زيد حدثنا أبو َمْحيد أَمْحد بن َحُمَّمد بن‬
‫املغرية حدثنا حيىي بن سعيد القطان حدثنا يلع بن ضَّمام عن كعب‬
‫ جاء إَيْله رجَل فقال إين أريًد اخلروج أبتيغ فضَل اهلل عز‬:‫األحبار قال‬
‫وجَل فقال عليك بالشام فإنه ما نقص مِن بركة األرضني يزاد يف‬
.‫الشام‬

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar informed us, saying: Abū
al-Faḍl ibn Bayhas in Egypt informed us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Thābit
ibn Zayd informed us, saying: Abū Ḥamīd Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad
ibn al-Mughīrah informed us, saying: Yāḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān
informed us, saying: ʿAlī ibn Ḍammām narrated from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār,
who said: A man came to him and said, “I want to set out to seek
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Allah’s bounty.” Kaʿb replied:“Go to al-Shām, for whatever blessings

are diminished in the lands, they are increased in al-Shām.” 8

(8) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
10 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ وأخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا أيب حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن‬-9
‫إسَّماعيل الكويف حدثنا إدريس بن سليَّمان حدثنا عبد اهلل بن خادل‬
]‫ براغيث الشام [تنيق‬:‫بن حازم حدثنا حاتم عن أيب حازم املدين قال‬
9
.‫خطاياهم‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar informed us, saying: My father informed

us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ismāʿīl al-Kūfī informed us, saying:
Idrīs ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Khālid ibn
Ḥāzim narrated from Ḥātim, who narrated from Abū Ḥāzim al-
Madanī, who said: “The fleas of al-Shām cleanse the sins of its
people.”9

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(9) This report is mawqūf. Mawqūf reports are statements attributed to some
Companions and others from the Tābiʿīn (Successors) and those after them. Abū
Ḥāzim al-Madanī is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn. 11
 َ ‫ أخربنا أَبُو َُحُمَ ََّم ٍد ََعب� ُد‬-10
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن �ْب ُن عثَّمان حدثنا احلسن بن حبيب‬

10 ‫حدثنا أبو زرعة حدثنا عبد اهلل بن صالح حدثنا معاوية بن صالح عن‬
َ �َ ُ � َ� َ � َ
‫ خترب ادلنيا أو‬:‫ َع �ن أبيه أن كعب األحبار قال‬،‫ري‬
ٍ ‫َعب ِد الرَمْح ِن ب ِن جب‬
.‫قال األرض قبَل الشام بأربعني اعما‬

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān informed us, saying:

al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb informed us, saying: Abū Zurʿah informed us,
saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated from Muʿāwiyah ibn Ṣāliḥ, from
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jubayr, from his father, who said that Kaʿb al-
Aḥbar said: “The world (or the earth) will be ruined forty years
before al-Shām is destroyed.” 10
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(10) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
12 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
 َ � ‫الر‬
َ ‫كر �ْب ُن ََعب� ِد‬ � َ َُ
‫َمْح ِن بن عبد اهلل القطان حدثنا‬ ِ ‫ أخربنا أبو ب‬-11
� �َ ُ � ُ َ
َ�
‫يز َعن‬ َ
ِ ‫العباس بن الويلد حدثنا علقَّمة حدثنا س ِعيد ْبن َعب ِد الع ِز‬
َ ُ ُ َ َ َ َ �َ َ
‫ قال َرسول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل‬:‫َع ِط َية ب � ِن قي ٍس َع �ن َعب ِد اهلل بن عَّمرو قال‬
�َ َ
11
ُ َََ َ َ َْ ْ َ ُ ْ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ََْ ‫ي‬
‫ت ِوساد ِيِت َفنَظ ْرُت‬
ِ ‫ْحَت‬ ‫ِِن‬
‫م‬ ‫َع‬ ‫ِزُت‬
ِ َ ِ ‫ إِين رأيت َعِمود الِك‬:‫عليه وسلم‬
‫اْن‬ ‫اب‬ ‫ِت‬
ََ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ٌ ُ َُ َ َ
‫ت الَّفنت‬ِ ‫اِإليِمان إِذا وَقع‬
ِ ‫ام أال إِن‬ ِ ‫ور ساط ٌِع َع َِم ًَد ب ِ ِه إِىل الش‬ ‫فإِذا هو ن‬
.‫بالشام‬

Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Qaṭṭān informed

us, saying: al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Walīd informed us, saying: ʿAlqamah
informed us, saying: Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz narrated from ʿAṭiyyah
ibn Qays, from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr, who said: The Messenger of
Allah  said: “I saw the pillar of the Book (the Qur’an) being
removed from beneath my pillow. I looked and saw it as a radiant

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

light erected in al-Shām. Truly, when tribulations occur, faith will
be in al-Shām.”11

(11) It was narrated by Aḥmad (21733). 13

 َ �َ ُ � َ َ� ُ � َ
‫اِهَّلل أنبأنا أبو القاسم يلع بن يعقوِب‬
ِ ‫اِب ْبن َعب ِد‬
ِ ‫ أخربنا َعبد الوه‬-12
12 ‫حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن إسحاق حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا الويلد حدثنا ابن‬
‫هليعة عن يزيد بن أيب حبيب عن عبد الرَمْحن بن شَّماسة عن زيد بن‬
َ َ َُ ُ � َ
‫ يا طوىب للشام‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول‬
ِ ‫ س َِّمعت رسول‬:‫ثابت قال‬
‫يا طوىب للشام يا طوىب للشام قيَل وما ذلك يا رسول اهلل قال تلك‬
.‫مالئكة اهلل عز وجَل باسطو أجنحتها ىلع الشام‬

ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAbdullāh informed us, saying: Abū al-Qāsim

ʿAlī ibn Yaʿqūb informed us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq informed
us, saying: Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār informed us, saying: al-Walīd
narrated from Ibn Lahīʿah, from Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥabīb, from ʿAbd al-
Raḥmān ibn Shamāsah, from Zayd ibn Thābit, who said: I heard the
Messenger of Allah  say: “Blessed is al-Shām, blessed is al-Shām,
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

blessed is al-Shām.” It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, why is

that?” He replied: “That is because the angels of Allah, the Glorified
and Exalted, spread their wings over al-Shām.”12

(12) It was narrated by al-Tirmidhī (3954) with this wording, and by Aḥmad
14 (21607) with a slight variation.
‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عثَّمان حدثنا عيم أبو بكر بن القاسم‬-13
‫حدثنا أَمْحد بن يلع القايض حدثنا عَّمرو بن احلصني حدثنا معاذ بن‬
‫ عن أبيه عن قتادة عن سعيد عن عبد اهلل بن الصامت عن أيب‬،‫هشام‬
13
ُ َ َ َ َ َ
ِ ‫ قال رس‬:‫ذر ريض اهلل عنه قال‬
‫ الشام‬:‫ول اهللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
.‫أرض املحرش واملنرش‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān informed us, saying: My uncle Abū

Bakr ibn al-Qāsim informed us, saying: Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Qāḍī
informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥusayn informed us, saying: Muʿādh
ibn Ḥishām narrated from his father, from Qatādah, from Saʿīd,
from ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ṣāmit, from Abū Dharr , who said: The
Messenger of Allah  said: “Al-Shām is the land of resurrection
and assembly.”13

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(13) Its chain of narration is weak. It was narrated by al-Bazzār in al-Baḥr al-
Zakhkhār (3965). 15
 ‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عثَّمان حدثنا حبيب حدثنا كثري حدثنا‬-14
� َ
14 ‫الزعفراين حدثنا الفضل بن دكني حدثنا األَع ََّمش حدثنا عبد اهلل بن‬
‫ إن اخلري قسم عرشة‬:‫ قال عبد اهلل بن مسعود‬:‫ عن أبيه قال‬،‫رضار‬
.‫أجزاء فجعَل منه تسعة أجزاء بالشام وبقيته يف سائر األرضني‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān informed us, saying: Ḥabīb informed

us, saying: Kathīr informed us, saying: al-Zaʿfarānī informed us,
saying: al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn informed us, saying: al-Aʿmash narrated
from ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḍirār, from his father, who said: ʿAbdullāh ibn
Masʿūd  said: “Goodness has been divided into ten parts. Nine
of them are in al-Shām, and the remaining one is in the rest of the
lands.” 14
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

16 (14) This report is mawqūf. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd  is a senior Companion.

 َُ
‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم تَّمام ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل الرازي احلافظ حدثنا‬-15
‫جعفر بن َحُمَّمد بن جعفر [حدثنا] عبد الوهاِب بن الضحاك وهشام بن‬
َ َ ُ � َ ََ� ُ � َ َ ُ َ َُ َ َ � ُ � ُ َ �
‫او َية‬
ِ ‫عَّمار قاال حدثنا ِعَّمران ْبن ِإسحاق أبو هارون َعن شعبة َعن مع‬
15
ُ َُ َ َ َ َ �
‫ إذا هلك‬:‫هلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬ ِ ‫ قال رسول ا‬:‫ عن أبيه قال‬،‫ب ِن قرة‬
َُ ْ ٌ َ َ ُ َ َُ َْ َ َ ِ َ
‫ري ِيف أم ِيت َوال ت َزال طائَِّفة مِِن أم ِيت ىلع احلِق يقاتلون‬ ‫الشام فال خ‬
.‫ادلجال‬

Abū al-Qāsim Tamām ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Rāzī al-

Ḥāfiẓ informed us, saying: Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar informed
us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Ḍahḥāk and Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār
both informed us, saying: ʿImrān ibn Isḥāq Abū Hārūn narrated from
Shuʿbah, from Muʿāwiyah ibn Qurrah, from his father, who said: The
Messenger of Allah  said: “If al-Shām is ruined, then there will

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

be no goodness in my Ummah. However, there will remain a group
from my Ummah upon the truth, fighting the Dajjal.”15

(15) This narration is considered weak with this specific wording. 17

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا جعفر حدثنا أَمْحد بن عَّمرو بن‬-16

16 ‫إسَّماعيل الفاريس الوزان املقعد حدثنا شيبان بن أيب شيبة حدثنا‬

،‫الصعق بن حزن ابلكري سيار الكويف عن جبري بن عبيدة احلَّميص‬
َ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ ََ�َُ َ � َ
:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫ قال‬،‫َعن أ ِيب هريرة ريض اهلل عنه‬
‫لِن تربح هذِ األمة منصوريِن أينِما توجهوا ال يرضهم مِن خذهلم مِن‬
.‫انلاس حىت يأيِت أمر اهلل أكرثهم أهَل الشام‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad informed us, saying: Jaʿfar informed us,

saying: Aḥmad ibn ʿAmr ibn Ismāʿīl al-Fārisī al-Wazzān al-Muqʿad
informed us, saying: Shaybān ibn Abī Shaybah informed us, saying:
al-Ṣaʿq ibn Ḥazn al-Bakrī narrated from Sayyār al-Kūfī, from Jubayr
ibn ʿUbaydah al-Ḥimṣī, from Abū Hurayrah , who said: The
Messenger of Allah  said: “This Ummah will remain victorious
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

wherever they will go. They will not be harmed by those who betray
them, until the command of Allah comes. Most of them will be
from the People of al-Shām.”16

(16) Authentic except for the phrase: 'Most of them will be from the People of al-
18 Shām,' as narrated by Aḥmad (8274).
 َ ُ � َ ََُ َُ
‫اِهَّلل �ْب ُن بكر الطرباين الزاهد باألكواع‬
ِ ‫ وأخربنا أبو َحُمَّم ٍد َعبد‬-17
‫حدثنا العباس بن احلارس بن الصباح انلابليس حدثنا بكر بن سهل‬
‫ادلميايط حدثنا عبد اهلل بن هليعة حدثنا يزيد بن أيب حبيب عن عبد‬
17
‫الرَمْحن [بن] شَّماسة املهري عن زيد بن ثابت األنصاري قال بينَّما حنن‬
َ َُ
‫ طوىب ألهَل الشام طوىب ألهَل الشام قلنا‬:‫اِهَّلل ﷺ يوما قال‬
ِ ‫ول‬ ِ ‫عند رس‬
‫ما بال أهَل الشام يا رسول اهلل قال مالئكة الرمحِن باسطو أجنحتها‬
.‫ىلع الشام‬

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdullāh ibn Bakr al-Ṭabarānī al-Zāhid in al-

Akwāʿ informed us, saying: al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Ḥāris ibn al-Ṣabāḥ al-
Nābulsī informed us, saying: Bakr ibn Sahl al-Dimyaṭī informed us,
saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Lahīʿah narrated from Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥabīb,

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Shamāsah al-Mahrī, from Zayd ibn Thābit
al-Anṣārī, who said: While we were with the Messenger of Allah 
one day, he said: “Blessed are the people of al-Shām, blessed are
the people of al-Shām.” We asked, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?”
He replied: “The angels of al-Raḥmān have spread their wings over
al-Shām.”17

(17) We could not verify the addition of the word “Ahl” (the people) in this report,
though the rest of the hadith is the same as hadith number 12. 19
 ‫ أخربنا أبو احلسني عبد اهلل بن احلسن بن الويلد الالكيب حدثنا أبو‬-18

18 ‫بكر بن خريم حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا معاوية بن حيىي حدثنا‬

‫اهلل َ صىل‬
ُ َُ َ َ َ َ
ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫أرطاة بن املنذر عَّمن حدثه عن أيب ادلرداء قال‬
‫ أهَل الشام وأزواجهم وذرياتهم وعبيًدهم وإماؤهم إىل‬:‫اهلل عليه وسلم‬
‫منتىه اجلزيرة مرابطون يف سبيَل اهلل فِمِن احتَل منها مًدينة مِن‬
.‫املًدائِن فهو يف رباط ومِن احتَل منها ثغرا مِن اثلغور فهو يف جهاد‬

Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Walīd al-Kallabī

informed us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn Khuraym informed us, saying:
Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār informed us, saying: Muʿāwiyah ibn Yaḥyā
narrated from Arṭāh ibn al-Mundhir, from someone who narrated
to him, from Abū al-Dardā’, who said: The Messenger of Allah 
said: “The people of al-Shām, their spouses, children, servants, and
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

slaves – up to the borders of the peninsula – are all stationed in the

cause of Allah. Whoever settles in one of its cities is in a state of
readiness, and whoever settles in one of its borderlands is in a state
of jihad.”18

20 (18) Weak, as cited in al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb (4/104) with slight variation.

‫ وبه حدثنا معاوية بن حيىي حدثنا سليَّمان بن سليم عن حيىي بن‬-19
‫ إن اهلل تبارك وتعاىل‬:‫جابر عن يزيد بن رشيح عن كعب األحبار قال‬
.‫بارك يف الشام مِن الَّفراُت إىل العريش‬
19
Muʿāwiyah ibn Yaḥyā also narrated, saying: Sulaymān ibn Sulaym
narrated from Yaḥyā ibn Jābir, from Yazīd ibn Shurayḥ, from Kaʿb
al-Aḥbār, who said: “Indeed, Allah the Blessed and Exalted has
blessed al-Shām from the Euphrates to al-ʿArīsh.” 19

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(19) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 21
 ‫ أخربنا أبو جعفر عَّمر بن اخلرض بن َحُمَّمد املعروف بايلَّماين بَّمكة‬-20

20 ‫أخربنا أبو هاشم بن احلسني بن َحُمَّمد بن الفرج احلداد حدثنا أبو‬

‫بكر َحُمَّمد بن الليث اجلوهري حدثنا إسَّماعيل بن علية أبو احلسن‬
َ �َ � َ � َ
‫اِهَّلل عن عبد اهلل بن‬
ِ ‫حدثنا أيب حدثنا زياد بن بيان َعن سال ِ ِم ب ِن َعب ِد‬
َ ُ َ
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم الَّفجر ثم أقبَل ىلع‬ ِ ‫ صىل رس‬:‫عَّمر قال‬
‫القوم فقال امهلل بارك نلا يف مًدينتنا وبارك نلا يف مًدنا وصاعنا امهلل‬
‫بارك نلا يف حرمنا وبارك نلا يف شامنا فقال رجَل ويف العراق فسِكت‬
‫ امهلل بارك نلا يف‬:‫ ثم قال‬،‫ثم أاعد قال الرجَل ويف عراقنا فسِكت‬
‫مًدينتنا وبارك نلا يف مًدنا وصاعنا امهلل بارك نلا يف شامنا امهلل اجعَل‬
‫مع الربكة بركة واذلي نَّفيس بيًدِ ما مِن املًدينة شعب وال نقب إال‬
.‫ وذكر احلديث‬،… ‫وعليه ملاكن حيرسانها حىت تقًدموا عليها‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Abū Jaʿfar ʿUmar ibn al-Khiḍr ibn Muḥammad, known as al-Yāmanī

in Makkah, informed us, saying: Abū Hāshim ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn
Muḥammad ibn al-Faraj al-Ḥaddād informed us, saying: Abū Bakr
Muḥammad ibn al-Layth al-Jawharī informed us, saying: Ismāʿīl ibn
ʿUlayyah Abū al-Ḥasan narrated from his father, from Ziyād ibn
Bayān, from Sālim ibn ʿAbdullāh, from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, who
said: The Messenger of Allah  prayed Fajr, then turned to the people
and said: “O Allah, bless us in our city, bless us in our measures of
mudd and ṣāʿ, and bless us in our sanctuary. O Allah, bless us in
our Shām.” A man then said, “And in our Iraq.” The Prophet 
remained silent. The man repeated, “And in our Iraq.” Again, the
Prophet  remained silent. Then he said: “O Allah, bless us in our
city, bless us in our measures of mudd and ṣāʿ, bless us in our Shām,
and place blessings upon blessings for us. By the One in Whose
22
Hand is my soul, there is no path or valley in Madinah except that
it is guarded by two angels until you reach it.” He continued the rest
of the narration.20 20

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(20) Authentic, as narrated by Aḥmad (6302) in an abridged form. 23

 ‫‪ -21‬أخربنا أبو إسحاق إبراهيم بن عثَّمان بن عبد اهلل بن اهليثم‬
‫� ُ ََُ � َ �َ َ‬
‫‪21‬‬ ‫َمْحد ب � ِن‬ ‫ابلهزاين اخلطيب حدثنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن ْبن َحُمَّم ِد ب ِن أ‬
‫األنصاري ابلخاري حدثنا احلسن ب�ن عبد اهلل ب�ن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫سعيد اخلزريج‬
‫احلسني بن احلارث بهَّمدان حدثنا أبو أَمْحد القاسم بن احلسن حدثنا‬
‫أبو يلع خفيف بن عبد اهلل الغاوي حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا عبد‬
‫َمْح ِن ب�ن يزيد ب�ن جابر حدثنا صالح بن رستم أبو عبد‬ ‫الر � َ‬
‫اهلل بن ََعب�د َ‬
‫ََ‬ ‫َ � َ� َ‬
‫اِهَّلل ب � ِن َح َوالة أنه قال‪ :‬يا رسول اهلل‬
‫السالم موىل بين هاشم َعن َعب ِد ِ‬
‫اكتب يل بدلا أكون فيه فلو أعلم أنك تبىق لم أخرت ىلع قربك قال‬
‫ِّيِب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم كراهيته‬ ‫عليك بالشام ثالثا فلِما رأى انلَ ي‬
‫ِ‬
‫للشام قال هَل تًدرون ما يقول اهلل عز وجَل يقول يا شام يا شام يًدي‬
‫عليك يا شام أنت صَّفويت مِن بالدي أدخَل فيك خرييت مِن عبادي‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫أنت سيف نقِميت وسوط عذايب أنت األنًدر وإَيْلك املحرش ورأيت َيْللة‬
‫أرسي يب عِمودا أبيض كأنه لؤلؤ ْحَتِملة املالئكة قلت ما ْحَتِملون‬
‫قالوا حنِمَل عِمود اِإلسالم أمرنا أن نضعه بالشام وبَينا أن نائم رأيت‬
‫كتابا اختلس مِن ْحَتت وساديِت فَظننت أن اهلل ختىل مِن أهَل األرض‬
‫فأتبعت برصي فإذا هو نور ساطع بني يًدي حىت وضع بالشام فِمِن أىَب‬
‫َْ َ َََ‬ ‫ْ َ ْ‬ ‫َْ ْ َ‬ ‫ََْْ َ ْ ََ‬
‫أن يلحِق بالشام فليلحِق ِبِيِمنِ ِه َولَيست ِِق مِِن غًد ِرِ ِ فإن اهلل قًد تكَّفَل‬
‫َْ‬ ‫َ‬
‫ام َوأهلِ ِه‪.‬‬
‫ِيل بِالش ِ‬

‫‪Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Haytham‬‬

‫‪al-Bahzānī, the orator, informed us, saying: Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd‬‬
‫‪al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd al-Khazrajī al-‬‬
‫‪Anṣārī al-Bukhārī informed us, saying: al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn‬‬
‫‪24‬‬
al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḥārith in Hamadān informed us, saying: Abū
Aḥmad al-Qāsim ibn al-Ḥasan informed us, saying: Abū ʿAlī Khafīf
ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Ghāwī informed us, saying: Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār
narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd ibn Jābir,
21
who narrated from Ṣāliḥ ibn Rustam Abū ʿAbd al-Salām, a freedman
of Banū Hāshim, from ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥawālah, who said: I said: “O
Messenger of Allah, designate for me a land where I should reside.
If I knew you would remain [among us], I would not choose to be
distant from you.” The Prophet  said three times: “You should
go to Shām.” When the Prophet  saw his dislike of Shām, he
said: “Do you know what Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, says? He
says: ‘O Shām! O Shām! My Hand is over you. O Shām! You are
My chosen land. I place in you the best of My servants. You are
the sword of My punishment and the scourge of My chastisement.
You are My storehouse, and to you is the gathering.’ On the night

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

of my Ascension, I saw a white pillar like a pearl carried by the
angels. I asked, ‘What are you carrying?’ They said, ‘We are carrying
the pillar of Islam. We have been commanded to place it in Shām.’
While I was sleeping, I saw a scripture taken from beneath my
pillow. I thought Allah had forsaken the people of the Earth, but I
followed it with my eyes and saw it as a radiant light before me until
it was placed in Shām. Whoever refuses to join Shām, let him go to
Yemen and drink from its wells. For Allah has guaranteed Shām
and its people for me.”21

(21) Al-Haythamī cited it in two separate places: 10/58 and 58-59. 25

 ‫ أخربنا أبو احلسن عبد الوهاِب بن جعفر الالكيب قال حدثنا احلسن‬-22

22 ‫بن يلع بن عَّمر العنيس حدثنا أبو َحُمَّمد قال قرأت ىلع أيب بكر بن‬
‫جعفر حدثنا حيىي بن َحُمَّمد بن السكن حدثنا أبو قالبة عن بشري عن‬
‫ إين‬:‫اهلل َ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يوما‬
ِ ‫ قال نلا نيب‬:‫عبد اهلل بن عَّمر قال‬
‫رأيت املالئكة يف املنام أخذوا عِمود الِكتاب فعِمًدوا به إىل الشام فإذا‬
.‫وقعت الَّفنت فإن اِإليِمان بالشام‬

Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar al-Kilābī narrating to us,

saying: al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-ʿAnsī narrated to us, saying:
Abū Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: I read to Abū Bakr ibn Jaʿfar,
who narrated to us from Yaḥyā ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Sakan, from
Abū Qilābah, from Bashīr, from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, who said: The
Prophet of Allah  said to us one day: “I saw in a dream that the
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

angels took the pillar of the Book and placed it in Shām (Greater
Syria). Thus, if tribulations occur, faith will be in Shām.”22

26 (22) Authentic, as narrated by Aḥmad (17775) with a slight variation.

 َ َ� ُ � َ � َ َُ
‫اِب �ْب ُن عبد اهلل حدثنا أبو يلع احلسن بن‬
ِ ‫رص َعبد الو‬
‫ه‬ ٍ ‫ أخربنا أبو ن‬-23
‫منري حدثنا أبو حيىي َحُمَّمد بن سعيد احلرييم حدثنا دحيم حدثنا الويلد‬
َ َ َ َ
‫حدثنا األوزايع حدثين حيىي َع �ن أ ِيب قِالبَة َع �ن َسال ِ ِم بن عبد اهلل عن‬
23
َ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ
ٌ َ‫ َس َت ْخ ُر ُج ن‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
‫ار ِيف آخ ِِر‬ ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫أبيه قال‬
َ َ
‫ان مِن حرض موُت ْحَترش انلاس قلنا فِماذا تأمرنا يا رسول اهلل قال‬ ِ ‫الزم‬
.‫عليكم بالشام‬

Abū Naṣr ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAbdullāh narrated to us, saying:

Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn Munīr narrated to us, saying: Abū Yaḥyā
Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Ḥarīmī narrated to us, saying: Daḥīm
narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd narrated to us, saying: al-Awzāʿī
narrated to me, from Yaḥyā, from Abū Qilābah, from Sālim ibn
ʿAbdullāh, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah  said:

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

“A fire will emerge in the end times from Hadramawt, gathering
people together.” We asked, “What do you command us to do, O
Messenger of Allah?” He said: “I enjoin you to go to Shām.”23

(23) It was narrated by al-Tirmidhī (2217) with this wording, and by Aḥmad
(5146). 27
 � �
ُ َ ‫ أخربنا احل َ َسن‬-24
‫يلع �ْب ُن احل َ َس ِن ب � ِن القاسم الطرسويس حدثنا أبو يلع‬ ِ ِ
24 ‫احلسن ب�ن عبد اهلل بن َحُمَّمد األزهري حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن عبد امللك‬
�
‫ سَّمعت يزيد بن هارون يقول سَّمعت عبد اهلل بن طاووس‬:‫ادلقييق قال‬
َ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ
‫اِهَّلل صىل‬
ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫يقول سَّمعت أيب يقول قال ابن عباس يرفعه قال‬
‫ مِكة آية الرشف واملًدينة معًدن ادليِن والِكوفة‬:‫اهلل عليه وسلم‬
‫فسطاط اِإلسالم وابلرصة فخر العابًديِن والشام معًدن األبرار ومرص‬
‫عش أبلَيس وكهَّفه ومستقرِ والسنًد مراد إبلَيس والزىن يف الزنج‬
‫والصًدق يف انلوبة وابلحريِن مزنل مبارك واجلزيرة معًدن الَّفتك وأهَل‬
‫اَيْلِمِن أفئًدتهم رقيقة وال يعًدوهم الرزق واألئِمة مِن قريش وسادة‬
.‫انلاس بنو هاشم‬

Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Qāsim al-Ṭarsūsī narrated

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

to us, saying: Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad al-
Azharī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik al-
Daqīqī narrated to us, saying: I heard Yazīd ibn Hārūn say: I heard
ʿAbdullāh ibn Ṭāwūs say: I heard my father say that Ibn ʿAbbās raised
it (meaning as a hadith): The Messenger of Allah  said: “Makkah
is the sign of nobility, Madinah is the fountain source of faith,
Kūfa is the pavilion of Islam, Baṣra is the pride of the worshippers,
Shām is the abode of the righteous, Egypt is the lair and refuge of
Iblīs and his dwelling, Sind is the aim of Iblīs, adultery is prevalent
among the Zanj, truthfulness is found among the Nubians, Bahrain
is a blessed abode, the Arabian Peninsula is the source of sudden
attacks, and the people of Yemen have soft hearts, and sustenance
will never escape them. The leaders are from Quraysh, and the
masters of the people are Banū Hāshim.”24

28 (24) Hadith munkar.

 َ َ� َ ُ � ُ ََُ � َ َُ
‫َمْحد بن عثَّمان الشاهد حدثنا أبو‬ ‫ أخربنا أبو بك ٍر َحُمَّمد ْبن أ‬-25
‫ عن أبيه عن جده‬،‫يم بن معاوية القشريي‬ ٍ ‫ك‬
َ � � َ َ َ َ َ َ َ ‫ُم َع‬
ِ ‫اوية حدَثنا ْبه ُز ْب ُن ح‬
‫ هاهنا وأومأ [بيًدِ] حنو الشام‬:‫اِهَّلل أين تأمرين فقال‬
ِ
َ َ َُ َ ُ �ُ َ َ
ِ ‫قال قلت يا رسول‬
25
.‫قال إنكم حمشورون رجاال وركبانا وجمرون ىلع وجوهكم‬

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUthmān al-Shāhid narrated

to us, saying: Abū Muʿāwiyah narrated to us, saying: Bahz ibn Ḥakīm
ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Qushayrī, from his father, from his grandfather,
who said: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, where do you command me
to go?” He pointed with his hand toward Shām and said: “You will
be gathered there, with some on foot, some mounted, and some
dragged on their faces.”25

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(25) It was cited by al-Tirmidhī (2192), who classified it as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ 29

 َُ � َ
ّ َ ‫ أخربنا أبُو‬-26
‫يلع احل َ َس ُن �ْب ُن َحُم ََّم ِد بن درستويه حدثنا أبو احلسن‬
ِ
26 ‫َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن عَّمارة العطار حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعيد اجلوهري‬
‫حدثنا عبد اهلل بن مسلم بن هرمز عن جماهد عن تبيع عن كعب‬
‫ أهَل الشام سيف مِن سيوف اهلل عز وجَل ينتقم اهلل عز‬:‫األحبار قال‬
.‫وجَل بهم ممِن عصاِ يف أرضه‬

Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Darastawayh narrated to

us, saying: Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿImārah al-
ʿAṭṭār narrated to us, saying: Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī narrated
to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Muslim ibn Hurmaz narrated to us, from
Mujāhid, from Tabīʿ, from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, who said: “The people of
Shām are a sword among the swords of Allah, through whom Allah
takes vengeance on those who disobey Him in His land.”26
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(26) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
30 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ أخربنا أبو احلسن أَمْحد بن إبراهيم بن فراس العدل بَّمكة حدثنا‬-27
‫أبو جعفر َحُمَّمد بن إبراهيم ادلبييل حدثنا عبد احلَّميد بن صبيح حدثنا‬
َ ُ َ ُ �ُ َ َ
‫ يا َرسول‬:‫ت‬
َ
‫يم َع �ن أبيه عن جده قال قل‬
ٍ ‫ك‬
َ � �َ � َ
ِ ‫َمْحاد بن زيد َعن ْبه ِز ب ِن ح‬
27
َ
.‫اِهَّللِ أيِن تأمرين؟ فنحا بيًدِ حنو الشام‬

Abū al-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Firās al-ʿAdl narrated to us

in Makkah, saying: Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Dubaylī
narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Ṣubayḥ narrated to us,
saying: Ḥammād ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Bahz ibn Ḥakīm,
from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I asked, “O Messenger
of Allah, where do you command me to go?” He gestured with his
hand toward Shām.27

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(27) An authentic hadith, narrated by al-Ḥākim (4/564). 31

 � �‫ا� �دكَّر ما ورد �ف‬
�‫دم� قش‬ � ��
‫ي‬
28 Chapter on What's Narrated About Damascus
َُ
‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم تَّمام ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل بن جعفر الرازي‬-28
‫احلافظ أخربنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن الفرج القريش وأبو‬
َ ‫كر َُحُمَ ََّم ُد �ْب ُن إب � َراه‬
‫يم ب � ِن سهل بن حيىي بن صالح بن حبة الزباز قاال‬
� َ
ِ ِ ٍ ‫ب‬
‫أخربنا أبو قيص إسَّماعيل بن َحُمَّمد بن إسحاق العذري حدثنا سليَّمان‬
‫بن عبد الرَمْحن حدثنا مسلَّمة بن يلع حدثنا أبو سعيد األسدي حدثنا‬
َ
‫يب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم أنه تال‬ ِ ‫انل‬ َ ‫ُسلَي�م ب�ن َاَع ِمر ََع �ن أيب أمامة َعن‬
ِ ِ ِ ٍ ِ ِ
َ َ َ ُ َْ َ َ
َ َ ‫اُه ََما ِإَل ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة َذاِت َق ََر‬ ٓ
‫ ثم‬،﴾‫يٍن‬
ٍ ِ‫اٍر َوَمِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ ِ ‫هذه اآلية قوهل عز وجل ﴿َواَوْيَن‬
‫ يه بالشام بأرض‬:‫ هَل تًدرون أيِن يه قالوا اهلل ورسوهل أعلم قال‬:‫قال‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

.‫يقال هلا الغوطة مًدينة يقال هلا دمشِق يه خري مًدائِن الشام‬

Abū al-Qāsim Tamām ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaʿfar al-
Rāzī, the memorizer, narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Faraj al-Qurashī and Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn
Ibrāhīm ibn Sahl ibn Yaḥyā ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Ḥabbah al-Bazzāz narrated
to us, saying: Abū Qusayy Ismāʿīl ibn Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-ʿAdhrī
narrated to us, saying: Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to
us, saying: Maslamah ibn ʿAlī narrated to us, saying: Abū Saʿīd al-
Asadī narrated to us, from Sulaym ibn ʿAmir, from Abū Umāmah,
that the Prophet  recited this verse of Allah Almighty: “We gave
them refuge on a high ground, a place of rest and flowing water.”
Then he said: “Do you know where this is?” They said, “Allah and
His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is in Shām, in a land called
Ghūṭa, in a city called Damascus, the best city in Shām.”28

32 (28) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أبو بكر بن عبد اهلل الربايم حدثنا حامد بن‬-29
‫أَمْحد ابلدلي حدثنا هارون بن إسحاق حدثنا وكيع عن إرسائيل عن‬
‫سَّماك بن حرِب عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس يف قوهل عز وجل‬
29
.‫يٍن﴾ قال أنهار دمشِق‬ َ َ ‫اُه ََما ِإَل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
ٍ ‫اٍر َوَم ِِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ ِ ‫﴿َو�َوْيَن‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Barāmī

narrated to us, saying: Ḥāmid ibn Aḥmad al-Baladī narrated to us,
saying: Hārūn ibn Isḥāq narrated to us, saying: Wakīʿ narrated to us,
from Isrāʼīl, from Simāk ibn Ḥarb, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās,
regarding Allah’s words, “We gave them refuge on a high ground, a
place of rest and flowing water.” He said: “[It refers to] the rivers of
Damascus.”29

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(29) This report is mawqūf. Ibn ʿAbbās is a Companion. 33

 �َ
‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا أبو امليَّمون َعب ُد‬-30

30 َُ
‫اِهَّلل بن [عَّمر بن] راشد ابلجيل حدثنا يزيد ب�ن َحُم ََّمد‬
َ ُ�َ ُ � َ� َ
ِ ‫الرَمْح ِن ْبن َعبد‬
‫الص ََّمد حدثنا أبو اجلَّماهر َحُمَّمد بن عثَّمان اتلنويخ حدثنا‬ َ ‫ب�ن عبد‬
ُ ‫َآ‬
‫﴿َو� ََوْيْ ََناُه ََما‬ ‫سعيد بن بشري عن قتادة أن احلسن قال يف قوهل عز وجل‬
.‫ يه الغوطة‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫ِإَل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ِ‫اٍر َوَمِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ ِ

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar narrated to us, saying:

Abū al-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn [ʿUmar ibn]
Rāshid al-Bajalī narrated to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Muḥammad ibn
ʿAbd al-Ṣamad narrated to us, saying: Abū al-Jamāhir Muḥammad
ibn ʿUthmān al-Tanūkhī narrated to us, saying: Saʿīd ibn Bashīr
narrated to us, from Qatādah, who said that al-Ḥasan commented on
the words of Allah, the Exalted: "And We gave them refuge on a high
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

ground, a place of rest and flowing water." He said: "It is Ghūṭah

(the Damascus countryside).”30

(30) This report is mawqūf. al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī is from the generation of the
34 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر اإلمام حدثنا إبراهيم بن سنان حدثنا‬-31
‫أَمْحد بن َحُمَّمد بن حيىي بن َمْحزة احلرضيم حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن عثَّمان‬
َ ُ ‫َآ‬
‫﴿َو� ََوْيْ ََناُه ََما ِإَِل ٰٰى‬ ‫حدثنا سعيد بن بشري حدثنا قتادة يف قوهل عز وجل‬
31
.‫ ذاُت ثِمار وماء كثري‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ‫اٍر َوَم ِِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar, the Imam, narrated to us, saying: Ibrāhīm
ibn Sinān narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā
ibn Ḥamzah al-Ḥaḍramī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn
ʿUthmān narrated to us, saying: Saʿīd ibn Bashīr narrated to us, from
Qatādah, regarding Allah’s words, “We gave them refuge on a high
ground, a place of rest and flowing water.” He said: “It refers to a
place with abundant fruit and water.”31

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(31) This report is mawqūf. Qatādah is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn. 35
 ‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا أبو [امليَّمون] بن راشد حدثنا‬-32

32 ‫عبيد بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو اجلَّماهر حدثنا سعيد بن بشري عن قتادة عن‬
‫اٍر‬ َ َ ِ ‫اُه ََما ِإَِل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََو ٍٍة ََذ‬
ٍ ‫اِت َقَر‬
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
‫احلسن ابلرصي قال يف قوهل عز وجل ﴿َو�َوْيَن‬
.‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫ ذاُت ثِمار وكرثة ماء قال‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ ََ
ٍ ‫َوَم ِِع‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar narrated to us, saying: Abū [al-Maymūn]

ibn Rāshid narrated to us, saying: ʿUbayd ibn Muḥammad narrated
to us, saying: Abū al-Jamāhir narrated to us, saying: Saʿīd ibn Bashīr
narrated to us, from Qatādah, from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, who said
regarding Allah’s words: “We gave them refuge on a high ground, a
place of rest and flowing water.” He said: “It is Damascus, a place of
abundant fruit and water.”32
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

36 (32) This report is mawqūf. al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn.
 َ ‫ أخربنا أَبُو َُحُمَ ََّم ٍد ََعب� ُد‬-33
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن �ْب ُن عثَّمان حدثنا احلسن بن حبيب‬
‫حدثنا أبو عبد اهلل الصوري حدثنا اهليثم حدثنا رشيك عن سَّماك بن‬
َ ُ ‫َآ‬
‫﴿َو� ََوْيْ ََناُه ََما ِإَِل ٰٰى‬ ‫حرِب عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس يف قوهل عز وجل‬
33
.‫ إنها دمشِق‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ‫اٍر َوَم ِِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān narrated to us,

saying: al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us, saying: Abū ʿAbdullāh al-
Ṣūrī narrated to us, saying: al-Haytham narrated to us, from Sharīk,
from Simāk ibn Ḥarb, from ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, regarding
Allah’s words: “We gave them refuge on a high ground, a place of
rest and flowing water.” He said: “It is Damascus.”33

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(33) This report is mawqūf. Ibn ʿAbbās is a Companion. 37

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم‬-34

34 ‫حدثنا أبو احلسني حامد بن أَمْحد بن اهليثم ابلدلي حدثنا أبو العباس‬
‫أَمْحد بن َمْحزة بن َحُمَّمد بن هارون ابلرصي حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن سنجر‬
َ
‫يز َع �ن‬ َ� �َ ُ � ُ َ
ِ ‫حدثنا عبد اهلل بن عبد القدوس حدثنا س ِعيد ْبن َعب ِد الع ِز‬
‫ ممِن أنت قال مِن أهَل الشام‬:‫ أبرص كعب رجال قال‬:‫عروة بن رويم قال‬
‫قال لعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن يشَّفع شهيًدهم لسبعني قال مِن هم قال‬
‫أهَل محص قال ال قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن يعرفون ِيف اجلنة باثلياب‬
َ َ َ َ
‫اخلرض قال مِن هم قال أهَل دمشِق قال ال قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن‬
‫يف ظَل عرش اهلل عز وجَل يوم القيامة قال مِن هم قال أهَل األردن قال‬
‫ال قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن يلحظ ربك إَيْلهم يف لك يوم مرتني قال‬
.‫مِن هم قال أهَل فلسطني قال نعم‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad

ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Burāmī narrated to us, saying: Abū al-Ḥusayn
Ḥāmid ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Haytham al-Baladī narrated to us, saying:
Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Ḥamzah ibn Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-
Baṣrī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Sanjar, from ʿAbdullāh
ibn ʿAbd al-Quddūs, from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, from ʿUrwah ibn
Ruwaym, who said: Kaʿb saw a man and asked him: “From which
people are you?” He replied: “I am from the people of Shām.” Kaʿb
said: “Perhaps you are from the soldiers whose martyrs intercede
for seventy.” The man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said: “The people
of Ḥimṣ.” The man replied: “No.” Kaʿb continued: “Then perhaps
you are from the soldiers who will be recognized in Paradise by
their green garments.” The man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said:
“The people of Damascus.” The man replied: “No.” Kaʿb said: “Then
38
perhaps you are from the soldiers who will be shaded under the
Throne of Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection.” The man
asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said: “The people of Jordan.” The man
replied: “No.” Kaʿb said: “Then perhaps you are from the soldiers
34
whom your Lord looks upon twice a day.” The man asked: “Who
are they?” Kaʿb said: “The people of Palestine.” The man replied:
“Yes.”34

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(34) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 39
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا القايض أبو احلسن أَمْحد بن سليَّمان‬-35

35 ‫بن حذلم حدثنا أبو زرعة حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن املبارك حدثنا حيىي بن َمْحزة‬
ََ
‫عن ابن جابر عن زيد بن أرطاة عن جبري بن نفري عن أيب ادلرداء أن‬
َ َ ْ َ ََْ َ ْ ُ َ ْ ُ َ َ َُ
‫ني يوم الِملحِم ِة‬ ‫ فسطاط الِمسلِ ِِم‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال‬ ِ ‫رسول‬
ّ
ِ ‫ري َم ًَدائ ِِِن الش‬ ْ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ََ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ َ ُْ
.‫ام‬ ِ ‫بالغوط ِة إىل جان ِِب مًدِين ِة ُيقال لها دِمشِق مِِن خ‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: al-Qāḍī Abū al-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn

Sulaymān ibn Ḥudhlam narrated to us, saying: Abū Zurʿah narrated
to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn al-Mubārak narrated to us, saying:
Yaḥyā ibn Ḥamzah, from Ibn Jābir, from Zayd ibn Arṭāh, from Jubayr
ibn Nufayr, from Abū al-Dardā’, that the Messenger of Allah  said:
“The pavilion of the Muslims on the Day of the Great Battle will be
in Ghūṭah, beside a city called Damascus, which is among the best
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

cities in Shām.”35

40 (35) It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan (4298).

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر الربايم حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن تَّمام‬-36
‫حدثنا املسيب بن واضح حدثنا عيىس بن يونس عن ابن أيب ذيب عن‬
ْ
.‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫اِت اْلِعِ ََماِدِ﴾ قال‬
َ َ
ِ ‫املقربي يف قوهل عز وجل ﴿ِإ ِ ٍَرَم َذ‬
36
Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr al-Barāmī
narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Tamām narrated to us, saying:
al-Musayyab ibn Wādiḥ narrated to us, saying: ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus, from
Ibn Abī Dhīb, from al-Maqbarī, regarding Allah’s words, “Iram, of
the lofty pillars,” he said: “It is Damascus.”36

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(36) This report is mawqūf. al-Maqbarī is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn. 41
 َ ‫ أخربنا أَبُو َُحُمَ ََّم ٍد ََعب� ُد‬-37
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن �ْب ُن عثَّمان حدثنا احلسن بن حبيب‬

37 �َ ُ ‫الص ََّمد حدثنا أبو مسهر حدثنا َسع‬

‫يد �ْب ُن َعب ِد‬ ِ
َ َ
َ ‫حدثنا يزيد بن عبد‬

‫َمْح ِن ب�ن يزيد ب�ن جابر قال قلت أليب سالم احلبيش‬ َ ‫ال� َعزيز ََع �ن ََعب�د‬
َ � ‫الر‬
ِ ِ
َ َ
‫ما نقلك مِن محص إىل دمشِق قال ما سألين عنها عريب قبلك قال‬
.‫بلغين [أن الربكة] فيها تضاعف‬

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān narrated to us,

saying: al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us, saying: Yazīd ibn ʿAbd
al-Ṣamad narrated to us, saying: Abū Mishar narrated to us, saying:
Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd ibn Jābir,
who said: I asked Abū Salām al-Ḥabashī: “What brought you
from Ḥimṣ to Damascus?” He replied: “No Arab had asked me
about it before you. I was informed that the blessings therein are
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

multiplied.”37

(37) This report is mawqūf. Abū Salām al-Ḥabashī is from the generation of the
42 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أيب حدثنا أبو عروبة احلسني بن أيب معرش‬-38
‫حبران حدثنا عبد الوهاِب بن الضحاك حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم عن أم‬
‫عبد اهلل بنت خادل بن معدان عن أخيها عن أبيها خادل بن معدان يف‬
38
َ ْ ُْ َُْْ َ
.‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫قوهل عز وجل ﴿َل ْْم ُيْخُلْق َمِْثُل ََها ِفِٰى اْل ِِبَلاِدِ﴾ قال‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, saying: Abū

ʿArūbah al-Ḥusayn ibn Abī Maʿshar Baḥrān narrated to us, saying:
ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Ḍahhāk narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn
Muslim, from Umm ʿAbdullāh, the daughter of Khālid ibn Maʿdān,
from her brother, from her father Khālid ibn Maʿdān, regarding
Allah’s words: “He did not create anything like it in the lands,” he
said: “It is Damascus.”38

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(38) This report is mawqūf. Khālid ibn Maʿdān is from the generation of the
Tābiʿīn. 43
 ‫ حدثنا أيب عن‬:‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا خادل بن َحُمَّمد احلرضيم قال‬-39

39 ‫أبيه عن ابن َمْحزة حدثنا عبد اهلل بن هليعة عن سليَّمان بن موىس عن‬
.‫ دمشِق يه الربوة املباركة‬:‫نافع عن يزيد بن شجرة قال‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Khālid ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥaḍramī

narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, from his father,
from Ibn Ḥamzah, that ʿAbdullāh ibn Lahīʿah narrated to us, from
Sulaymān ibn Mūsā, from Nāfiʿ, from Yazīd ibn Shajarah, who said:
“Damascus is the blessed high ground.”39
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(39) This report is mawqūf. Yazīd ibn Shajarah is from the generation of the
44 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا عبد الوهاِب بن جعفر امليداين حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن سليَّمان‬-40
‫الربيع حدثنا أبو ادلحداح حدثنا طاهر بن عبد السالم اتلنويخ حدثنا‬
‫أيب حًدثنا أشياخنا أنهم ملا فتحوا دمشِق يف أيام عِمر بِن اخلطاب ريض‬
40
‫اهلل عنه وجًدوا حجرا يف جريون مِكتوب عليه باَيْلونانية قال فبعثوا‬
‫إىل انلصارى فلم يقرؤوِ وإىل اَيْلهود فلم يقرؤوِ فجاؤوا برجَل يوناين‬
‫فقرأِ فإذا فيه مِكتوب دمشِق جبارة ال يهم بها جبار إال قصِمه اهلل‬
‫اجلبار اجلبابرة تبين والقرود خترب اآلخر رش اآلخر رش إىل يوم القيامة‬

ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar al-Maydānī narrated to us, saying:

Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Ribʿī narrated to us, saying: Abū al-
Daḥdāḥ narrated to us, saying: Ṭāhir ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Tanūkhī
narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, saying: Our elders

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

informed us that when they conquered Damascus during the time
of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb , they found a stone in Jīrūn with an
inscription in Greek. They sent for the Christians, but they could
not read it; then they sent for the Jews, and they also could not
read it. So, they brought a Greek man who read it, and it said:
“Damascus is a stronghold; no tyrant will come upon it except that
Allah will break him. The tyrants build, and the monkeys destroy;
the latter is worse than the former until the Day of Resurrection.”40

(40) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 45

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم‬-41

41 ‫حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن هارون حدثنا أَمْحد بن أيب‬

‫احلواري حدثنا عبد اهلل بن نَّمري حدثنا حيىي ب�ن سعيد عن سعيد بن‬
َ َ ‫﴿ٍرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
‫ مسجًد‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬
ٍ ‫اٍر َوَم ِِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ َ ‫املسيب يف قوهل عز وجل‬
.‫دمشِق‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn
ʿAbdullāh al-Barāmī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad
narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Hārūn narrated to us, saying:
Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī narrated to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn
Numayr narrated to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from Saʿīd ibn al-
Musayyib, regarding Allah’s words, “A hillock of stability and flowing
springs,” he said: “It is the mosque of Damascus.”41
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(41) This report is mawqūf. Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib is from the generation of the
46 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو قيص إسَّماعيل بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا‬-42
‫شعيب بن عَّمرو حدثنا يزيد بن هارون أخربنا حيىي ب�ن سعيد عن‬
‫اٍر‬ َ َ ِ ‫اُه ََما ِإَِل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََو ٍٍة ََذ‬
ٍ ‫اِت َقَر‬
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
‫سعيد بن املسيب يف قوهل عز وجل ﴿َو�َوْيَن‬
42
.‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ ََ
ٍ ‫َوَم ِِع‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Abū

Qusayy Ismāʿīl ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Shuʿayb ibn
ʿAmr narrated to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Hārūn narrated to us, saying:
Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, regarding Allah’s words:
“And We took them to a hillock of stability and flowing springs,”
[23:50], he said: “It is Damascus.”42

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(42) This report is mawqūf. Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib is from the generation of the
Tābiʿīn. 47
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو إبراهيم احلسني حامد بن‬-43

43 ‫أَمْحد بن اهليثم ابلدلي حدثنا ابن املقري حدثنا سفيان عن حيىي بن‬
:‫ قال‬.﴾‫يٍن‬ َ َ ‫اُه ََما ِإَل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ِ‫اٍر َوَمِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ ِ
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
‫سعيد يف قوهل عز وجل ﴿َو�َوْيَن‬
.‫يه دمشِق‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Abū

Ibrāhīm al-Ḥusayn Ḥāmid ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Haytham al-Baladī
narrated to us, saying: Ibn al-Muqrī narrated to us, saying: Sufyān
narrated to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd said regarding Allah’s words:
“And We took them to a hillock of stability and flowing springs.”
He said: “It is Damascus.”43
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(43) This report is mawqūf. Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Anṣārī is from the generation of
the Tābiʿīn. Known as a faqīh (jurist) and a hadith transmitter of high reliability. He
served as a judge (qāḍī) in Madinah and was respected for his knowledge of hadith
and jurisprudence. He was also a teacher of many notable scholars, such as Mālik ibn
48 Anas (founder of the Mālikī school) and Sufyān al-Thawrī.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا مكحول حدثنا إسَّماعيل بن‬-44
‫إرسائيل حدثنا برش حدثتين أم عبد اهلل عن أبيها يف قوهل عز وجل‬
‫ يه دمشق ويف قوهل‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫اُه ََما ِإَل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ِ‫اٍر َوَمِع‬ٍ ِ ٍ ِ
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
‫﴿َو�َوْيَن‬
44
َ ْ َُ ْ ْ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ُ ْ َ َ ‫﴿َوا �ْلِّت‬ َ
‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫َوِن﴾ وقوهل ﴿َلْم ُيْخُلْق َمِْثُلَها ِفِٰى اْل ِِبَلاِدِ﴾ قال‬ ِ ‫ِيٍن َواَلَّزْيُت‬ِ

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Makḥūl

narrated to us, saying: Ismāʿīl ibn Isrā’īl narrated to us, saying:
Bishr narrated to me that Umm ʿAbdullāh44 said, from her father,
regarding Allah’s words: “And We took them to a hillock of stability
and flowing springs,” he said: “It is Damascus.” And regarding His
words: “By the fig and the olive,” and His words: “He did not create
anything like it in the lands,” he said: “It is Damascus.”45

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(44) That is, Lady ʿĀʾishah bint Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her).
(45) This report is mawqūf. Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is a
Companion. 49
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا مكحول حدثنا أبو ظريف برش بن‬-45

45 ‫َحُمَّمد حدثنا بكري حدثين الليث بن سعد عن سعيد بن املسيب يف‬

.‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫﴿ٍرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ٍ ِ‫اٍر َوَمِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ َ ‫قوهل عز وجل‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Makḥūl

narrated to us, saying: Abū Ẓurayf Bishr ibn Muḥammad narrated to
us, saying: Bakr narrated to me that al-Layth ibn Saʿd said, from Saʿīd
ibn al-Musayyib regarding Allah’s words, “A hillock of stability and
flowing springs,” he said: “It is Damascus.”46
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(46) This report is mawqūf. Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib is from the generation of the
50 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثين َحُمَّمد بن سعيد بن قطيش حدثنا‬-46
‫ سَّمعت أبا مسهر يزعم أن ملك دمشِق بىن‬:‫إبراهيم بن عتيق قال‬
‫احلصِن اذلي حول املسجًد داخَل املًدينة ىلع مسحة مسجًد بيت‬
46
ِ‫املقًدس ومحَل أبواب مسجًد بيت املقًدس فوضعها ىلع أبوابه فهذ‬
.‫األبواب اليت ىلع احلصِن يه أبواب بيت املقًدس‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying:

Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd ibn Quṭaysh narrated to us, saying: Ibrāhīm
ibn ʿAtīq said: I heard Abū Mishar claim that the king of Damascus
built the fortress around the mosque within the city, based on the
measurement of the mosque of Bayt al-Maqdis, and he took the
doors of the mosque of Bayt al-Maqdis and placed them on his
doors. Subsequently, these doors that are on the fortress are the

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

doors of Bayt al-Maqdis.47

(47) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 51

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو بكر بن َحُمَّمد بن خزيَّمة‬-47

47 ‫حدثنا املسلم بن حيىي حدثنا سويد بن عبد العزيز حدثين الوضني بن‬
‫َع َطاء عن يزيد بن مرثد حدثين عصابة من قويم شهدوا فتح دمشق‬
َ

‫قالوا دخلها أبو عبيًدة بِن اجلراح مِن باب اجلابية باألمان ودخَل خادل‬
‫بِن الوَيْلًد مِن ابلاب الرشيق عنوة بالسيف يقتَل فاتلقيا عنًد سوق‬
‫الزيت فلم يًدر أيهِما اكن أوال ألعنوة أو األمان فاجتِمعوا فقالوا واهلل‬
‫لنئ أخذنا مالَيس نلا نلأثِمِن سَّفك ادلماء وإن أخذنا األموال نلأثِمِن‬
.‫ولنئ تركنا بعض ما نلا ال نأثم قال فاجتِمعوا ىلع أن أمضوِ صلحا‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Abū

Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn Khuzaymah narrated to us, saying: al-
Muslim ibn Yaḥyā narrated to us, saying: Suwayd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

narrated from al-Waḍīn ibn ʿAtā’ from c that a group from my

people who witnessed the conquest of Damascus narrated to me,
saying: “Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ entered through the Bāb al-
Jābīyyah peacefully, and Khālid ibn al-Walīd entered through the
eastern gate by military force. They met at the oil market, and it
was not clear which one came first: by force or peacefully. So, they
all said: ‘By Allah, if we take what is not ours, we will be liable for
the shedding of blood. And if we take the wealth, we will be liable;
but if we leave some of what is ours, we will not be liable.’ So, they
agreed to uphold the peace treaty.”48

(48) This report is mawqūf. Yazīd ibn Marthad is from the generation of the
52 Tābiʿīn.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد أخربنا أبو بكر حيىي بن عبد اهلل بن احلارث‬-48
‫حدثنا أبو بكر َحُمَّمد بن هارون بن َحُمَّمد بن بكار حدثنا عبد‬
‫احلَّميد بن بكار حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن مهاجر حدثنا عروة ب�ن رويم أن‬
48
‫رجال ليق كعبا فسلم عليه وداع هل وحياِ حىت أرضاِ فسأهل كعب ممِن‬
َ َ
‫هو قال مِن أهَل الشام قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن يًدخَل منهم اجلنة‬
َ َ َ َ
‫سبعون ألَّفا بغري حساب وال عذاب قال ومِن هم قال أهَل محص قال‬
‫لست منهم قال لعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن يعرفون يف اجلنة باثلياب اخلرض‬
َ َ َ َ
‫قال ومِن هم قال أهَل دمشِق قال لست منهم قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد‬
َ َ َ َ
‫اذليِن هم يف ظَل عرش الرمحِن قال ومِن هم قال أهَل األردن قال لست‬
َ َ
‫منهم قال فلعلك مِن اجلنًد اذليِن ينَظر اهلل إَيْلهم يف لك يوم مرتني قال‬
َ َ
.‫ومِن هم قال أهَل فلسطني قال نعم أنا منهم‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

‫قال وزعم رجل من أهل فلسطني أن ذلك الرجل مالك بن عبد اهلل‬
.‫اخلثعيم‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Yaḥyā ibn
ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥārith narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Muḥammad
ibn Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ibn Bakkār narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd
al-Ḥamīd ibn Bakkār narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Muhājir
narrated to us, saying: ʿUrwah ibn Ruwaym said that a man met
Kaʿb and greeted him, prayed for him, and honored him until he
pleased him. Kaʿb then asked him where he was from, and he said:
“From the people of al-Shām.” Kaʿb said: “Perhaps you are from the
soldiers among whom seventy thousand will enter Paradise without
reckoning or punishment.” The man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb
said: “The people of Ḥimṣ.” The man replied: “I am not one of
53
 them.” Kaʿb continued: “Then perhaps you are from the soldiers

48 who will be recognized in Paradise by their green garments.” The

man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said: “The people of Damascus.”
The man replied: “I am not one of them.” Kaʿb said: “Then perhaps
you are from the soldiers who will be in the shade of the Throne
of the Most Merciful.” The man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said:
“The people of Jordan.” The man replied: “I am not one of them.”
Kaʿb said: “Then perhaps you are from the soldiers whom Allah
looks upon twice a day.” The man asked: “Who are they?” Kaʿb said:
“The people of Palestine.” The man replied: “Yes, I am one of them.”

It was claimed by a man from Palestine that the man was Mālik ibn
ʿAbdullāh al-Khathʿamī.49
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(49) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
54 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ وأخرب تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد قال وأخربين أبو احلسني إبراهيم بن أَمْحد بن‬-49
‫حسنون حدثنا أَمْحد بن يلع القايض حدثنا عبد األىلع بن َمْحاد حدثنا‬
‫عبد الوهاِب عن حيىي ب�ن سعيد عن سعيد بن املسيب عن عبد اهلل بن‬
49
‫ يه دمشِق‬:‫يٍن﴾ قال‬ َ َ ‫اُه ََما ِإَل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََوٍة ََذاِت َقَ ََر‬
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
ٍ ‫اٍر َوَم ِِع‬
ٍ ِ ٍ ِ ‫سالم يف قوهل ﴿َو�َوْيَن‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad said: Abū al-Ḥusayn Ibrāhīm ibn Aḥmad

ibn Ḥasanūn informed me, saying: Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Qāḍī narrated
to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Ḥammād narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd
al-Waḥhāb from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, from
ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām regarding Allah’s statement: “And We took
them to a hillock of stability and flowing springs,” he said: “It is
Damascus.”50

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(50) This report is mawqūf. ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām is from the Companions. 55
 ‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أيب حدثين الفضل بن مهاجر حدثنا خادل بن‬-50

50 ‫الويلد بن َمْحاد ادلييل عن هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم قال‬

‫ اتلني جبَل عليه دمشِق‬:‫سألت خليد بن دعلج فحدثين عن قتادة قال‬
.‫والزيتون جبَل عليه بيت املقًدس‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, saying:

Al-Faḍl ibn Muhājir narrated to us, saying: Khālid ibn al-Walīd ibn
Ḥamād al-Daylī narrated to us, from Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār, that al-
Walīd ibn Muslim said: I asked Khālid ibn Daʿlij, and he narrated to
me from Qatādah, who said: “The fig is the mountain upon which
Damascus stands, and the olive is the mountain upon which Bayt
al-Maqdis stands.”51
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

56 (51) This report is mawqūf. Qatādah is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn.
 َ �َ ُ � َ َ� ُ � َ
‫اِهَّلل حدثنا أبو يلع احلسني بن جابر‬
ِ ‫اِب ْبن َعب ِد‬
ِ ‫ وأخربنا َعبد الوه‬-51
‫الفرائيض حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن املعافا أخربنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا صدقة‬
‫ سَّمعت زيد بن أرطاة الفزاري يقول أنه سَّمع‬:‫بن خادل بن دهقان قال‬
51
َ
ِ ‫انل‬
‫يب‬ِ ‫جبري بن نفري احلرضيم يقول سَّمعت أبا ادلرداء يقول إنه سَّمع‬
‫ فسطاط املسلِمني‬:‫صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول يوم امللحِمة الِكربى‬
‫بأرض يقال هلا الغوطة فيها مًدينة يقال هلا دمشِق خري منازل املسلِمني‬
.‫يومئذ‬

ʿAbd al-Waḥhāb ibn ʿAbdullāh narrated to us, saying: Abū ʿAlī al-
Ḥusayn ibn Jābir al-Farā’iḍī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn
al-Muʿāfā narrated to us, saying: Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār narrated to us,
saying: Ṣadaqah ibn Khālid ibn Dihqān said: I heard Zayd ibn Arṭāh

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

al-Fazārī say that he heard Jubayr ibn Nufayr al-Ḥaḍramī say that
he heard Abū al-Dardā’ say that he heard the Prophet  say on the
day of the great battle: “The tent of the Muslims will be in a land
called Ghūṭah, in a city called Damascus; it is the best abode of the
Muslims on that day.”52

(52) It was narrated by Abū Dāwūd in his Sunan (4298). 57

 �ٰ‫ال� �ج� ق‬ ‫ا� �دكَّر ئ‬
� �‫مدا‬
� ‫ِن‬ � ��
52 Chapter on the Cities of Paradise
َُ
‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم تَّمام ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل الرازي احلافظ حدثنا‬-52
‫أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن الفرج أخربنا حنبل بن َحُمَّمد احلَّميص‬
‫ حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن إسَّماعيل بن عياش حدثنا أيب‬:‫يف كتابه إيل قال‬
‫إسَّماعيل بن عياش حدثين َحُمَّمد بن عبد اهلل عن يزيد بن عبد اهلل‬
‫ محص ودمشِق‬:‫ مخس مًدائِن مِن مًدائِن اجلنة‬:‫اخلوالين عن كعب قال‬
‫وبيت املقًدس وبيت جربيِن وظَّفار ظَّفار اَيْلِمِن ومخس مًدائِن مِن‬
‫ أنطاكية وعِمورية والقسطنطينية وتًدمر وصنعاء صنعاء‬:‫مًدائِن انلار‬
.‫اَيْلِمِن‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Abū al-Qāsim Tamām ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Rāzī al-

Ḥāfiẓ narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn
al-Faraj narrated to us, saying: Ḥanbal ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥimṣī in
his book wrote to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh
narrated to us, saying: My father, Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh, narrated to me
that Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh said, from Yazīd ibn ʿAbdullāh al-
Khawlānī, from Kaʿb: “Five cities are from the cities of Paradise:
Ḥimṣ, Damascus, Bayt al-Maqdis, Bayt Jibrīn, and Ẓufār in Yemen;
and five cities are from the cities of Hell: Antioch, ʿAmuriyah,
Constantinople, Palmyra, and Sanaa in Yemen.”53

(53) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
58 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن إسَّماعيل الكويف‬-53
‫حدثنا إدريس بن سليَّمان بن أيب الرباِب حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن خادل‬
،‫بن حازم حدثنا الويلد بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا الزهري عن سعيد بن املسيب‬
53
َ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ ََ�َُ َ � َ
:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫ قال‬،‫َعن أ ِيب هريرة ريض اهلل عنه‬
َ ْ َ َْْ ُ َْ َُ َْ ُ َ َ
‫ مِكة َوالِمًدِينة َوبيت الِمقًد ِِس َودِمشِق‬:‫أربع مًدائِن يف ادلنيا مِن اجلنة‬
‫ار يف ادلنيا رومية وقسطنطينية وصنعاء‬ َ‫َو َأ ْر َب ُع َم ًَدائ ِِن م ِِْن َم ًَدائ ِِن انل‬
ِ ِ ٍ
.‫وأنطاكية‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-
Raḥmān ibn Ismāʿīl al-Kūfī narrated to us, saying: Idrīs ibn Sulaymān
ibn Abī al-Rabbāb narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Khālid
ibn Ḥāzim narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muḥammad narrated

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

to us, saying: al-Zuhrī reported from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, from
Abū Hurayrah , who said: The Messenger of Allah  said: “Four
cities in this world are from Paradise: Makkah, Madinah, Bayt al-
Maqdis, and Damascus; and four cities in this world are from Hell:
Rome, Constantinople, Sanaa, and Antioch.”54

(54) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 59

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربين أيب حدثنا أبو العباس الفضل بن مهاجر‬-54

54 ‫ حدثنا سليَّمان‬:‫املقديس حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن انلعَّمان السقطي ادلييل قال‬

‫ حدثنا الويلد بن َحُمَّمد املوقري حدثنا الزهري‬:‫بن عبد الرَمْحن قال‬
َ ُ َ َ َ َ ُ � ُ َ � َ ُ َ ِ‫يد �ْب ُن ال � َُّم َسي‬
ُ ‫حدثنا َسع‬
‫ َع �ن أ ِيب ه َري� َرة ريض اهلل‬،‫ار‬ ٍ ‫ب وسليَّمان ْبن يس‬ ِ ِ
َ ُ َُ َ َ َ َ
‫ أربع مًدائِن مِن مًدائِن‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬ ِ ‫ قال رسول‬:‫ قال‬،‫عنه‬
َ َ ُ َ ْ ََ َ ْ َ َ َْْ ُ ََْ َُ َْ َ ُ َ َ َُْ َ َْ
‫اجلن ِة ِيف ادلْنيا مِكة والِمًدِينة وبيت الِمقًد ِِس ودِمشِق وأربع مًدائ ٍِِن‬
َ
ُ ‫الط َوانَ ُة َوأ ْْن َطاك َِي ُة ال ْ ُِم ْح َرت َق ُة َو َص ْن َع‬
.‫اء‬
ُ َ َُ ْ َ ْ ُْ
‫مِن مًدائِن انلار القسطن ِطينِية و‬
ِ
.‫قال أبو عبد اهلل ليس يه بصنعاء ايلَّمن إنَّما يه صنعاء بأرض الروم‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to me, saying:

Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Faḍl ibn Muhājir al-Maqdisī narrated to us, saying:
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Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān al-Saqaṭī al-Daylī said: Sulaymān ibn

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muḥammad al-
Mūqirī narrated to us, from al-Zuhrī, who narrated from Saʿīd ibn
al-Musayyib and Sulaymān ibn Yasār, from Abū Hurayrah , who
said: The Messenger of Allah  said: “Four cities from the cities
of Paradise in this world: Makkah, Madinah, Bayt al-Maqdis, and
Damascus; and four cities from the cities of Hell: Constantinople,
Tuwana, Antioch the burned, and Sanaa.”

Abu Abdullah said: “It is not the Sanaa of Yemen; it is rather the
Sanaa in the land of the Romans.”55

60 (55) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

 � ‫عل�يه السلام �ف� �ِحامع‬
�‫دم� قش‬ � � �
‫ا� دكَّر �مصلى ال� �خ�ر ي‬
� �
‫ي‬
. 
Chapter on the Prayer Place of al-Khidr
َُ
55
‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم تَّمام ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل احلافظ حدثنا أَمْحد‬-55
‫بن عبد اهلل حدثنا أبو إسحاق إبراهيم بن عبد امللك بن املغرية املقري‬
‫حدثنا أيب عن أبيه أن الوَيْلًد بِن عبًد امللك تقًدم إىل القوام َيْللة مِن‬
‫الليايل فقال إين أريًد أن أصيل الليلة يف املسجًد فال ترتكوا فيه أحًدا‬
‫حىت أصيل الليلة ثم إنه أىت إىل باب السااعُت فاستَّفتح ابلاب فَّفتح هل‬
‫فًدخَل مِن باب السااعُت فإذا رجَل فيِما بني باب السااعُت وباب‬
‫اخلرضاء اذلي ييل املقصورة قائِما يصيل وهو أقرب إىل باب اخلرض منه‬
‫إىل باب السااعُت فقال القوام ألم آمركم أن ال ترتكوا أحًدا يصيل الليلة‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

‫يف املسجًد فقال بعضهم يا أمري املؤمنني هذا اخلرض يصيل يف املسجًد‬
.‫لك َيْللة‬

Abū al-Qāsim Tamām ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ narrated

to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh narrated to us, saying: Abū Isḥāq
Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn al-Mughīrah al-Muqrī narrated to
us, from his father, that al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik instructed the
attendants one night, saying: “I want to pray in the mosque tonight,
so do not leave anyone in it until I pray.” Then he went to the Gate
of the Hours, knocked on the door, and was let in. He entered from
the Gate of the Hours and saw a man standing between the Gate
of the Hours and the Gate of al-Khaḍrā’, which is closer to the
courtyard, praying. The attendants said: “Did we not instruct you not
to let anyone pray in the mosque tonight?” Some of them said: “O
Commander of the Faithful, this is al-Khiḍr; he prays in the mosque
every night.” 61
 ‫أ‬
� �� ‫� ف� ي�يه راس ي� يح�ى‬
‫ِن‬ ‫ي‬
� ‫شو�ٰع‬
�‫ال‬ � �‫ا� �دكَّر ال‬
� ��
56 ‫عل�هما السلام �ف ي� الم� �ٰ�جد‬
‫ركَّري�ا ي‬
�
Chapter on the Place of the Head of Yahyā
. ibn
Zakarīyā  in the mosque

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل القريش حدثنا أيب‬-56
‫ سألت األوزايع قلت يا أبا‬:‫حدثنا القاسم بن عثَّمان حدثنا الويلد قال‬
‫عِمرو أيِن بلغك رأس حيىي بِن زكريا قال بلغنا أنه يف العِمود الرابع‬
.‫املسَّفط‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn

ʿAbdullāh al-Qurashī narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

us, saying: Al-Qāsim ibn ʿUthmān narrated to us, saying: Al-Walīd

said: I asked Al-Awzāʿī: “O Abū ʿAmr, where is the head of Yaḥyā
ibn Zakariyyā?” He said: “It has reached us that it is in the fourth
column from the raised platform.”

62
 َ َ� َ � ََُ ُ � ُ َ� َ
‫َمْحد املعىل حدثنا‬ ‫ حدثنا أَمْحد ْبن َحُمَّم ِد ب ِن أ‬:‫ وأخربنا تَّمام قال‬-57
‫ سَّمعت الويلد بن مسلم وسأهل رجل يا أبا‬:‫القاسم بن عثَّمان قال‬
َ َ
ِ‫ بلغين أنه ثم وأشار بيًد‬:‫ قال‬.‫العباس أين بلغك رأس حيىي بن زكريا‬
57
.‫إىل العِمود املسَّفط الرابع مِن الركِن الرشيق‬

Tamām narrated: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muʿallā

narrated to us, saying: Al-Qāsim ibn ʿUthmān said: I heard al-Walīd
ibn Muslim while a man was asking him: “O Abū al-ʿAbbās, where is
the head of Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ?” He said: “I was informed that
it is there,” and he pointed with his hand to the fourth column from
the eastern corner.

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

63
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو شبيب َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن املعىل‬-58

58 ‫حدثنا أَمْحد بن املعىل قال وأخربين إسَّماعيل بن أبان حدثين زيد بن‬
‫واقد قال حرضُت رأس حيىي بِن زكريا عليهِما السالم وقًد أخرج مِن‬
‫ابلالطة القبلية الرشقية اليت عنًد عِمود جملس جبيلة فوضع ْحَتت‬
.‫عِمود الساكسك‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Abū

Shabīb Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-Muʿallā narrated to us, saying:
Aḥmad ibn al-Muʿallā said: Ismāʿīl ibn Abān informed me, saying:
Zayd ibn Wāqid said: “I was present when the head of Yahyā ibn
Zakarīyā  was taken out from the eastern Qiblah area, which
is near the column of Majlis Bujaylah, and it was placed under the
column of al-Sakāsik.”
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

64
‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أبو بكر الربايم حدثنا أبو شبيب حدثنا‬-59
‫ سَّمعت سعيد بن املسيب‬:‫َحُمَّمد بن هارون حدثنا عباس بن الويلد قال‬
‫يقول ملا دخَل خبت نرص دمشِق وصعًد ادلرج حىت دخَل الِكنَيسة اليت‬
59
‫يه اَيْلوم املسجًد اجلامع رأى دم حيىي بِن زكريا عليهِما السالم يَّفور‬
.‫ويغيل قال فقتَل عليه مخسة وسبعني ألَّفا حىت سكِن ادلم‬

‫ إن رأس حيىي بِن زكريا عليهِما الصالة السالم ْحَتت‬:‫وقال أبو مسهر‬
.‫العِمود املسَّفط يف رشيق املسجًد يعرف بعِمود الساكسك‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr al-Burāmī narrated to us,

saying: Abū Shabīb narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Hārūn
narrated to us, saying: ʿAbbās ibn al-Walīd said: I heard Saʿīd ibn
al-Musayyib say that when Bakhth Nasr entered Damascus and

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

ascended the stairs until he entered the church, which is now the
Grand Mosque, he saw the blood of Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyā  boiling
and bubbling. He killed seventy-five thousand people over it until
the blood settled. 56

Abū Mishar said: “The head of Yaḥyā ibn Zakarīyā  under the
fourth column in the eastern mosque, known as the column of al-
Sakāsik.”

(56) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 65

 ‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر اإلمام حدثنا ابن حبيب‬-60

60 ‫حدثنا أبو عبد امللك حدثنا مهدي بن جعفر حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم‬
‫حدثنا زيد بن واقد قال رأيت رأس حيىي بِن زكريا عليهِما السالم حني‬
‫أرادوا بناء مسجًد دمشِق أخرج مِن ْحَتت ركِن مِن أراكن القبة واكنت‬
.‫البرشة والشعرة ىلع رأسه لم تتغري‬

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar the Imam narrated to us,
saying: Ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us, saying: Abū ʿAbd al-Malik narrated
to us, saying: Mahdī ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn
Muslim narrated to us, saying: Zayd ibn Wāqid said: “I saw the head
of Yaḥyā  when they wanted to build the mosque of Damascus; it
was taken out from under one of the corners of the dome, and the
skin and hair on his head had not changed.”
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

66
 َ
‫ أخربنا أبُو احلسني عبد الوهاِب ب�ن جعفر حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن عبد اهلل‬-61
‫الربيع حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن يوسف حدثنا أَمْحد بن إبراهيم الغساين حدثنا‬
‫ عن أبيه عن زيد بن واقد قال ولكين الوَيْلًد ىلع العِمال يف بناء‬،‫أيب‬
61
‫جامع دمشِق فوجًدنا فيه مغارة فعرفنا الوَيْلًد ذلك فلِما فاكن الليَل‬
‫واىف وبني يًديه الشِمع فزنل فإذا يه كنَيسة لطيَّفة ثالثة أذرَع [يف‬
‫ثالثة أذرَع] وإذا فيها صنًدوق فَّفتح الصنًدوق فإذا فيه سَّفط ويف‬
‫السَّفط رأس حيىي بِن زكريا فأمر به الوَيْلًد فرد إىل املاكن وقال اجعلوا‬
‫العِمود اذلي فوقه مغريا مِن األعِمًدة فجعلوا عليه عِمودا مسَّفط‬
.‫الرأس‬

Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, saying:

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Ribʿī narrated to us, saying:
Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-
Ghasānī narrated to us, saying: My father, from his father, from Zayd
ibn Wāqid said: “Al-Walīd appointed me over the workers in the
construction of the Grand Mosque of Damascus. We found in it a
cave, and al-Walīd recognized it. When night came, he lit a candle
and descended, and there was a small church whose dimensions
were three cubits by three cubits. In it, there was a box; he opened
the box and found in it a basket containing the head of Yaḥyā ibn
Zakarīyā. Al-Walīd ordered that it be returned to its place and
said: ‘Make the column above it distinct from the other columns.’
So they placed a column with a flat top above it.”

67
 ‫�َ‬
‫ال� ِ�ي� ي �ى‬ ‫الحا�مط ا� قل� �ي�ٰل ي� �� ��ناء �شود‬
‫� ئ‬ ‫ا� �دكَّر أا �‬
‫�� �‬
‫ِ‬
‫‪62‬‬ ‫‪Chapter on the Southern Wall Being built by the‬‬
‫‪Prophet Hūd ‬‬

‫‪ -62‬أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا احلسن بن حبيب حدثنا أَمْحد‬

‫بن املعىل حدثنا أبو اتليق احلَّميص حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم قال ملا أمر‬
‫الوَيْلًد بِن عبًد امللك ببناء مسجًد دمشِق اكن سليِمان بِن عبًد امللك‬
‫هو القيم عليه مع الصناَع فوجًدوا يف حائط املسجًد القبيل لوح مِن‬
‫حجر فيه كتاب نقش فأتوا به الوَيْلًد بِن عبًد امللك فبعث به إىل الروم‬
‫فلم يستخرجوِ ثم بعث به إىل العربانَيني فلم يستخرجوِ ثم بعث به إىل‬
‫مِن اكن بًدمشِق مِن بقية األشبان فلم يقًدر أحًد ىلع أن يستخرجه‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫فًدلوِ ىلع وهب بِن منبه فبعث إَيْله فلِما قًدم عليه أخربوِ بِموضع‬
‫ذلك احلجر اذلي وجًدوِ يف ذلك احلائط ويقال إن ذلك احلائط مِن‬
‫بناء هود انلِّيِب عليه السالم وفيه قربِ فلِما نَظر وهب حرك رأسه ثم‬
‫قرأِ فإذا هو‪:‬‬

‫بسم اهلل الرمحِن الرحيم‪ ،‬ابِن آدم لو رأيت يسري ما بيق مِن أجلك‬
‫لزهًدُت يف طويَل ما ترجو مِن أملك وإنِما تلىق نًدمك لو قًد زلت بك‬
‫قًدمك وأسلِمك أهلك وحشِمك وانرصف عنك احلبيب وودعك‬
‫القريب ثم رصُت تًدىع فال جتيب فال أنت إىل أهلك اعئًد وال يف‬
‫عِملك زائًد فاعِمَل نلَّفسك قبَل يوم القيامة وقبَل احلرسة وانلًدامة‬
‫وقبَل أن خيَل بك أجلك وينِزُتَع ملك املوُت روحك مِن بًدنك فال‬
‫ينَّفعك مال مجعته وال ودل ودلته وال أخ اختذته ثم تصري إىل برزخ‬
‫‪68‬‬
‫املثوى وجماورة املوىت فاغتنم احلياة قبَل املوُت والقوة قبَل الضعف‬
‫والصحة قبَل السقم قبَل أن تؤخذ بالِكَظم وحيال بَينك وبني العِمَل‬
.‫وكتب يف زمِن سليِمان بِن داود عليهِما السالم‬
62
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar narrated to us, saying: al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb
narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Muʿallā narrated to us, saying:
Abū al-Taqī al-Ḥimṣī narrated to us, saying: al-Walīd ibn Muslim
said: “When al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ordered the construction
of the Grand Mosque of Damascus, Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik
was in charge of it with the craftsmen. They found in the southern
wall of the mosque a stone tablet with inscriptions. They brought
it to al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, who sent it to the Romans, but
they could not extract it. Then he sent it to the Hebrews, and they
could not decipher it either. Then he sent it to the remnants of the

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

youth in Damascus, but no one was able to extract it. They directed
him to Wahb ibn Munabbih, who was sent for. When he arrived,
they informed him of the location of the stone found in that wall.
It is said that this wall was built by the Prophet Hūd  and that
his grave is in it. When Wahb looked at it, he moved his head and
read it.

It was: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
O Son of Adam, if you could see what little remains for you, you
would have renounced the long hopes that you cherish. You will
only meet your regret when your foot slips and your family forsakes
you, and your beloved departs and your close one bids you farewell.
Then you will be called and not respond; you will not return to your
family nor increase in your deeds. So work for yourself before the
Day of Resurrection, and before regret and sorrow, and before your
appointed time overtakes you, and the Angel of Death seizes your
69
 soul from your body. Your amassed wealth will not benefit you, nor

62 your children whom you bore, nor your brother whom you took as
a companion. You will then arrive at the barrier of the grave and
the companionship of the dead. So seize life before death, strength
before weakness, and health before sickness, before you are taken
by surprise, and before your work is withheld from you.’ This was
written in the time of Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd .”
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

70
 � ‫ا� �دكَّر ما ورد �ف� ف� �فصل �ِحامع‬
�‫دم� قش‬ � ��
‫ي‬
‫الم�ٰارك‬ �
Chapter on What Was Narrated About the Virtue
63
of the Blessed Grand Mosque of Damascus

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم‬-63
‫حدثنا أبو أيوِب سليَّمان بن َحُمَّمد بن إسَّماعيل حدثنا العباس بن‬
‫الويلد بن صبيح حدثنا هارون بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا سعيد بن بشري عن‬
:‫ِيٍن﴾ قال‬ � َ � َ
ِ ‫ جامع دمشِق ﴿َواْلِّت‬:‫ِيٍن﴾ قال‬ ِ ‫قتادة يف قوهل عز وجل ﴿َواْلِّت‬
‫ حيث لكم اهلل عز وجَل‬:‫ِيٍن﴾ قال‬ َ ‫﴿َو ُُطَوٍر ِسِيَن‬ َ ‫مسجًد بيت املقًدس‬
َ ْ َ ِْ َ َ َ
َ
ِ ‫موىس عليه السالم ﴿َوَٰهَٰذا اْلِبَل ِِد اْلَأَم‬
.‫ مِكة‬:‫ِيٍن﴾ قال‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn
ʿAbdullāh al-Burāmī narrated to us, saying: Abū Ayyūb Sulaymān
ibn Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl narrated to us, saying: Al-ʿAbbās ibn
Al-Walīd ibn Ṣubayḥ narrated to us, saying: Hārūn ibn Muḥammad
narrated to us, saying: Saʿīd ibn Bashīr narrated from Qatādah
regarding the verse, “By the fig…” that he said: “The Grand Mosque
of Damascus.” Regarding “And the olive…” he said: “The Mosque of
Bayt al-Maqdis.” Concerning “And the Mount of Sinai…” he said:
“Where Allah spoke to Mūsā .” About “And this secure city…” he
said: “Makkah.”57

(57) This report is mawqūf. Qatādah is from the generation of the Tābiʿīn. 71
 ‫ حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا أَمْحد بن أنس حدثنا حبيب املؤذن حدثنا أبو‬-64

64 ‫زياد الشعباين وأبو أمية الشعباين قاال كنا بِمِكة فإذا رجَل يف ظَل‬
‫الِكعبة وإذا هو سَّفيان اثلوري فسأهل رجَل فقال هل يا أبا عبًد اهلل ما‬
‫تقول يف الصالة يف هذِ ابلدلة قال بِمئة ألف صالة قال فيف مسجًد‬
َ ُ َ
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال خبِمسني ألف صالة قال فيف بيت‬
ِ ‫رس‬
‫املقًدس قال بأربعني ألف صالة قال فيف مسجًد دمشِق قال بثالثني‬
.‫ألف صالة‬

Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Anas narrated to us, saying:
Ḥabīb the Mu’adhdhin narrated to us, saying: Abū Ziyād al-Shaʿbānī
and Abū Umayyah al-Shaʿbānī both said: “We were in Makkah
when a man was in the shade of the Kaʿbah, and it was Sufyān al-
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Thawrī. A man asked him: ‘O Abā ʿAbdillāh, what do you say about
praying in this city?’ He said: ‘One hundred thousand prayers.’ The
man asked: ‘What about in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah
?’ He said: ‘Fifty thousand prayers.’ The man asked: ‘What about
in Bayt al-Maqdis?’ He said: ‘Forty thousand prayers.’ The man
asked: ‘What about in the Grand Mosque of Damascus?’ He said:
‘Thirty thousand prayers.’”58

(58) This report is mawqūf. Abū Umayyah al-Shaʿbānī is from the generation of
72 the Tābiʿīn.
‫ حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا أَمْحد بن أنس حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن َحُمَّمد بن معاذ‬-65
َ� َ � َ َ
‫حدثنا أبُو ِم �س َه ٍر َعب ُد األىلع �ْب ُن مسهر حدثنا املنذر بن نافع موىل أم‬
َ ‫عَّمرو بنت مروان عن رجل قد سَّماه أن واثلة بِن األسقع َصاح‬
‫ِب‬
65
ُ َ
‫ول اهللِ ﷺ خرج مِن باب املسجًد اذلي ييل جريون فليق كعب‬ ِ ‫رس‬
‫األحبار فقال هل أيِن تريًد قال هل واثلة أريًد بيت املقًدس قال تعال حىت‬
‫أريك موضعا يف هذا املسجًد مِن صىل فيه فِكأنِما صىل يف بيت املقًدس‬
‫قال فذهب فأراِ ما بني ابلاب األصغر اذلي خيرج منه الوايل إىل اخلبية‬
‫يعين القنطرة بالعربية قال مِن صىل فيِما بني هاتني فِكأنِما صىل يف‬
.‫بيت املقًدس قال واثلة واهلل إنه ملجليس وجملس قويم قال هو ذاك‬

Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn Anas narrated to us,

saying: Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Muʿādh narrated to us,

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

saying: Abū Mishar ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Mishar narrated to us, saying:
Al-Mundhir ibn Nāfiʿ, Mawlā Umm ʿAmr bint Marwān, from a man
whom he named, said: “Wāthilah ibn al-Asqāʿ, the Companion of
the Messenger of Allah , exited from the door of the mosque
that faces Jīrūn and met Kaʿb al-Aḥbār. Kaʿb asked him: ‘Where
are you heading?’ Wāthilah said: ‘I want to go to Bayt al-Maqdis.’
Kaʿb said: ‘Come, I will show you a spot in this mosque. Whoever
prays in it, it is as if he has prayed in Bayt al-Maqdis.’ So he went
and showed him what was between the smaller door from which
the governor exits to the alcove, meaning the bridge in Arabic.
Kaʿb said: ‘Whoever prays between these two (points), it is as if he
has prayed in Bayt al-Maqdis.’ Wāthilah said: ‘By Allah, this is my
gathering place and the gathering place of my people.’ Kaʿb replied:
‘It is that.’”59

(59) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the 73
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخرب أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم حدثنا َحُمَّمد‬-66

66 ‫بن أَمْحد بن عبيد بن فياض القريش حدثنا صفوان بن صالح حدثنا‬

:‫ عن أبيه عن عطية بن قيس الالكيب قال‬،‫عبد اخلالق بن زيد بن واقد‬
‫قال كعب األحبار ابلنيان يف دمشِق يبىق بعًد خراب األرض أربعني‬
.‫اعما‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-
Burāmī narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿUbayd
ibn Fayyaḍ al-Qurashī narrated to us, saying: Ṣafwān ibn Ṣāliḥ
narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Khāliq ibn Zayd ibn Wāqid, from his
father, from ʿAṭiyyah ibn Qays al-Kilābī, who said:, who said: Kaʿb
al-Aḥbār said: “The buildings in Damascus will remain standing for
forty years after the Earth is destroyed.”60
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
(60) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
74 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل حدثنا أبو شبيب‬-67
‫َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن املعىل حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن هارون حدثنا عياش بن الويلد‬
‫بن مسلم حدثنا عثَّمان بن أيب العاتكة عن يلع بن يزيد عن القاسم‬
67
‫بن عبد الرَمْحن قال أوىح اهلل عز وجَل إىل جبَل قاسيون أن هب ظلك‬
‫وبركتك جلبَل بيت املقًدس قال فَّفعَل فأوىح اهلل عز وجَل إَيْله أما إذ‬
‫فعلت فإين سأبين يل يف حضنك بَيتا قال عبًد الرمحِن قال الوَيْلًد أي يف‬
‫وسطك وهو هذا املسجًد يعين مسجًد دمشِق أعبًد فيه [بعًد خراب‬
‫ادلنيا بأربعني اعما] وال تذهب األيام والليايل حىت أرد عليك ظلك‬
.‫وبركتك قال فهو عنًد اهلل بِمزنلة املؤمِن الضعيف املترضَع‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

narrated to us, saying: Abū Shabīb Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn al-
Muʿallā narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Hārūn narrated to
us, saying: ʿAyyash ibn al-Walīd ibn Muslim narrated to us, saying:
ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀtikah from ʿAlī ibn Yazīd from al-Qāsim ibn
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said: “Allah, the Exalted, revealed to Mount
Qasioun to extend its shadow and blessings to the Mountain of
Bayt al-Maqdis. It did so, and Allah, the Exalted, revealed to it:
‘Since you have done so, I will build a house for Myself in your
embrace.’” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said: “Al-Walīd said: ‘Right in your
center, this mosque, meaning the Grand Mosque of Damascus,
I will worship in it [after the destruction of the world for forty
years]. The days and nights will not pass until I return to you [with]
your shadow and blessing.’ It is with Allah as a weak believer who
is humble and pleading.”61

(61) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 75

 َ
‫ وأخربنا أبُو احلسني عبد الوهاِب ب�ن جعفر حدثنا ابن فضالة‬-68

68 ‫حدثنا أبو بكر بن معاذ حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا احلسن بن حيىي‬
‫يب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال َيْللة أرسي يب صيل يف موضع‬ِ
َ
َ ‫اخلشين أ َن‬
َ ‫انل‬
.‫مسجًد دمشِق‬

Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us, saying: Ibn
Faḍālah narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn Muʿādh narrated to us,
saying: Hishām ibn ʿAmmār narrated to us, saying: Al-Ḥasan ibn
Yahyā al-Khushanī that the Prophet  said: “On the night of my
Isrā’ (Night Journey), I prayed in the place of the Grand Mosque
of Damascus.”62
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

76 (62) Hadith muʿḍal.

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل حدثنا‬-69
‫ سِمعت‬:‫َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد حدثين عَّمرو بن عبد الرَمْحن بن إبراهيم قال‬
‫أيب يقول حيطان مسجًد دمشِق مِن بناء هود عليه السالم وما اكن‬
69
.‫مِن الَّفسيَّفساء فهو مِن بناء الوَيْلًد بِن عبًد امللك‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us, saying: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn
ʿAbdullāh narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad narrated to
me: ʿAmr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ibrāhīm said: “I heard my father
say: ‘The walls of the Grand Mosque of Damascus were built by
the Prophet Hūd , and whatever is made of mosaics is from the
construction of al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik.’”63

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(63) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 77

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا أيب حدثنا القاسم بن عثَّمان حدثنا‬-70

70 ‫ عن أبيه قال أراد عِمر بِن عبًد العزيز أن يِمحو اذلهب‬،‫أبو السائب‬
.‫اذلي يف مسجًد دمشِق فقيَل هل إنه إذا جرد لم يكِن هل ثِمِن فرتكه‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: My

father narrated to us, saying: Al-Qāsim ibn ʿUthmān narrated to us,
saying: Abū al-Sā’ib from his father said: “ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
wanted to remove the gold from the Grand Mosque of Damascus,
but it was said to him that if it were stripped, it would have no
value, so he left it.”
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

78
 ‫َ‬
‫‪ -71‬أخربنا تَّمام‪ ،‬حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبُو إسحاق إبراهيم بن عبد امللك‬
‫بن املغرية املقري موىل الويلد بن عبد امللك بن مروان حدثين أيب عبد‬
‫امللك عن أبيه املغرية أنه دخَل يوما ىلع الوَيْلًد بِن عبًد امللك فرآِ‬
‫‪71‬‬
‫مغِموما فقال ما سبيلك فأعرض عنه ثم اعود فقال يا أمري املؤمنني ما‬
‫سبيلك قال فقال يا مغرية إن املسلِمني قًد كرثوا وقًد ضاق بهم‬
‫املسجًد وقًد بعثت إىل هؤالء انلصارى أصحاب هذِ الِكنَيسة نلًدخلها‬
‫يف املسجًد فتأبوا علينا وقًد أقطعتهم قطائع كثرية وبذلت ماال‬
‫فامتنعوا يلع فقال هل املغرية يا أمري املؤمنني ال تغتم قًد دخَل خادل بِن‬
‫الوَيْلًد مِن باب الرشيق بالسيف وباب اجلابية دخَل منه أبو عبيًدة بِن‬
‫اجلراح باألمان فِماسحهم إىل أي موضع بلغ السيف فإن اكن نلا فيه‬
‫حِق أخذناِ وإن لم يكِن نلا فيه حِق داريناهم حىت نأخذ بايق الِكنَيسة‬

‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫فنًدخلها يف املسجًد فقال هل فرجت عين فتول أنت هذا قال فتوالِ‬
‫فبلغت املسحة إىل سوق الرحيان حىت حاذى مِن القنطرة الِكبرية‬
‫بأربعة أذرَع وكرس باذلراَع القاسيم فإذا بايق الِكنَيسة قًد دخَل يف‬
‫املسجًد فبعث إَيْلهم فقال هلم هذا حِق قًد جعله اهلل نلا لم يصَل‬
‫املسلِمون يف غصب وال ظلم بَل نأخذ حقنا اذلي جعله اهلل نلا فقالوا‬
‫يا أمري املؤمنني أقطعتنا أربع كنائس وبذلت نلا مِن املال كذا وكذا‬
‫فإن رأيت يا أمري املؤمنني أن تتَّفضَل به علينا فافعَل فامتنع عليهم‬
‫حىت سألوِ وطلبوا إَيْله فأعطاهم كنَيسة محيًد بِن درة وكنَيسة أخرى‬
‫حيث سوق اجلنب وكنَيسة مريم وكنَيسة املصلبة قال ثم إن الوَيْلًد‬
‫بعث إىل املسلِمني هلًدم الِكنَيسة واجتِمع انلصارى فقال للوَيْلًد بعض‬
‫األقساء والَّفأس ىلع كتَّفه وعليه قباء خز سَّفرجيل وقًد شًد خبرقة‬ ‫‪79‬‬
 ‫قباءِ إين أخاف عليك مِن الشاهًد يا أمري املؤمنني فقال هل ويلك ما‬

71 ‫أضع فأيس إال يف رأس الشاهًد وإنه صعًد فأول مِن صعًد وضع فأسه‬
‫يف هذِ الِكنَيسة الوَيْلًد وتسامع انلاس يف هًدم الِكنَيسة وكرب انلاس‬
.‫ثالث تكبرياُت وزادها يف املسجًد‬

‫ ومات أيب يف سنة ثالث وأربعني وهل إحدى وتسعون‬:‫قال أبو إسحاق‬
.‫فهذا ما اكن من خرب املسجد وخرب هدم الكنيسة اليت اكنت فيه‬

Tamām narrated to us, saying: Aḥmad narrated to us, saying: Abū

Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn al-Mughīrah al-Muqrī, the
Mawlā of al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān, narrated to me:
My father ʿAbd al-Malik, from his father al-Mughīrah, said: “One
day, he entered upon al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik and saw him
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

distressed. He asked: ‘What troubles you?’ Al-Walīd turned away,

then responded: ‘O Prince of the Believers, the Muslims have
increased and the mosque has become overcrowded. I have sent to
these Christians, the owners of this church, to incorporate it into
the mosque, but they have refused, even after I conceded to them
many land grants and offered them money.’ Al-Mughīrah said: ‘O
Prince of the Believers, do not be distressed. Khālid ibn al-Walīd
entered from the eastern gate with a sword, and Abū ʿUbaydah al-
Jarrāḥ entered from the gate of al-Jābiyah with security. Take them
as far as the sword reaches, and if we have a right in it, we will
take it, and if not, we will negotiate until we take the rest of the
church and incorporate it into the mosque.’ Al-Walīd replied: ‘You
have relieved me; take charge of it.’ So he took charge of it, and the
extension reached the market of al-Rayḥān until it was four cubits
from the large bridge. He broke it with the arm of his sword, and
the remainder of the church was incorporated into the mosque. He
80
sent to them, saying: ‘This is a right that Allah has granted us; the
Muslims have not prayed in usurpation or oppression, but we are
taking our right that Allah has granted us.’ They said: ‘O Prince
of the Believers, you granted us four churches and offered us such
71
and such money. If you wish, O Prince of the Believers, you can be
generous with us.’ He refused until they pleaded with him, and he
granted them the church of Ḥamīd ibn Durrah, another church
where the cheese market is, the church of Mary, and the church
of the Crucified. Then al-Walīd sent to the Muslims to demolish
the church, and the Christians gathered. Al-Walīd, some of his
officials, and an axe on his shoulder, wearing a cloak of brocade
tied with a cloth, said: ‘I fear for you from the witness, O Prince of
the Believers.’ He said: ‘Woe to you, where will I place my axe if not
in the head of the witness?’ He climbed up, and the first to ascend
placed his axe in that church was al-Walīd. The people heard about

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

the demolition of the church, and the people declared the takbīr
three times, and he added it to the mosque.”

Abū Isḥāq said: “My father died in the year 43, and he was ninety-one
years old. This is what has been narrated about the mosque and the
demolition of the church that was in it.”

81
 َُ َ
‫ أخربنا أبُو احلسن يلع ب�ن َحُم ََّمد بن إبراهيم حدثنا أبو الفرج‬-72

72 ‫عَّمران بن احلسن اخلفاف أخربنا أبو الفضل أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن‬
‫نرص السليم بدمشق حدثنا أبو حارثة أَمْحد بن إبراهيم بن هشام‬
‫ عن أبيه قال ملا قًدم املهًدي الشام يريًد املقًدس‬،‫الغساين حدثين أيب‬
‫دخَل مسجًد دمشِق ومعه أبو عبيًد اهلل األشعري اكتبه فقال هل يا أبا‬
‫عبيًد اهلل سبقتنا بنو أمية بثالث قال وما هِن يا أمري املؤمنني قال‬
‫بهذا ابليت يعين مسجًد دمشِق ال أعلم ىلع ظهر األرض مثله وبنبَل‬
‫املوايل فإن هلم موايل لَيس نلا مثلهم وبعِمر بِن عبًد العزيز وال يكون‬
‫فينا واهلل مثله أبًدا ثم أىت بيت املقًدس فًدخَل الصخرة فقال يا أبا عبًد‬
.‫اهلل وهذِ رابعة‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us,

saying: Abū al-Faraj ʿImrān ibn al-Ḥasan al-Khuffāf narrated to us:
Abū al-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Naṣr al-Sulamī in Damascus
narrated to us: Abū Ḥārithah Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥishām al-
Ghassānī narrated to me from my father, from his father, who said:
When al-Mahdī came to Shām intending to visit the sacred places,
he entered the Grand Mosque of Damascus with Abū ʿUbaydullāh
al-Ashʿarī, his secretary. He said to him: “O Abu ʿUbaydullāh, the
Banū Umayyah have preceded us in three things.” Abu ʿUbaydullāh
asked: “What are they, O Commander of the Faithful?” He replied:
“In this house,” meaning the Grand Mosque of Damascus, “I do
not know of anything like it on the surface of the Earth, and in the
nobility of the freedmen, for they have freedmen like them among
us; and in Umar ibn ʿAbd ʿAzīz, and there will never be anyone like
him among us.” Then he went to Jerusalem and entered the Rock
82 (al-Sakhrah) and said: “O Abū ʿAbdullāh, this is the fourth.”
‫ حدثنا أبو حارثة قال دخَل املأمون دمشِق ومعه املعتصم‬:‫ قال‬-73
‫وحيىي بِن أكثم فقال هلِما ما أعجب ما يف هذا املسجًد فقال هل املعتصم‬
‫ذهبه وبقاؤِ فإنا نهيئه يف قصورنا فال تِميض به العرشون سنة حىت‬
73
‫يتغري قال ما ذاك أعجبين منه فقال حيىي بِن أكثم تأَيْلف رخامه فإين‬
‫رأيت فيه عقًدا ما رأيت مثلها قال ما ذاك أعجبين منه فقال هل ما‬
.‫اذلي أعجبك منه يا أمري املؤمنني فقال بنيانه ىلع غري مثال متقًدم‬

Abū Ḥārithah narrated: Al-Ma’mūn entered Damascus with al-

Muʿtaṣim and Yaḥyā ibn Aktham. He said to them: “What do
you find most remarkable about this mosque?” Al-Muʿtaṣim
said: “Its disappearance and its survival, for we prepare it in our
palaces, and it will not pass twenty years before it changes.” He
said: “What do you find more remarkable than that?” Yaḥyā ibn

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Aktham said: “The arrangement of its marble, for I have seen in it
a pattern unlike any I have seen.” He said: “What do you find more
remarkable than that?” The Commander of the Faithful replied:
“Its construction is unlike any previous example.”

83
 َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن‬َ ‫ أخربنا يلع حدثنا عَّمران حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا َُحُمَ ََّم ُد �ْب ُن ََعب� ِد‬-74

74 ‫ب � ِن األشعث حدثنا أبو انلرص إسحاق بن إبراهيم حدثنا معاوية بن‬

‫ سِمعت خادل بِن‬:‫حيىي حدثنا أرطاة بن املنذر عن سنان بن قيس قال‬
.‫معًدان قال يهزم السَّفياين اجلِماعة مرتني ثم يهلك‬

‫وسِمعته يقول ال خيرج املهًدي حىت خيسف بقرية يف الغوطة تسىم‬

.‫حرستا‬

ʿAlī narrated: ʿImrān narrated: Aḥmad narrated: Muḥammad ibn

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ashʿath narrated: Abū al-Naṣr Isḥāq ibn
Ibrāhīm narrated: Muʿāwiyah ibn Yaḥyā narrated: Arṭāh ibn al-
Mundhir from Sinān ibn Qays, who said: I heard Khalid ibn Maʿdān
say: “The Sufyānī will defeat the people twice, then he will perish.” I
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

also heard him say: “The Mahdi will not emerge until an earthquake
occurs in a village in al-Ghūṭah called Ḥarastā.”64

(64) This report is mawqūf. Khalid ibn Maʿdān is from the generation of the
84 Tābiʿīn.
 ‫أ‬ � ‫ا� �دكَّر ما ورد �ف� أا‬
�
�‫المد‬ ‫دم� قش� ا� �ي�ر‬
� �
‫ي‬ � ��
‫أ‬
‫ا ��دالا �ور�ٰادا‬
Chapter on Mentioning What Has Been Reported
75
About Damascus Being the City of the Most Abdāl
and Ascetics
� َ ُ� ُ َ
‫ني‬
ِ ‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر اإلمام حدثنا أبو احلس‬-75
�َ َُ
‫َحُم ََّم ُد �ْب ُن َعب ِد اهلل الرازي حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن أيب اخلطاِب حدثنا‬
‫أيب حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن إبراهيم حدثنا هشام بن خادل األزرق حدثنا الويلد‬
‫بن مسلم حدثنا ابن جابر عن ابن اَعمر عن واثلة بن األسقع ريض اهلل‬
َ
‫ ستِكون دمشِق أكرث‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬ َُ َ َ َ َ
ِ ‫ول‬ِ ‫عنه قال قال رس‬
‫املًدن أبًداال وزهادا وأكرثها مساجًد ويه ألهلها معقَل وأكرث املًدن‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

.‫أهال وأكرثها ماال ورجاال‬

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar the Imam narrated to us:
Abū al-Ḥusayn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Rāzī narrated to us:
Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Khaṭṭāb narrated to us: My father
narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us: Hishām ibn
Khalid al-Azraq narrated to us: Al-Walīd ibn Muslim narrated to
us: Ibn Jābir narrated from Ibn ʿĀmir from Wāthilah ibn al-Asqāʿ
 who said: the Messenger of Allah  said: “Damascus will be
the most abundant city in the number of the abdāl (the righteous
people) and in asceticism, and it will have the most mosques. It will
be a refuge for its people and the most populated city, with the most
wealth and men.”65

(65) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 85

 ‫‪ -76‬أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو يعقوِب إسحاق بن إبراهيم حدثنا‬

‫‪76‬‬ ‫َحُمَّمد حدثنا هشام بن خادل حدثنا الويلد حدثنا ابن جابر عن ابن‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ َ َ َ َ ُ‬
‫اَعمر عن واثلة بن األسقع ريض اهلل عنه قال‪ :‬قال رس ِ‬
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل‬
‫عليه وسلم‪ :‬ستِكون دمشِق يف آخر الزمان أكرث املًدن أهال ويه‬
‫تكون ألهلها معقال وأكرث أبًداال وأكرث مساجًد وأكرث زهادا وأكرث‬
‫ماال وأكرث رجاال وأقَل كَّفارا أال وإن مرص أكرث املًدن فراعنة وأكرث‬
‫كَّفورا وأكرث ظلِما وأكرث رياء وفجورا وسحرا ورشا فإذا غِمرُت أكنافها‬
‫بعث اهلل عليهم اخلليَّفة الزائًد ابلنيان واألعور الشيطان واألخرم‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ ُ‬
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل‬‫الغضبان فويَل ألهلها مِن أتباعه وأشياعه ثم قرأ رس ِ‬
‫َ ْ َ‬
‫َك ُُف َ‬ ‫َ ْ َُ‬ ‫ََ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ َ‬
‫َوٍر﴾ فإذا‬ ‫عليه وسلم ﴿َٰذَٰل َِك ََج ََّزْيْ ََناُهْم ِب ِ ََما َكُف َُرَوا ۖ ََوُهْل ُنَجاِزِي ِإِْلا اْل‬
‫قتَل ذلك اخلليَّفة بالعراق خرج عليهم رجَل مربوَع القامة أسود‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫الشعر كث اللحية براق اثلنايا فويَل ألهَل العراق مِن أشياعه املراق ثم‬
‫خيرج املهًدي منا أهَل ابليت فيِمأل األرض عًدال كِما ملئت جورا‪،..‬‬
‫وذكر بايق احلديث‪.‬‬

‫‪Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us: Abū Yaʿqūb Isḥāq ibn‬‬

‫‪Ibrāhīm narrated to us: Muḥammad narrated: Ḥishām narrated:‬‬
‫‪al-Walīd narrated: Ibn Jābir narrated from Ibn ʿĀmir Wāthilah‬‬
‫‪ibn al-Asqāʿ  who said: the Messenger of Allah  said: “In the‬‬
‫‪end of times, Damascus will be the most populated city. It will‬‬
‫‪be a refuge for its people and will have the most abdāl, the most‬‬
‫‪mosques, the most asceticism, the most wealth, the most men,‬‬
‫‪and the least disbelievers. And indeed, Egypt will be the most‬‬
‫‪populated city of tyrants, the most ungrateful, the most oppressive,‬‬
‫‪the most hypocritical, and the most wicked and sorcerous. When‬‬
‫‪86‬‬
its surroundings are overwhelmed, Allah will send against them
the unjust ruler, the one-eyed devil, and the crippled and angry
one. Woe to its people from his followers and supporters.” Then
the Messenger of Allah  recited: “‘That is the recompense We
76
give them because they disbelieved. And is there any reward except
for disbelief?’ When that ruler is killed in Iraq, a man of medium
stature with black hair, a thick beard, and shining teeth will emerge.
Woe to the people of Iraq from his supporters. Then the Mahdi
will emerge from us (The Ahl al-Bayt), and he will fill the Earth
with justice as it was filled with oppression.” He mentioned the rest
of the hadith.66

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(66) This report is munkar, as narrated by Ibn ʿAsākir in Tārīkh Dimashq (2/286)
in an abridged form. 87
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أيب حدثنا أبو اخلليل العباس بن اخلليل حدثنا‬-77

77 ‫كثري بن عبيد حدثنا بقية بن الويلد بن اكمل ابلجيل سَّمعت فضيل بن‬
‫فضالة يقول إن األبًدال بالشام يف محص مخسة وعرشون رجال ويف‬
.‫دمشِق ثالثة عرش رجال وببَيسان اثنان‬

Tamām narrated: My father narrated to me: Abū al-Khalīl al-

ʿAbbās ibn al-Khalīl narrated to us: Kathīr ibn ʿUbayd narrated to
us: Baqiyyah ibn al-Walīd ibn Kāmil al-Bajalī narrated to us: I heard
Fuḍayl ibn Faḍālah say: “The abdāl in Shām are in Ḥimṣ–twenty-
five men, and in Damascus–thirteen men, and in Baisan–two.”67
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

88 (67) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أيب أخربين أسلم بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن‬-78
‫هارون بن بكار حدثنا سليَّمان بن عبد الرَمْحن سَّمعت احلسن بن‬
‫حيىي اخلشين يقول بًدمشِق مِن األبًدال سبعة عرش نَّفسا وببَيسان‬
78
.‫أربعة‬

And Tamām narrated: My father informed me: Aslam ibn Muḥammad

narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn Hārūn ibn Bakr narrated to us:
Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us: I heard al-Ḥasan ibn
Yaḥyā al-Khushnī say: “In Damascus, there are seventeen of the
abdāl, and in Baisan, there are four.”68

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(68) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 89

 �‫دم� قش‬
� �� ‫ال� �ي�ٰاء‬ �
� ‫ا� دكَّر‬
� ��
79 Chapter on What Has Been Mentioned on the
Construction of Damascus

‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر اإلمام حدثنا أبو امليَّمون‬-79
‫بن راشد حدثنا أَمْحد بن معىل حدثنا عَّمران بن يزيد حدثنا سليَّمان‬
‫بن عتبة عن يونس بن ميرسة عن أيب إدريس عن كعب قال لك ما‬
.‫يبنيه العبًد يف ادلنيا حياسب به يوم القيامة إال بناء يف دمشِق‬

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar the Imam narrated to

us: Abū al-Maymūn ibn Rāshid narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Maʿlā
narrated to us: ʿImrān ibn Yazīd narrated to us: Sulaymān ibn ʿAtabah
from Yūnus ibn Mayṣarah from Abū Idrīs from Kaʿb who said:
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

“Everything a servant builds in this world will be accounted for on

the Day of Resurrection, except for buildings in Damascus.”69

(69) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
90 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن حدثنا خادل بن َحُمَّمد بن حيىي بن َمْحزة‬-80
‫احلرضيم حدثنا جدي أَمْحد بن َحُمَّمد من ودل حيىي بن َمْحزة احلرضيم‬
‫ عن أبيه حدثنا يونس بن يزيد عن ابن شهاِب عن ربيعة بن‬،‫حدثنا أيب‬
80
‫عبد اهلل بن اهلدير قال مزنل يف دمشِق خري مِن عرشة منازل يف‬
]‫[غريها مِن أرض محص ومزنل داخَل دمشِق خري مِن عرشة منازل يف‬
.‫الَّفراديس وإياك وأرباضها فإن يف سِكناها اهلالك‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us: Khālid ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā

ibn Ḥamzah al-Ḥaḍramī narrated to us: My grandfather Aḥmad ibn
Muḥammad from the descendants of Yaḥyā ibn Ḥamzah al-Ḥaḍramī
narrated to us: My father, from his father, narrated to us: Yūnus ibn
Yazīd from Ibn Shihāb from Rabīʿah ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥudhayr
who said: “A house in Damascus is better than ten houses in other

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

lands, and a house inside Damascus is better than ten houses in the
Heavens. Beware of its suburbs, for living in them is destruction.”70

(70) This report is mawqūf. Rabīʿah ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥudhayr is from the
time of the Companions and may have even seen the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. 91
 ‫ وأخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم‬-81

81 ‫حدثنا أبو بكر َحُمَّمد بن أيوِب بن إسحاق الرافيق حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن‬
َ
‫اخلرض حدثنا وهيب حدثنا سليَّمان بن َع َطاء عن مسلَّمة بن عبد اهلل‬
‫اجلهين عن كعب قال أول حائط وضع ىلع وجه األرض بعًد الطوفان‬
.‫حائط حران ودمشِق وبابَل‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn

ʿAbdullāh al-Barāmī narrated to us: Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn
Ayyūb ibn Isḥāq al-Rāfiqī narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn al-Khaḍr
narrated to us: Wahīb narrated to us: Sulaymān ibn ʿAtā’ from
Muslimah ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Juhanī from Kaʿb, who said: “The first
wall placed on the surface of the Earth after the flood was the wall
of Harrān, Damascus, and Babylon.”71
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(71) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
92 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
 � �� ‫مِن ق� ��ر‬
�‫دم� قش‬ � ‫ا� �دكَّر‬
� ��
Chapter on What Has Been Mentioned regarding
Those Buried in Damascus
82
‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو يعقوِب إسحاق بن إبراهيم‬-82
‫األذريع حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن هشام بن خادل عن الويلد يعين ابن مسلم عن‬
َ
‫يز َع �ن مكحول عن كعب قال بطرسوس مِن قبور‬ َ� �َ ُ � ُ َ
ِ ‫س ِعيد ْبن َعب ِد الع ِز‬
‫األنبياء عرشة وباملصيصة مخسة ويه اليت تغزوها الروم يف آخر الزمان‬
‫فيِمرون فيقولون إذا رجعنا مِن بالد الشام أخذنا هؤالء فريجعون وقًد‬
‫ قال كعب وباثلغور وسواحَل الشام مِن‬.‫علقت بني السِماء واألرض‬
‫قبور األنبياء ألف قرب وبأنطاكية قرب حبيب انلجار وحبِمص ثالثون‬
‫قربا وبًدمشِق مخس مائة قرب وببالد األردن مثَل ذلك وبَّفلسطني‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

‫مثَل ذلك وببيت املقًدس ألف قرب وبالعريش عرشة وقرب موىس عليه‬
.‫السالم بًدمشِق‬

Tamām ibn Muḥammad narrated to us: Abū Yaʿqūb Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm
al-Adhraʿī narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn Hishām ibn Khālid from
al-Walīd, meaning Ibn Muslim, from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz from
Makḥūl from Kaʿb who said: “There are ten graves of the Prophets
in Tarsus, and five in al-Maṣīṣah, which the Romans will invade in
the end of time. They will pass by and say: ‘When we return from
the land of Shām, we will take these,’ but they will return and find
them suspended between heaven and earth.” Kaʿb added: "And in
the borders and shores of al-Shām, there are a thousand graves of
the Prophets, and in Antioch, the grave of Ḥabīb al-Najjar, and in
Ḥimṣ, thirty graves, and in Damascus, five hundred graves, and
93
 in the land of Jordan the same, and in Palestine the same, and in

82 Jerusalem a thousand graves, and in al-Arish ten, and the grave of

Mūsā  is in Damascus.”72
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(72) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
94 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر بن نرص حدثنا أبو الفوارس الصابوين‬-83
‫بَّمرص حدثنا الربيع بن سليَّمان حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن إدريس الشافيع قال‬
.‫تويف عبًد املطلب بًدمشِق ودفِن بها‬
83
‫وروي أن أبا ادلرداء وواثلة بِن األسقع وفضالة بِن عبيًد وأسامة بِن‬
َ ُ َ
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه‬
ِ ‫زيًد وحَّفصة بنت عِمر وأم حبَيبة زوجيت رس‬
.‫وسلم وعًدة مِن الصحابة ماتوا بًدمشِق ودفنوا بها‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar ibn Naṣr narrated to us: Abū al-Fawārīs
al-Ṣābūnī in Egypt narrated to us: al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān narrated
to us: Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī said: “ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib died
in Damascus and was buried there.” It has been narrated that Abū
al-Dardā’, Wāthilah ibn al-Asqāʿ, Faḍālah ibn ʿUbayd, Usāmah ibn

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Zayd, Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar, and Umm Ḥabībah, the wives of the
Messenger of Allah , and several Companions died in Damascus
and were buried there.73

(73) This report is mawqūf. Imam al-Shāfiʿī is from the generation of the Tābiʿī
Tābiʿīn. 95
 ‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر حدثنا جعفر بن َحُمَّمد الكندي حدثنا‬-84

84 ‫إسحاق بن احلريص؟ حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا احلسن بن حيىي بن‬

‫اخلشين عن عثَّمان بن أيب العاتكة قال قبلة مسجًد دمشِق قرب هود‬
.‫انلِّيِب عليه السالم‬

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar narrated to us: Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-
Kindī narrated to us: Isḥāq ibn al-Ḥarīṣ narrated to us: Ḥishām ibn
ʿAmmār narrated to us: Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā al-Khushanī from ʿUthmān
ibn Abī al-ʿĀtīkah who said: “The Qiblah of the Grand Mosque of
Damascus is the grave of the Prophet Hūd .”74
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

96 (74) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن حدثنا أبو يعقوِب األذريع حدثنا شيخ ممن أثق‬-85
‫به حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن إبراهيم عن الويلد بن مسلم عن سعيد‬
َ �َ � َ
‫اِهَّلل بن سالم قال بالشام مِن قبور األنبياء ألَّفا‬
ِ ‫ول َعن َعب ِد‬
ُ � َ � َ
ٍ ‫َعن مكح‬
85
‫قرب وسبع مائة قرب وقرب موىس عليه السالم بًدمشِق فإن دمشِق معقَل‬
.‫انلاس يف آخر الزمان مِن املالحم‬

Narrated by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān: Abū Yaʿqūb al-Adhar reported from

a trusted shaykh, who narrated from Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn
Ibrāhīm, from al-Walīd ibn Muslim, from Saʿīd, from Makḥūl,
from ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām, who said: “In the Levant, there are one
thousand and seven hundred graves of the Prophets, and the grave
of Mūsā is in Damascus, for Damascus will be a refuge for people
in the end times amidst the great battles.”75

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(75) ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām does not attribute this statement to any authority from
the Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 97
 ‫ َعن ابن عباس ريض اهلل عنهَّما قال من أراد أن‬،‫ وبه عن مكحول‬-86
َ َ ِ ‫اُه ََما ِإَِل َ ٰٰى ٍَرْبْ ََو ٍٍة ََذ‬
86 ‫اٍر‬
ٍ ‫اِت َقَر‬
ُ َ ْ َ ‫َآ‬
‫يرى املوضع اذلي قال اهلل عز وجل ﴿َو�َوْيَن‬
]‫يٍن﴾ فليأُت انلريب األىلع بًدمشِق بني انلهريِن وَيْلصعًد [إىل‬ ََ
ٍ ِ‫َوَمِع‬
‫الغار جببَل قاسيون فليصَل فيه فإنه بيت عَيىس وأمه وهو اكن معقلهم‬
‫مِن اَيْلهود ومِن أراد أن ينَظر إىل إرم فليأُت نهرا يف حصِن دمشِق يقال‬
‫هل بردا ومِن أراد أن ينَظر إىل املقربة اليت فيها مريم بنت عِمران‬
.‫واحلواريون فليأُت مقربة الَّفراديس‬

Also reported by Makḥūl: Ibn ʿAbbās  said: “Whoever wishes to

see the location referred to by Allah, the Exalted, in His saying, ‘And
We sheltered them on a hill that is secure and a flowing spring,’
let him come to al-Nayrab al-ʿAʿlā in Damascus, between the two
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

rivers, and ascend to the cave on Mount Qasioun, and pray there,
for it is the house of ʿĪsā and his mother, and it was their refuge
from the Jews. And whoever wishes to see Iram should come to
a river in the fortress of Damascus called Baradā, and whoever
wishes to see the grave where Maryam bint ʿImrān and the disciples
are buried should come to the Farādis graveyard.’”76

98 (76) This report is mawqūf. Ibn ʿAbbās is a Companion.

 َ
‫ أخربنا أبُو احلسني عبد الوهاِب ب�ن جعفر حدثنا الفضل بن جعفر‬-87
‫اتلَّمييم املؤذن حدثنا عبد الرَمْحن بن القاسم اهلاشيم حدثنا أبو مسهر‬
‫حدثنا خادل بن يزيد [بن صالح] بن صبيح حدثنا حبيب الوصايب‬
87
‫[عن] دهم بن ربيعة أن كعب األحبار اكن يقول يف مقربة باب‬
.‫الَّفراديس يبعث منها سبعون ألف شهيًد يشَّفع لك إنسان يف سبعني‬

Narrated by Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Jaʿfar: al-Faḍl ibn

Jaʿfar al-Tamīmī, the mu’adhdhin, narrated from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān
ibn al-Qāsim al-Hāshimī, who narrated from Abū Mishar, who
narrated from Khālid ibn Yazīd ibn [ibn Ṣāliḥ] Sabīḥ, who reported
from Ḥabīb al-Wuṣābī [from] Dahm ibn Rabīʿah, that Kaʿb al-
Aḥbār used to say in the graveyard of Bāb al-Firādīs: “From it will
arise seventy thousand martyrs, each one of them interceding for

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

seventy people.” 77

(77) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 99
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أيب حدثنا أَمْحد بن عَّمري حدثنا أَمْحد‬-88

88 ‫بن عبد الواحد حدثنا أبو مسهر حدثنا خادل بن يزيد بن صالح أنه‬
‫سَّمع حبيب الوصايب وعَّمري بن ربيعة األوزايع حيدثان أن كعب‬
‫ يبعث منها سبعون ألف شهيًد‬:‫األحبار اكن يقول يف مقربة الفراديس‬
.‫يشَّفعون يف سبعني سبعني يعين لك رجَل منهم يف سبعني‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: My father narrated to me that

Aḥmad ibn ʿUmayr narrated to him, who narrated from Aḥmad
ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid, who narrated from Abū Mishar, who narrated
from Khālid ibn Yazīd ibn Ṣāliḥ, that he heard Ḥabīb al-Wuṣābī and
ʿUmayr ibn Rabīʿah al-Awzāʿī both narrating that Kaʿb al-Aḥbār said
in the graveyard of al-Firādīs: “Seventy thousand martyrs will arise
from it, each interceding for seventy people.” 78
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(78) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
100 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
 ‫� ال �َّر� ق‬
‫بو�‬ ‫ا� ِحد ي� �‬
‫�� �‬
‫‪Chapter on the hadith of the hill‬‬ ‫‪89‬‬
‫‪ -89‬أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن الفرج حدثنا‬
‫إبراهيم بن دحيم حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا الويلد حدثنا األوزايع‬
‫عن حسان بن عطية أن ملاك مِن ملوك بين إرسائيَل حرضِ املوُت‬
‫وأوىص بامللك لرجَل حىت يًدرك ابنه فاكنوا يؤملون أن يًدرك ابنه‬
‫فيِملِكونه ويكون ماكن أبيه قال فأىت عليه وقبض قال فجزعوا عليه‬
‫فلِما خرجوا جلنازته وفيهم عَيىس بِن مريم عليه السالم دنا مِن أمه‬
‫فقال هلا أرأيت إن أحييت لك ابنك أتؤمنني قالت نعم فًداع اهلل عز‬
‫وجَل فجعلت أكَّفانه تنحَل عنه حىت استوى جالسا فقالوا هذا عِمَل‬
‫َ ََْ‬

‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫ابِن الساحرة وطلبوِ حىت اْنتىه إىل شعب انلريب واعتصم منهم بقلعة‬
‫ىلع صخرة متعاَيْلة يف الربوة فأتاِ إبلَيس فقال جئت أعتذر إَيْلك مِن‬
‫رش هؤالء أنت لم تنافسهم يف دنياهم وال بشرب مِن األرض صنعوا بك‬
‫ما صنعوا فإذا ألقيت نَّفسك يف هذا املاكن فتلقاك روح القًدس‬
‫فيذهب بك إىل ربك فتسرتيح منهم فقال عَيىس عليه السالم يا‬
‫غوي الطويَل الغواية إين أجًد فيِما علِمين ريب أن ال أجرب ريب حىت‬
‫أعلم أراض عين أم ساخط يلع وزجرِ اهلل عنه فأقبلت عليهم أم‬
‫الغالم فقالت يا معرش بين إرسائيَل كنتم قبَل تبِكون وتشقون ثيابكم‬
‫جزاع عليه فلِما أحياِ اهلل أردتم قتله قالوا فِما تأمرينا قالت ائتوِ‬
‫فآمنوا به فأتوِ فقالوا خصلة بَيننا وبَينك إن أنت فعلتها آمنا بك‬
‫واتبعناك قال‪ :‬وما يه قالوا ْحَتيي نلا عزيرا قال دلوين ىلع قربِ فزنل‬
‫‪101‬‬
 ‫يِميش معهم حىت انتهوا به إىل قربِ قال فزنل فصىل ركعتني وداع فجعَل‬

89 ‫ينَّفرج عنه الرتاب حىت خرج وقًد ابيض نصف حليته ونصف رأسه‬
‫وهو يقول هذا فعلك يا ابِن مريم فقال ما أصنع بك هذا فعَل قومك‬
‫زعِموا أنهم ال يؤمنون يب وال يتبعوين حىت أحييك هلم وهذا يف هًدى‬
‫قومك يسري فأقبَل عليهم يعَظهم ويأمرهم باِإليِمان واتباعه فقال هل‬
‫ وأنت أسود الرأس واللحية فانلصف مِن رأسك قًد‬،‫قومه عهًدناك‬
‫ابيض قال إين سِمعت الصيحة فَظننتها دعوة ادلايع حىت أدركين ملك‬
.‫فقال إنِما يه دعوة ابِن مريم فانتىه الشيب إىل ما ترون‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn

al-Faraj narrated to us that Ibrāhīm ibn Duḥaym narrated from
Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār, who narrated from al-Walīd, from al-Awzāʿī,
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

from Ḥasan ibn ʿAtiyyah: A king from the kings of the Children of
Israel was nearing death and appointed a man as king until his son
could mature. They hoped that his son grow older and take over
the kingship. However, the king passed away, causing them great
distress. As they were taking his funeral out, among them was ʿĪsā
ibn Maryam . He approached his mother and said, “Did you see
that, if I resurrect your son, you would believe?” She said, “Yes.”
He then prayed to Allah, and his shrouds fell away from him until
he sat up. The people claimed, “This is the work of the sorcerer,”
and they sought him until he retreated to a fortress on a high rock
in the hillside. Then, Iblīs approached him and said, “I have come
to apologize for the harm done to you. You did not compete with
them for any worldly possessions. If you throw yourself into this
place, the Holy Spirit will meet you and take you to your Lord,
and you will be safe from them.” ʿĪsā  replied, “O you who are
102 long in misguidance, I find in what my Lord has taught me that
I should not test my Lord until I know if He is pleased with me
or angry.” Then, he was warned by Allah. The mother of the boy
came to them and said, “O Children of Israel, you were just crying
and tearing your garments in distress for him, and now that Allah
89
has resurrected him, you want to kill him.” They asked her, “What
do you command us?” She said, “Go to him and believe in him.”
They approached him and said, “We have a condition between us
and you: if you fulfill it, we will believe in you and follow you.” He
asked, “What is it?” They replied, “Bring ʿUzayr back to life for us.”
He said, “Show me his grave.” So he walked with them until they
reached his grave. He descended, prayed two rakʿahs, and then
called out, causing the soil to part until ʿUzayr appeared, half of
his beard and head white, and he said, “Is this your doing, O son
of Maryam?” ʿĪsā responded, “What can I do? This is what your
people claimed: they said they would not believe in me or follow

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

me until I brought you back to life. And this is for the guidance
of your people.” He then admonished them, commanding them to
believe and follow him. The people said, “We knew you when you
were black-haired and bearded, but now half of your head is white.”
He replied, “I heard the call, thinking it was the cry of the caller
until a king reached me, saying, ‘This is merely the call of the son of
Maryam,’ and that is why my hair turned white as you see.”79

(79) This report is mawqūf. Ḥasan ibn ʿAtiyyah is from the generation of the
Tābiʿī Tābiʿīn. 103
 ‫ا� ما ورد �ف� ا�مص� قشو� �ف� �ِح ��ٰل ق�ا� يٰ� �‬
‫شو�‬ ‫�� �‬
‫ف ي‬ ‫ي‬
‫‪90‬‬ ‫وال�عاء � ي�يه‬
‫‪Chapter on What Has Been Narrated About Prayer‬‬
‫‪on Mount Qasioun and Supplication Therein‬‬
‫َ‬
‫‪ -90‬أخربنا أبُو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن ُعَّمر اإلمام حدثنا أبو يعقوِب‬
‫األذريع حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد بن إبراهيم حدثنا هشام بن خادل عن‬
‫الويلد بن مسلم‪َ ،‬عن ابن جريج عن ُع �ر َوة‪َ ،‬عن أبيه‪ ،‬قال‪َ :‬سَّم ُ‬
‫عت يلع‬ ‫ِ‬
‫هلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم وسأهل رجل‬ ‫َُ ُ َ � ُ ُ‬
‫بن أيب طالب َيقول س َِّمعت رسول ا ِ‬
‫عن األمارات بدمشق فقال بها جبَل يقال هل قاسيون فيه قتَل ابِن آدم‬
‫أخاِ‪َ ،‬و ِيف أسَّفله مِن الغرب ودل إبراهيم وفيه أوى عَيىس ابِن مريم‬
‫وأمه مِن اَيْلهود وما مِن عبًد أىت معقَل روح اهلل فاغتسَل وصىل وداع‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫لم يردِ اهلل خائبا فقال رجَل يا رسول اهلل صَّفه نلا قال هو بالغوطة‬
‫مًدينة يقال هلا دمشِق وأزيًدكم أنه جبَل لكِمه اهلل وفيه ودل أيب‬
‫إبراهيم فِمِن أىت ذلك املوضع فال يعجز يف ادلاعء فقال رجَل يا رسول‬
‫اهلل أكان َيْلحىي بِن زكريا معقال قال نعم احرتس فيه حيىي بِن زكريا‬
‫مِن هًدار رجَل مِن اعد يف الغار اذلي ْحَتت دم ابِن آدم املقتول وفيه‬
‫احرتس إَيْلاس انلِّيِب عليه السالم مِن ملك قومه وفيه صىل إبراهيم‬
‫وموىس وعَيىس وأيوب فال تعجزوا يف ادلاعء فيه فإن اللهعز وجَل أنزل‬
‫ََْ ْ َ ُ‬ ‫ُْ ُ‬
‫ب ْلك ْْم﴾ فقال رجَل يا رسول اهلل رب يسِمع‬ ‫ج‬
‫يلع ﴿اِدعَونِٰى أِسُت ِ‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ َ ََ َ‬
‫﴿َوِإَذا َِسَأَلَك ع ََِباِدِي َع �ِّنِي‬ ‫ادلاعء أم كيف ذلك فأنزل اهلل عز وجَل‪:‬‬
‫اِن﴾‪.‬‬‫اِع ِإ ََذا َِدَع َ‬
‫ِ‬ ‫يب َِد ْع ََوَةَ َ‬
‫الِد‬ ‫ْيب ۖ أَُج ُ‬
‫َفَِإن �ٰى َقََر ٌ‬
‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِِ ِ‬
‫‪104‬‬
Narrated by Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar, the Imam:
Abū Yaʿqūb al-Adhrī reported from Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn
Ibrāhīm, from Ḥishām ibn Khalīd, from al-Walīd ibn Muslim, from
Ibn Jurayj, from ʿUrwah, from his father, who said: I heard ʿAlī ibn
90
Abī Ṭālib say: I heard the Messenger of Allah  when a man asked
him about the signs in Damascus. He said: “There is a mountain
called Qasioun, where the son of Adam killed his brother. At its
base to the west, Ibrāhīm was born, and there ʿĪsā ibn Maryam and
his mother took refuge from the Jews. Any servant who comes to the
sanctuary of the Spirit of Allah, performs ghusl (ritual purification),
prays, and makes supplication, will not be returned disappointed.”
A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, describe it to us.” He replied:
“It is in al-Ghūṭah, a city called Damascus. I will tell you more: it
is a mountain that Allah spoke to, and there my father Ibrāhīm
was born. So, whoever comes to that place should not be negligent

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

in their supplication.” Another man asked: “Was there a refuge for
Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyā?” He replied: “Yes, Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyā took
refuge there from the shout of a man from ʿĀd in the cave beneath
the blood of the slain son of Adam. There, the Prophet Ilyās took
refuge from the king of his people. There prayed Ibrāhīm, Mūsā,
ʿĪsa, and Ayyūb. Therefore, do not neglect to make supplication
there, for the Exalted has revealed: ‘Call upon Me; I will respond
to you.’” A man then asked: “Does our Lord hear supplications?
How does this happen?” Allah, the Exalted, revealed: “And when
My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed, I am near. I respond
to the supplicant when he calls upon Me.”80

(80) Hadith munkar. 105

 ‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أبو احلارث بن عَّمارة حدثين أيب حدثنا َحُمَّمد‬-91

91 ‫بن أَمْحد بن إبراهيم حدثنا هشام عن الويلد عن ابن جريج عن عروة‬

َ َ ُ ُ ْ َ ُ َُ
‫ سِمعت معاوية ُيقول س ِِمعت َرسول اِهَّللِ صىل‬:‫ عن أبيه قال‬،‫بن رويم‬
‫اهلل عليه وسلم وسأهل رجَل عِن دمشِق قال بها جبَل يقال هل قاسيون‬
.‫وذكر قريبا مِن احلًديث األول‬

Narrated by Tamām: Abū al-Ḥārith ibn ʿĀmarah narrated to me that

my father told me that Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm narrated
from Ḥishām, from al-Walīd, from Ibn Jurayj, from ʿUrwah ibn
Ruwaim, from his father, who said: I heard Muʿāwiyah say: I heard
the Messenger of Allah  when a man asked him about Damascus.
He said: “There is a mountain called Qasioun,” and he mentioned
something similar to the first hadith.81
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

106 (81) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد احلافظ حدثنا أبو يعقوِب األذريع حدثنا‬-92
‫َحُمَّمد عن هشام بن خادل عن سعيد عن مكحول عن كعب األحبار‬
‫ سِمعت أنه موضع احلاجاُت واملواهب مِن اهلل عز وجَل ال يرد‬:‫أنه قال‬
92
‫ عِن أبيه عِن جًدِ عِن سعيًد‬،‫ قال أبو يعقوب حًدثنا حمِمًد‬.‫سائال فيه‬
‫عِن مِكحول أنه قال قال يل كعب األحبار اتبعين فاتبعته حىت وصلنا‬
‫اغرا يف اجلبَل يقال هل قاسيون فصىل فيه وصليت معه فسِمعته جيتهًد‬
‫يف ادلاعء ثم سار حىت دخلنا املًدينة مِن باب الَّفراديس فسِمعته يقول‬
‫أيها انلاس أنا كعب األحبار وجًدُت يف ألواح شيث بِن آدم مرتني يقول‬
.‫الَّفراديس جنيت وإَيْلها جيتِمع أهَل حمبيت‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥāfiẓ: Abū Yaʿqūb al-

Adhraʿī narrated to us that Muḥammad narrated from Ḥishām ibn

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Khalīd from Saʿīd, from Makḥūl, from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, who said: “I
heard it is a place of needs and divine gifts from Allah, the Exalted,
where none who ask is turned away.” Abū Yaʿqūb added: Muḥammad
narrated to us from his father, from his grandfather, from Saʿīd,
from Makḥūl, who said that Kaʿb al-Aḥbār said to me: “Follow
me,” and I followed him until we reached a cave in the mountain
called Qasioun. He prayed in it, and I prayed with him. I heard
him striving in supplication. Then he walked until we entered the
city from the gate of al-Firādīs, where I heard him say: ‘O people, I
am Kaʿb al-Aḥbār. I found in the tablets of Shīth the son of Adam
that he said: “The Firādīs (Paradises) are My gardens, and to them
gather the people of My love.” 82

(82) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 107
 ‫‪ -93‬أخربنا تَّمام قال وأخربين أبو احلارث بن عَّمارة حدثين أيب حدثنا‬

‫‪93‬‬ ‫َحُمَّمد بن أَمْحد حدثنا هشام عن الويلد عن سعيد عن مكحول قال‪:‬‬

‫قال كعب األحبار اتبعين فاتبعته حىت وصلنا إىل اغر يف جبَل يقال هل‬
‫قاسيون فصىل وصليت معه فسِمعته جيتهًد يف ادلاعء ثم سار حىت‬
‫وصلنا إىل مسجًد يف أسَّفَل اجلبَل فصىل وصليت معه فسِمعته جيتهًد‬
‫يف ادلاعء ثم سار حىت دخلنا املًدينة مِن باب الَّفراديس فسِمعته يقول‬
‫ياأيها انلاس أنا كعب األحبار وجًدُت يف ألواح شيث بِن آدم أن اهلل عز‬
‫وجَل يقول الَّفراديس جنيت وإَيْلها جيتِمع أهَل عناييت فقلت سِمعتك‬
‫تًدعو سِمعتك تًدعو جمتهًدا فَّفيم ذلك قال سألت اهلل عز وجَل أن‬
‫يصلح بني هذيِن الرجلني يلع ومعاوية ريض اهلل عنهِما وسأتله أن‬
‫يرزقين كَّفافا وودلا ذكرا ثم لقيته بعًد ذلك فسأتله فقال قًد واهلل‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫استجاب يل ورزقين ودلا ذكرا وبعث إَيْله معاوية ألف درهم وكسوة‬
‫وكتب معاوية إىل يلع ريض اهلل عنهِما يسأهل الصلح والِكف عِن‬
‫احلرب فاصطلحا وتكاتبا ىلع ذلك‪.‬‬

‫‪Narrated by Tamām: Abū al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAmmārah narrated to me‬‬

‫‪that my father told me that Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad narrated from‬‬
‫‪Ḥishām, from al-Walīd, from Saʿīd, from Makḥūl, who said: Kaʿb al-‬‬
‫‪Aḥbār said: “Follow me,” and I followed him until we reached a cave‬‬
‫‪in a mountain called Qasioun. He prayed there, and I prayed with‬‬
‫‪him. I heard him striving in supplication. He then walked until we‬‬
‫‪reached a mosque at the foot of the mountain. He prayed there,‬‬
‫‪and I prayed with him. I heard him striving in supplication. Then‬‬
‫‪he walked until we entered the city from the gate of al-Firādīs,‬‬
‫‪where I heard him say: “O people, I am Kaʿb al-Aḥbār. I found in‬‬
‫‪108‬‬
the tablets of Shīth that Allah, the Exalted, says: ‘The Firādīs are
My gardens, and to them gather the people of My care.’” I said:
“I heard you making earnest supplication; for what did you pray?”
He replied: “I asked Allah, the Exalted, to reconcile between these
93
two men, ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah . I also asked Him to grant me
sufficiency and a male child.” Later, I met him and asked him, and
he said: “By Allah, He has answered me and granted me a male
child.” Muʿāwiyah sent him a thousand dirhams and clothing, and
Muʿāwiyah wrote to ʿAlī , asking for peace and to refrain from
fighting. They reconciled and agreed on that.83

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(83) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 109
 � �‫ا� ما ورد �ف� ف�غو� قط‬
�‫دم� قش‬ � ��
‫ي‬
94 Chapter on the Mentioning of the Blessed
Mountains
َ ‫ أخربنا أَبُو َُحُمَ ََّم ٍد ََعب� ُد‬-94
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن �ْب ُن عثَّمان حدثنا أبو يلع احلسن بن‬
‫حبيب حدثنا أبو داود بن األشعث حدثنا أبو توبة حدثنا ابن مهاجر‬
‫عن ابن حلبس قال أرشف عيىس بن مريم عليه السالم ىلع الغوطة‬
‫ يا غوطة إن عجز الغين أن جيِمع منك كزنا لم يعجز املسِكني أن‬:‫فقال‬
.‫يشبع منك خزبا‬

Narrated by Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUthmān: Abū

ʿAlī al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us that Abū Dāwūd ibn al-
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Ashʿath narrated to us that Abū Ṭawbah narrated to us from Ibn

Muhājir about Ibn Ḥalbas, who said: ʿĪsā ibn Maryam  looked
over al-Ghūṭah and said: “O al-Ghūṭah, if the rich man is unable
to gather a treasure from you, the poor man is not unable to fill
himself with bread from you.”84

110 (84) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

 ‫�ا� �دكَّر ال�ج�ٰال ال� قل� ق‬
�‫يدس‬ �� � �
Chapter on What Has Been Narrated About the
Sacred Mountains Before Allah, the Exalted
95
‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أَمْحد بن سليَّمان بن حذلم حدثنا أيب‬-95
‫حدثنا سليَّمان بن عبد الرَمْحن حدثنا عياش حدثنا سليَّمان بن سليم‬
‫عن حيىي بن جابر عن يزيد بن ميرسة قال أربعة أجبَل مقًدسة بني‬
‫يًدي اهلل عز وجَل طور زيتا بيت املقًدس وطور سَينا طور موىس‬
.‫وطور تَينا مسجًد دمشِق وطور تيِمانا‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān ibn

Hudhlum narrated to us, my father narrated to us, and Sulaymān

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to us from ʿAyyāsh, who narrated from
Sulaymān ibn Sulaym from Yaḥyā ibn Jābir from Yazīd ibn Mayṣarah,
who said: “There are four sacred mountains before Allah, the
Exalted: Mount Zaytā (Zaytunah) in Jerusalem, Mount Sinai
(Ṭūr Sīnā), Mount Ṭāyinā (the Mosque of Damascus), and Mount
Taymānā.”85

(85) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 111

 ‫ا� ما �ِحاء �ف� ف� �فصل ال� فٰ� ق‬
�‫ٰار‬ � ��
‫ي‬
96 Chapter on What Has Been Narrated regarding the
Cave of Blood

‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل حدثنا أَمْحد بن‬-96
‫أنس حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا إبراهيم بن أعني حدثنا طلحة بن‬
‫زيد عن عبد اهلل بن يزيد عن املخارق بن ميرسة عن عَّمرو بن جابر‬
‫الشعباين قال كنت مع كعب األحبار ىلع جبل دير مران فرأى ملعة‬
‫سائلة يف اجلبل فقال هاهنا قتَل ابِن آدم أخاِ هذا أثر دمه جعله اهلل‬
.‫عز وجَل آية للعاملني ومصىل للِمتقني‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh narrated

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

to us, Aḥmad ibn Anas narrated to us, and Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār
narrated to us, and Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAyn narrated to us from Ṭalḥah
ibn Zayd from ʿAbdullāh ibn Yazīd from al-Mukhārīq ibn Mayṣarah
from ʿAmr ibn Jābir al-Shaʿbānī who said: I was with Kaʿb al-Aḥbār
on Mount Dayr Marān, and he saw a glowing spot on the mountain
and said: “Here is where the son of Adam killed his brother; this is
the trace of his blood, which Allah, the Exalted, made a sign for the
worlds and a place of prayer for the pious.”86

(86) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
112 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
‫ سَّمعت‬:‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا إبراهيم بن مروان قال‬-97
‫أَمْحد بن بالس يقول سَّمعت عبد الرَمْحن بن حيىي بن إسَّماعيل عن‬
‫عبد اهلل بن أيب املهاجر يقول اكن خارج باب السااعُت صخرة يوضع‬
97
‫عليها القربان فِما تقبَل منه جاءُت نار فأحرقته وما لم يتقبَل منه بيق‬
‫ىلع حاهل واكن هابيَل صاحب غنم واكن مزنهل يف مقرى واكن قابيَل يف‬
‫قينية واكن صاحب زرَع واكن آدم يف بيت أبياُت واكنت حواء يف بيت‬
‫هليا قال فجاء هابيَل بكبش سِمني مِن غنِمه فجعله ىلع الصخرة‬
‫فأخذته انلار قال وجاء قابيَل بقِمح مِن غلته فوضعه ىلع الصخرة‬
‫فبيق ىلع حاهل فحسًدِ قال وتبعه يف هذا اجلبَل قال فأراد قتله فلم يًدر‬
‫كيف يقتله قال فجاء إبلَيس فأخذ حجرا فرضب رأس نَّفسه قال‬
‫ فصاحت حواء فقال هلا‬:‫فأخذ هو حجرا فرضب رأس أخيه فقتله قال‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

.‫آدم عليك وىلع بناتك ال يلع وال ىلع بين‬

Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad narrated to us, and I heard Aḥmad

ibn Balās say: “I heard ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yaḥyā ibn Ismāʿīl from
ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī al-Muhājir say: There was a rock outside the
Gate of the Hours upon which offerings were placed. What was
accepted by Allah was consumed by fire, while what was not
accepted remained as it was. Hābīl was a shepherd and his home
was in Maqar, while Qābīl was a farmer in Qainiya, and Adam was
in his abode, and Ḥawwāʾ was in her home. Hābīl came with a fat
ram from his flock and placed it on the rock, and the fire took it.
Then Qābīl brought some of his grain and placed it on the rock,
and it remained as it was. Out of jealousy, he followed him to this
mountain, intending to kill him, but he did not know how to do
so. Then Satan came and took a stone and struck his own head, 113
 and Qābīl took a stone and struck his brother’s head, killing him.

97 Ḥawwāʾ cried out, and Adam said to her: “Upon you and your
daughters, not upon me or my sons.”87
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

114 (87) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ سَّمعت َحُمَّمد بن يوسف اهلروي‬:‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد قال‬-98
‫يقول سَّمعت أبا زرعة عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمرو يقول سألت أبا مسهر عِن‬
‫خرب مغارة ادلم فقال مغارة ادلم موضع احلِمرة موضع احلوائج يعين‬
98
.‫بذلك ادلاعء فيها والصالة‬

Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad narrated to us, and I heard Muḥammad

ibn Yūsuf al-Ḥarawī say: “I heard Abū Zurʿah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn
ʿAmr say: “I asked Abū Mishar about the report of the Cave of
Blood. He said: ‘The Cave of Blood is a place of redness, a place of
needs, meaning for supplication and prayer therein.’”88

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(88) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 115

 ‫‪ -99‬أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر أخربنا أبو يعقوِب األذريع حدثنا‬

‫‪99‬‬ ‫الص ََّمد وأَمْحد بن املعىل وسليَّمان بن أيوِب بن حذلم‬

‫َُ‬ ‫� ُ َ �ََ‬
‫َمْحد ب � ِن َحُم ََّم ِد‬
‫يزيد بن عبد َ‬

‫وأَمْحد بن إبراهيم وَحُمَّمد بن يزيد وَحُمَّمد بن هارون ْبن أ‬

‫ب � ِن عثَّمان وَحُمَّمد بن سعيد وغريهم من مشاخينا يقولون‪ :‬سَّمعنا هشام‬
‫ُ َ‬
‫وسليَّمان بن عبد الرَمْحن وأَمْحد بن أيب‬ ‫بن عَّمار وهشام بن خادل‪،‬‬
‫احلواري والقاسم بن عثَّمان اجلويع وعياش بن عثَّمان وَحُمَّمود بن‬
‫خادل يقولون‪ :‬سَّمعنا الويلد بن مسلم يقول سَّمعت ابن عياش يقول‪:‬‬
‫اكن أهَل دمشِق إذا احتبس عليهم املطر‪ ،‬أو غال سعرهم‪ ،‬أو اغر‬
‫عليهم سلطان‪ ،‬أو اكنت ألحًدهم حاجة صعًدوا إىل موضع ابِن آدم‬
‫املقتول فَيسألون اهلل عز وجَل فيعطيهم ما سألوا‪ .‬قال هشام ولقًد‬
‫صعًدُت مع أيب ومجاعة مِن أهَل دمشِق نسأل اهلل عز وجَل السقيا‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫فأرسَل اهلل عز وجَل علينا مطرا غزيرا حىت أقِمنا يف املغارة اليت ْحَتت‬
‫ادلم ثالثة أيام ثم دعونا أن يرفع عنا وقًد رويت األرض‪ .‬قال هشام‪:‬‬
‫سِمعت الوَيْلًد بِن مسلم يقول سِمعت سعيًد بِن عبًد العزيز يقول‬
‫صعًدنا يف خالفة هشام بِن عبًد امللك إىل موضع دم ابِن آدم نسأل اهلل‬
‫سقيا فأتانا فأقِمنا يف املغارة ستة أيام‪ .‬قال الوَيْلًد قال سعيًد وبهذا‬
‫ُ‬
‫احلًديث حًدثين مِكحول عِن نَّفسه أنه صعًد مع عِمر بِن عبًد العزيز‬
‫إىل موضع دم ابِن آدم نسأل اهلل سقيا يسقينا فأسقاهم‪ .‬قال مِكحول‬
‫وسِمعت مِن يذكر أن معاوية خرج باملسلِمني إىل موضع ادلم يسألون‬
‫اهلل أن يسقيهم فلم يربحوا حىت جرُت األودية‪ .‬قال مِكحول‪ :‬سِمعت‬
‫كعب األحبار يقول إنه موضع احلاجاُت واملواهب مِن اهلل عز وجَل‬
‫‪116‬‬ ‫فإنه ال يرد سائال يف ذلك املوضع‪ .‬قال هشام بِن عِمار‪ :‬وسِمعت مِن‬
‫يذكر عِن كعب أنه قال إن إَيْلاس اختىف مِن ملك قومه يف الغار اذلي‬
‫ْحَتت ادلم عرش سنني حىت أهلك اهلل امللك ووَيْلهم غريِ فأتاِ إَيْلاس‬
‫فعرض عليه اِإلسالم فأسلم وأسلم مِن قومه خلِق عَظيم غري عرشة‬
‫‪99‬‬
‫آالف منهم فأمر بهم فقتلهم عِن آخرهم‪ .‬قال هشام وسِمعت مِن يرفع‬
‫َُ ُ َ ْ ُ‬ ‫َ ُ‬
‫احلًديث إىل وهب بِن منبه أنه قال‪ :‬س ِِمعت ابِن عباس ُيقول س ِِمعت‬
‫ُ‬
‫رسول اهللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول اجتِمع الِكَّفار يتشاورون يف‬
‫أمري فقال انلَ ي‬
‫ِّيِب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يا َيْلتين بالغوطة بِمًدينة يقال‬
‫ِ‬
‫هلا دمشِق حىت آيِت املوضع مستغاث األنبياء حيث قتَل ابِن آدم أخاِ‬
‫فأسأل اهلل أن يهلك قويم فإنهم ظاملون ‪ ،‬فأتاِ جربيَل فقال يا حمِمًد‬
‫ائت بعض جبال مِكة فأو إىل بعض اغراتها فإنها معقلك مِن قومك‬
‫ِّيِب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم وأبو بكر ريض اهلل عنه حىت‬ ‫قال فخرج انلَ ي‬

‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫ِ‬
‫أتيا اجلبَل فوجًدا اغرا كثري ادلواب فجعَل أبو بكر ريض اهلل عنه‬
‫َُ ُ‬
‫يِمزق رداءِ ويسًد اثلغور واثلقب وانلِّيِب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ُيقول‬
‫َ‬
‫امهلل ال تنساها أليب بكر وذكر احلًديث بطوهل‪ .‬وعِن مِكحول‪ ،‬عِن‬
‫ابِن عباس ريض اهلل عنهِما قال موضع ابِن آدم يف جبَل قاسيون موضع‬
‫رشيف اكن حيىي بِن زكريا وأمه فيه أربعني اعما وصىل فيه عَيىس بِن‬
‫مريم واحلواريون فلو كنت أتَيته لسألت اهلل أن يغَّفر لعبًدِ ابِن‬
‫عباس يوم حيرش البرش فِمِن أىت ذلك املوضع فال يقرص عِن الصالة‬
‫َ ََْ ُ َ َ ْ‬
‫آويناهِما إِىل َرب َو ٍة‬‫وادلاعء فيه فإنه موضع احلوائج ومِن أراد أن يرى {و‬
‫ار ومعني} فليأُت انلريب األىلع بني انلهريِن وَيْلصعًد إىل الغار‬ ‫َذاُت َق َ‬
‫ر‬
‫ٍ‬ ‫ِ‬
‫يف جبَل قاسيون فليصَل فيه فإنه بيت عَيىس وأمه عليهِما السالم‬
‫وهو اكن معقلهم مِن اَيْلهود ومِن أراد أن انلَظر إىل إرم فلينَظر نهرا يف‬ ‫‪117‬‬
 ‫حصِن دمشِق يقال هل بردا ومِن أراد أن ينَظر املقربة اليت فيها مريم‬

99 .‫بنت عِمران واحلواريون فليأُت مقربة الَّفراديس‬

Narrated by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar: Abū Yaʿqūb al-Adhraʿī

reported from Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamād, Aḥmad ibn al-Maʿlā,
Sulaymān ibn ʿAyyūb ibn Ḥudhlum, Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm,
Muḥammad ibn Yazīd, Muḥammad ibn Hārūn, Aḥmad ibn
Muḥammad ibn ʿUthmān, Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd, and others from
our shaykhs who said: We heard Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār and Ḥishām
ibn Khalid, Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, Aḥmad ibn Abū al-
Ḥawārī, al-Qāsim ibn ʿUthmān al-Juʿī, ʿAyyāsh ibn ʿUthmān, and
Maḥmūd ibn Khalid say: We heard al-Walīd ibn Muslim say: I heard
Ibn ʿAyyāsh say: “The people of Damascus would ascend to the
place where the son of Adam was killed when the rain was withheld
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

from them, or the prices rose, or if a ruler threatened them, or if

anyone among them had a need. They would ask Allah, the Exalted,
and He would grant them what they requested.” Ḥishām said:
“Indeed, I ascended with my father and a group from the people of
Damascus to ask Allah for rain, and Allah sent upon us heavy rain,
so we remained in the cave under the blood for three days until we
called for it to be lifted, and the ground was watered.” Ḥishām said:
“I heard al-Walīd ibn Muslim say: I heard Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
say: ‘We ascended in the caliphate of Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik to
the place of the blood of the son of Adam asking Allah for rain, and
we stayed in the cave for six days.’ Al-Walīd said: ‘Saʿīd told me this
ḥadīth, and he narrated it from Makḥūl himself that he ascended
with ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz to the place of the blood of the son of
Adam asking Allah for rain, and Allah provided for them.’ Makḥūl
also said: ‘I heard that Muʿāwiyah went out with the Muslims to the
place of blood asking Allah to water them, and they did not leave
118
until the valleys flowed.’ Makḥūl said: ‘I heard Kaʿb al-Aḥbār say:
“It is the place of needs and gifts from Allah, for no one is turned
away from that place.”’” 89 99

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(89) This report is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt tradition. 119

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام أخربين أبو احلارث حدثين أيب حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن إبراهيم‬-100

100 ‫ سَّمعت الويلد يقول سَّمعت سعيد بن عبد العزيز‬:‫حدثنا هشام قال‬
‫ حًدثين مِكحول أنه صعًد مع عِمر بِن عبًد العزيز ريض اهلل عنه‬:‫قال‬
.‫إىل موضع ادلم فسأل اهلل أن يسقينا فسقانا‬

‫قال مِكحول وخرج معاوية واملسلِمون إىل موضع ادلم يستسقون فلم‬
.‫يربحوا حىت سالت األودية‬

‫وروي عن الزهري أنه قال لو يعلم انلاس ما يف مغارة ادلم من الفضل‬

.‫ملا هنأهم طعام وال رشاِب إال فيها‬

Narrated by Tamam: Abū al-Ḥārith narrated to me, my father

narrated to me, Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to us, and Ḥishām
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

said: I heard al-Walīd say: I heard Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz say: Makḥūl
told me that he ascended with ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz  to the
place of blood and asked Allah for rain, and He granted us rain.
Makhlūl said: “Muʿāwiyah and the Muslims went to the place of
blood to seek water, and they did not leave until the valleys flowed.”

Al-Zuhrī narrated that if people knew the virtue of the Cave of

Blood, they would not enjoy food or drink except in it.

120
‫ سَّمعت من يذكر عن كعب أنه‬:‫ وبإسناده عن هشام بن عَّمار قال‬-101
‫قال إن إَيْلاس اختىف مِن ملك قومه يف الغار اذلي ْحَتت ادلم عرش‬
‫سنني حىت أهلك اهلل امللك ووَيْلهم غريِ فأتاِ إَيْلاس يعرض عليه‬
101
.‫اِإلسالم فأسلم وأسلم مِن قومه كثري‬

With his chain of narration from Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār, who said:
I heard it mentioned that Kaʿb said: “Ilyās hid from the king of
his people in the cave under the blood for ten years until Allah
destroyed the king and appointed another in his place. Then Ilyās
came to him, inviting him to Islam, and he embraced Islam along
with many of his people.”90

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(90) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt. 121
 ‫‪ -102‬أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو يعقوِب األذريع حدثنا أَمْحد بن‬

‫‪102‬‬ ‫كثري قال صعًدُت إىل موضع ادلم يف جبَل قاسيون فسألت اهلل عز‬
‫وجَل احلج فحججت وسأتله اجلهاد فجاهًدُت وسأتله الرباط فرابطت‬
‫وسأتله الصالة يف بيت املقًدس فصليت وسأتله أن يغنَيين عِن ابليع‬
‫والرشاء فرزقت ذلك لكه ولقًد رأيت يف املنام كأين يف ذلك املوضع‬
‫قائِما أصيل فإذا انلَ ي‬
‫ِّيِب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‪ ،‬وأبو بكر وعِمر ريض اهلل‬‫ِ‬
‫عنهِما وهابيَل بِن آدم فقلت هل أسألك حبِق الواحًد الصِمًد وحبِق أبيك‬
‫آدم وحبِق هذا انلِّيِب هذا دمك قال إي والواحًد الصِمًد هذا ديم جعله‬
‫اهلل آية للناس وإين دعوُت اهلل رب أيب آدم وأيم حواء وحمِمًد املصطىف‬
‫صىل اهلل عليهم أن جيعَل ديم مستغاثا للك نِّيِب وصًديِق ومؤمِن داع‬
‫فيه فتجيبه وسألك فتعطيه فاستجاب اهلل يل وجعله طاهرا آمنا‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫وجعَل هذا اجلبَل أمنا ومغيثا ثم ولك اهلل عز وجَل به ملاك وجعَل معه‬
‫مِن املالئكة بعًدد انلجوم حيَّفَظون مِن أتاِ ال يريًد إال الصالة فيه‬
‫ُ‬
‫فقال يل رسول اهللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يف املنام قًد فعَل اهلل تعاىل‬
‫ذلك كرما وإحسانا وإين آتيه لك مخَيس وصاحباي وهابيَل فنصيل‬
‫فيه‪.‬‬

‫‪Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Abū Yaʿqūb al-Adhraʿī‬‬

‫‪reported from Aḥmad ibn Kathīr who said: “I ascended to the place‬‬
‫‪of the blood on Mount Qasioun and asked Allah, the Exalted, for‬‬
‫‪Hajj, and I performed Hajj. I asked for jihad, and I engaged in‬‬
‫‪jihad. I asked for steadfastness, and I remained steadfast. I asked‬‬
‫‪for prayer in Jerusalem, and I prayed there. I asked Allah to provide‬‬
‫‪me with sustenance without selling or buying, and He granted me‬‬
‫‪122‬‬
all of that. I saw in a dream that I was in that place standing in
prayer, and suddenly the Prophet , Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar 
appeared with Hābīl, son of Adam. I said to him: ‘I ask you by the
One, the Eternal, and by your father Adam, and by this Prophet,
102
this is your blood.’ He said: ‘Yes, by the One, the Eternal, this is
my blood, which Allah made a sign for the people. I called upon
Allah, the Lord of my father Adam and my mother Ḥawwā’, and
Muḥammad the Chosen, may Allah bless them, to make my blood
a refuge for every Prophet, truthful one, and believer who calls
upon it. You will respond to him and grant him what he seeks.’ So
Allah responded to me and made it pure and secure, and made this
mountain a refuge and a source of aid. Allah appointed an angel
to it, along with angels equal in number to the stars, to protect
those who come to it intending only to pray in it. The Messenger of
Allah  told me in the dream: ‘Indeed, Allah has done this out of

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

generosity and kindness, and I come to it every Thursday with my
companions, and Hābīl, so we pray in it.’”91

(91) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 123

 ‫�ا� ف� �فصل الم�ٰ�جد �‬
‫� �� �� �ر� ق� و�شو �‬
‫مسحد اإ ��َّرا� يٰ�م‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ال�‬ ‫�‬ ‫� �‬
‫‪103‬‬ ‫ق‬
‫عل�يه ا�مصلا� السلام‬
‫‪Chapter on The Virtues of the Mosque at Barzah‬‬
‫ي‬

‫)‪(the Mosque of Ibrāhīm‬‬

‫َ‬
‫‪ -103‬أخربنا تَّمام ب�ن َُحُمَ ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل الرازي رَمْحه اهلل أخربنا أبُو َ ّ‬
‫يلع‬
‫ِ‬
‫�َ َ ُ � ُ َ � َ َ‬
‫َمْحد وكيل جامع دمشق حدثنا حيىي بن َحُمَّمد بن سهل بن‬ ‫احلسن ْبن أ‬
‫عبيد اهلل حدثين َحُمَّمود بن خادل عن الويلد بن مسلم عن األوزايع‬
‫عن حسان بن عطية قال أاغر ملك نبط هذا اجلبَل ىلع لوط فسباِ‬
‫َ‬
‫وأهله فبلغ إبراهيم خليَل اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم ذلك فأقبَل يف‬
‫طلبه يف عًدة أهَل بًدر ثالثة مائة وثالثة عرش فاتلىق هو وملك اجلبَل‬
‫يف صحراء يعَّفور فعبأ إبراهيم عليه السالم ميِمنة ومَيرسة وقلبا واكن‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫أول مِن عىب احلرب هِكذا فاقتتلوا فهزمه إبراهيم عليه السالم‬
‫واستنقذ لوطا وأهله عليه السالم فأىت هذا املوضع اذلي يف برزة فصىل‬
‫فيه واختذِ مسجًدا‪.‬‬

‫قال وعِن الزهري أنه قال مسجًد إبراهيم صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يف قرية‬
‫يقال هلا برزة فِمِن صىل فيه أربع ركعاُت خرج مِن ذنوبه كيوم ودلته‬
‫أمه ويسأل اهلل ما شاء فإنه ال يرد خائبا‪.‬‬

‫‪Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Abū al-Ḥārith Aḥmad ibn‬‬

‫‪Muḥammad ibn ʿAmmār narrated from al-Walīd ibn Muslim from‬‬
‫‪al-Awzāʿī from Ḥasan ibn ʿAṭiyyah who said: “The king of the‬‬
‫‪Nabateans raided this mountain and captured Lūṭ and his family.‬‬
‫‪When this reached Ibrāhīm, the Khalīl of Allah , he came‬‬
‫‪124‬‬
in pursuit of him with the number of the people of Badr, three
hundred and thirteen. Ibrāhīm  met the king of the mountain
in the desert of Yafūr. He arranged his troops into right and left
flanks and a center, and he was the first to arrange the troops in this
103
manner. They fought, and Ibrāhīm  defeated him and rescued
Lūṭ and his family. He came to this place in Barzāh, prayed in it,
and made it a mosque.”92

Al-Zuhrī said: “The Mosque of Ibrāhīm  is in a village called

Barzah, and whoever prays four rakʿahs in it will come out of his
sins as the day his mother bore him, and he may ask Allah for
whatever he desires, for He does not turn away a supplicant empty-
handed.”

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(92) This report is mawqūf. Ḥasan ibn ʿAtiyyah is from the generation of the
Tābiʿī Tābiʿīn. 125
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو احلارث أَمْحد بن َحُمَّمد بن عَّمار‬-104
َ� �َ ُ � ُ َ
104 ‫يز َع �ن مكحول عن ابن‬
َ
ِ ‫عن الويلد بن مسلم عن س ِعيد ْبن َعب ِد الع ِز‬
‫عباس ريض اهلل عنه أنه قال ودل إبراهيم عليه السالم بغوطة دمشِق‬
.‫يف قرية يقال هلا برزة يف جبَل يقال هل قاسيون‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Abū al-Ḥārith narrated to

me, and my father narrated to me from al-Walīd ibn Muslim from
Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz from Makḥūl from Ibn ʿAbbās , who said:
“Ibrāhīm  was born in the Ghūṭah of Damascus in a village called
Barzah, in a mountain called Qasioun.”93
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

126 (93) This report is mawqūf. Ibn ʿAbbās is a Companion.

 � �‫� ي� �� �رل ف� ي�يه ع ي�سى �ا‬
‫ِن‬ ‫ي‬
� ‫شو�ٰع‬
�‫ال‬ � �‫ا� �دكَّر ال‬
� ��
�‫دم� قش‬
� ‫مِن‬ � ،‫عل�هما السلام‬ ‫مَّر�م ي‬
Chapter on What Has Been Narrated About the
‫ي‬ 105
Descent of Jesus (ʿĪsā) from damascus

‫ أخربنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر أخربنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن‬-105
‫القاسم بن معروف حدثنا أبو زرعة عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمرو حدثين َحُمَّمد‬
‫بن زرعة الرعيين حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن شعيب حدثين يزيد بن عبيدة‬
َ َُ
‫اِهَّلل صىل‬
ِ ‫ول‬ ِ ‫حدثين أبو األشعث عن أوس بن أوس اثلقيف أنه سَّمع رس‬
‫ عنًد‬،‫ عليهِما السالم‬،‫اهلل عليه وسلم يقول يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم‬
.‫املنارة ابليضاء رشيق دمشِق‬

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Narrated by Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar: Abū Bakr
Aḥmad ibn al-Qāsim ibn Maʿrūf narrated to us, who said: Abū
Zurʿah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAmr narrated to me from Muḥammad
ibn Zurʿah al-Rāʿīnī, who narrated from Muḥammad ibn Shuʿayb,
who narrated from Yazīd ibn ʿUbaydah, who narrated from Abū al-
Ashʿath from Aws ibn Aws al-Thaqafī that he heard the Messenger of
Allah  say: “ʿĪsā ibn Maryam  will descend at the white minaret
east of Damascus.”94

(94) An authentic hadith, narrated by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr (1/217,

no. 590). 127
 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا أبو بكر أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن الفرج‬-106

106 ‫ادلمشيق الربايم حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن الفيض بن َحُمَّمد الفياض حدثنا‬

‫هشام بن خادل حدثنا الويلد بن مسلم حدثين ربيعة عن نافع بن‬
َ َ َُ ُ � َ
‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
ِ ‫كيسان عن أبيه كيسان قال س َِّمعت رسول‬
‫ عنًد املنارة ابليضاء رشيق‬،‫ عليهِما السالم‬،‫يقول يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم‬
.‫دمشِق‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad: Abū Bakr Aḥmad ibn

ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Faraj al-Dimashqī al-Baramī narrated to us, who
said: Muḥammad ibn al-Fayḍ ibn Muḥammad al-Fayyāḍ narrated to
us from Hishām ibn Khalid, who narrated from al-Walīd ibn Muslim,
who narrated to me from Rabīʿah from Nāfiʿ ibn Kaysān from his
father Kaysān, who said: “I heard the Messenger  say: ‘ʿĪsā ibn
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Maryam  will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus.’”95

128 (95) Its chain of transmission is authentic, as narrated by Ibn ʿAsākir (1/216-217).
‫الص ََّمد بن عبد‬‫‪ -107‬وأخربنا تَّمام أخربنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو َحُمَّمد عبد َ‬
‫اهلل بن أيب يزيد أخربنا العباس بن الويلد أخربين أيب حدثنا َسع ُ‬
‫يد �ْب ُن‬ ‫ِ‬
‫يز َع �ن شيخ أنه سَّمع اَعبس احلرضيم قال‪ :‬خيرج عَيىس بِن‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ� �َ‬
‫َعب ِد الع ِز ِ‬
‫‪107‬‬
‫مريم عليهِما السالم عنًد املنارة عنًد باب رشيق ثم يأيِت مسجًد دمشِق‬
‫حىت يقعًد ىلع املنرب ويًدخَل املسلِمون املسجًد وانلصارى واَيْلهود‬
‫ولكهم يرجوِ حىت لو ألقيت شَيئا لم يصب إال رأس إنسان مِن كرثتهم‬
‫ويأيِت مؤذن املسلِمني فيقوم ويأيِت صاحب بوق اَيْلهود ويأيِت صاحب‬
‫بوق انلصارى فيقول صاحب اَيْلهود اقرَع فيِكتب سهم املسلِمني‬
‫وسهم انلصارى وسهم اَيْلهود ثم يقرَع عَيىس فيخرج سهم املسلِمني‬
‫فيقول صاحب اَيْلهود إن القرعة ثالث فيقرَع فيخرج سهم املسلِمني‬
‫ثم يقرَع اثلاثلة فيخرج سهم املسلِمني فيؤذن املؤذن وخيرج اَيْلهود‬

‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫وانلصارى مِن املسجًد ثم خيرج يبتيغ ادلجال بِمِن معه مِن أهَل دمشِق‬
‫ثم يأيِت بيت املقًدس ويه معقله قًد حرصها ادلجال فيأمر بَّفتح‬
‫األبواب ويتبعه حىت يًدركه بباب دل ويذوب كِما يذوب الشِمع ويقول‬
‫عَيىس عليه السالم إن يل فيه رضبة فيرضبه فيقتله اهلل ىلع يًديه‬
‫فيِمِكث يف املسلِمني ثالثني سنة‪ ،‬أو أربعني سنة اهلل أعلم أي‬
‫العًدديِن قال فيخرج ىلع إثرِ يأجوج ومأجوج فيهلك اهلل ىلع يًديه‬
‫يأجوج ومأجوج وال يبىق منهم عني تطرف وترد إىل األرض بركتها‬
‫حىت إن العصابة جيتِمعون يف العنقود وىلع الرمانة ويزنَع اهلل مِن لك‬
‫ذاُت محة محتها وذكر الكما انقطع مِن الِكتاب حىت أن احلية تكون‬
‫مع الصِّيِب واألسًد مع ابلقرة ال يرضِ شَيئا ثم يبعث اهلل رحيا طيبة‬
‫تقبض روح لك مؤمِن ويبىق رشار انلاس تقوم عليهم الساعة‪.‬‬ ‫‪129‬‬
 Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad narrated to us: Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdul

107 Ṣamad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Yazīd narrated to us from al-ʿAbbās
ibn al-Walīd, who narrated to me from my father, who narrated to
us from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbdul ʿAzīz from a shaykh who heard ʿAbbās al-
Ḥadramī say: “ʿĪsā ibn Maryam  will come out at the minaret by
the eastern gate, then he will come to the mosque of Damascus
until he sits on the pulpit, and the Muslims, Christians, and Jews
will enter the mosque, all of them hoping for him. It will be so
crowded that if something were thrown, it would only strike the
head of a person due to their number. The Mu’adhdhin will stand
up, and both the Jewish and Christian trumpeter will come. The
Jewish trumpeter will say: ‘Draw lots.’ The lot of the Muslims will
be drawn, and the lot of the Christians and Jews will be drawn too.

Then ʿĪsā will draw and the lot of the Muslims will come out, and
the Jewish trumpeter will say: ‘The lot is drawn three times.’ He
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

will draw and the lot of the Muslims will come out again, and he
will draw a third time, and the lot of the Muslims will come out
again. Then the Mu’adhdhin will give the call to prayer, and the
Jews and Christians will leave the mosque. Then he will go out
seeking the Dajjāl (Antichrist) with those among him from the
people of Damascus. He will come to Jerusalem, which the Dajjāl
has besieged. He will command the doors to be opened and follow
him until he reaches him at the gate of Lud, where he will melt away
like wax. ʿĪsā will say: ‘I have a strike for him,’ and he will strike
him, and Allah will kill him by his hand. He will remain among
the Muslims for thirty years or forty years; Allah knows which of
the two numbers is correct. Then Yājūj and Mājūj will emerge, and
Allah will destroy Yājūj and Mājūj by his hand, and not a single
one of them will survive. The earth will regain its blessings until a
group of people will gather on a cluster of grapes, and a snake will
130 be with a child, and a lion with a cow, and nothing will harm them.
Then Allah will send a good wind that will take the souls of every
believer, and only the worst of people will remain, and the Hour
will be established upon them.”96 107

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(96) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 131

 ‫ أخربنا عبد الرَمْحن بن عَّمر اإلمام حدثنا أبو احلسن أَمْحد بن‬-108

108 ‫سليَّمان بن حذلم حدثنا أيب حدثنا هشام بن خادل حدثنا الويلد حدثنا‬
َ َ َُ ُ � َ
‫اِهَّلل‬
ِ ‫ عن أبيه كيسان قال س َِّمعت رسول‬،‫ربيعة عن نافع بن كيسان‬
‫ عنًد‬،‫صىل اهلل عليه وسلم يقول يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم عليهِما السالم‬
.‫املنارة ابليضاء رشيق دمشِق‬

Narrated by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUmar, the Imam: Aḥmad ibn

Sulaymān ibn Ḥadhlam narrated to us from my father, who narrated
to us from Ḥishām ibn Khālid, who narrated from al-Walīd, who
narrated from Rabīʿah from Nāfiʿ ibn Kaysān from his father Kaysān,
who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah  say: ‘ʿĪsā ibn Maryam
 will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus.’”97
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(97) Its chain of transmission is authentic, as narrated by Ibn ʿAsākir in Tārīkh

132 Dimashq (1/228).
‫ أخربنا أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل بن الفرج حدثنا أبو هشام عبد الرَمْحن‬-109
َ ‫بن عبد‬
‫الص ََّمد حدثنا اَعيذ بن الويلد حدثنا من سَّمع عبد الرَمْحن بن‬
‫ربيعة حيدث عن عبد الرَمْحن بن نافع بن كيسان عن أبيه عن جده‬
109
ُ َ َ َ َ َ ُ َ َ ‫نافع بن كيسان َص‬
‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال قال َر ُسول‬
ِ ‫ول‬ ِ ‫احب رس‬
ِ
َ
‫ عنًد‬،‫ يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم عليهِما السالم‬:‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬
ِ
.‫باب الرشيق‬

Narrated by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Faraj: Abū Hāshim ʿAbd

al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad narrated to us from ʿĀyidh ibn al-
Walīd, who narrated from someone who heard ʿAbdul Raḥmān ibn
Rabīʿah narrate from ʿAbdul Raḥmān ibn Nāfiʿ ibn Kaysān from his
father from his grandfather Nāfiʿ ibn Kaysān, the Companion of the
Messenger of Allah , who said: “The Messenger of Allah  said:

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

‘ʿĪsā ibn Maryam  will descend at the eastern gate.’”98

(98) This report could not be verified. [Publisher] 133

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن الفيض حدثنا هشام بن‬-110

110 َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن ب�ن يزيد ب�ن‬َ ‫خادل حدثنا الويلد يعين ابن مسلم حدثين ََعب�د‬

‫جبري عن حيىي بن جابر الطايئ عن عبد الرَمْحن بن جبري بن نفري عن‬

َ َ ُ ُ ْ َ
‫ س ِِمعت َرسول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه‬:‫انلواس بن السَّمعان الالكيب قال‬
‫ عنًد املنارة ابليضاء‬،‫ عليه السالم‬،‫وسلم يقول يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم‬
.‫رشيق دمشِق‬

‫أخربنا تَّمام أنا أَمْحد حدثنا أبو بكر َحُمَّمد بن َحُمَّمد بن عَّمر بن َحُمَّمد حدثنا‬
َ � ‫الر‬
‫َمْح ِن ب�ن‬َ ‫عبد اهلل بن احلسني حدثنا َمْحاد بن مالك ادلمشيق حدثنا ََعب�د‬

.‫يزيد ب�ن جابر الطايئ بإسناده ومتنه‬

Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad narrated to us from Abū Bakr

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad, who

narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥusayn, who narrated from Ḥamad
ibn Mālik al-Dimashqī, who narrated from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn
Yazīd ibn Jābir al-Ṭā’ī from Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Ṭā’ī from ʿAbd al-
Raḥmān ibn Jābir ibn Nufayr from al-Nawwās ibn al-Samʿān al-
Kalbī, who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah  say: ‘ʿĪsā ibn
Maryam  will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus.’”99

134 (99) An authentic hadith, narrated by Muslim (8/197).

 َ
‫ أخربنا أبُو احلسني عبد الوهاِب ب�ن احلسن بن الويلد الالكيب‬-111
‫حدثنا أبو بكر َحُمَّمد بن خريم حدثنا هشام بن خادل حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن‬
‫شعيب أخربين يزيد بن عبيدة بن أيب املهاجر حدثين أبو األشعث‬
111
َ َُ
‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه‬
ِ ‫ول‬ ِ ‫الصنعاين عن أوس بن أوس اثلقيف أنه سَّمع رس‬
‫ عنًد املنارة ابليضاء‬،‫ عليه السالم‬،‫وسلم يقول يزنل عَيىس بِن مريم‬
.‫رشيق دمشِق عليه ممرصتان كأن رأسه يقطر منه اجلِمان‬
100

Narrated by Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-

Walīd al-Kalabī: Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Khuraym narrated to
us from Ḥishām ibn Khalīd from Muḥammad ibn Shuʿayb, who
narrated to me from Yazīd ibn ʿUbaydah ibn Abī al-Muhājir, who
narrated to Abū al-Ashʿath al-Ṣanʿānī from Aws ibn Aws al-Thaqafī
that he heard the Messenger of Allah  say: “ʿĪsā ibn Maryam 

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus, wearing two
garments as if drops of pearls were falling from his head.”

(100) An authentic hadith. 135

 � �‫دم� قش‬
‫مِن الملاحم‬ � ��‫ا� �دكَّر ما ي‬
� �� �‫غو‬ � ��
112 Chapter on the battles to happen in Damascus
َ� َُ
‫اس ِم‬
ِ ‫ أخربنا أبو احلسن فاتك بن عبد اهلل املزاحيم بصور حدثنا أبو الق‬-112
�َ ََ� َ ُ � َُ ُ َ
‫َمْحد ب � ِن َعب ِد‬ ‫يلع �ْب ُن َحُم ََّم ِد بن طاهر بصور حدثنا عبد امللك َحُمَّمد ْبن أ‬ ِ
َ �
‫اح ِد بن جرير بن عبدوس حدثنا موىس بن أيوِب حدثنا عبد اهلل بن‬ ِ ‫الو‬
َ ُ َ َ
‫ َع �ن أ ِيب ه َري� َرة‬،‫قسيم عن الرسي بن بزيع عن الرسي بن حيىي عن احلسن‬
ْ ٌَ َ ُ َ َ َُ � َ
‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال ال ت َزال طائَِّفة مِِن‬
ِ ‫ول‬
ِ ‫ َعن رس‬،‫ريض اهلل عنه‬
َُ
‫أم ِيت يقاتلون ىلع أبواب بيت املقًدس وما حوهلا وىلع أبواب أنطاكية وما‬
‫حوهلا وىلع أبواب دمشِق وما حوهلا وىلع أبواب الطالقان وما حوهلا ظاهريِن‬
‫ىلع احلِق ال يبالون مِن خذهلم وال مِن يرضهم حىت خيرج هلم اهلل كزنِ مِن‬
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

.‫الطالقان فيحيي به دينه كِما أميت مِن قبَل‬

Narrated by Abū al-Ḥasan Fātik ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Mazāhimī in

Ṣūr: Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṭāhir narrated to us in
Ṣūr: ʿAbd al-Malik Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn
Jarīr ibn ʿAbdūs narrated to us from Mūsā ibn Ayyūb, who narrated
from ʿAbdullāh ibn Qasīm from al-Sarī ibn Bāzīʿ from al-Sarī ibn
Yaḥyā from al-Ḥasan from Abū Hurayrah  from the Messenger of
Allah  who said: “There will always be a group from my Ummah
fighting at the gates of Jerusalem and its surroundings, at the gates
of Antioch and its surroundings, at the gates of Damascus and its
surroundings, and at the gates of Ṭālqān and its surroundings,
prevailing in truth and not caring who abandons them or harms
them until Allah brings forth His treasure from Ṭālqān, reviving
with it His religion as it was once dead.”101

136 (101) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

 َُ
‫ أخربنا تَّمام ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن عبد اهلل الرازي حدثنا ابن فضالة حدثنا‬-113
‫إسَّماعيل بن قرياط حدثنا هشام بن عَّمار حدثنا الويلد حدثنا ابن أيب‬
‫ول‬ َُ
ِ ‫العاتكة عن سليَّمان بن حبيب أن أبا هريرة حدثه أنه سَّمع رس‬
113
َ
‫اِهَّلل ﷺ يقول إذا وقعت املالحم بعث اهلل مِن دمشِق بعثا مِن املوايل‬
ِ
.‫أكرم العرب فرسا وأجودِ سالحا يؤيًد اهلل بهم ادليِن‬

Narrated by Tamām ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Rāzī: Ibn

Faḍālah narrated to us from Ismāʿīl ibn Qayrāṭ, who narrated from
Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār, who narrated from al-Walīd, who narrated from
Ibn Abī al-ʿAtīkah from Sulaymān ibn Ḥabīb that Abū Hurayrah
informed him that he heard the Messenger of Allah  say: “When
the battles occur, Allah will send from Damascus a battalion of the
mawālī, the noblest of Arabs in horse and the best in arms, and He

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

will support His religion with them.”102

(102) A ḥasan (good) hadith, narrated by Ibn Mājah (2/520). 137

 ‫ أخربنا تَّمام حدثنا أَمْحد بن عبد اهلل الربايم حدثنا أَمْحد بن يلع‬-114

114 ‫القايض حدثنا عبد اجلبار بن اَعصم حدثنا إسَّماعيل بن عياش عن‬
َ ُ َ َ
‫ َع �ن أ ِيب ه َري� َرة ريض‬،‫الويلد بن عباد عن اَعمر األحول عن أيب صالح‬
‫يب صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال ال تزال عصابة مِن أميت‬ َ
ِ ‫انل‬ َ
ِ ‫ ع ِن‬،‫اهلل عنه‬
‫يقاتلون ىلع أبواب دمشِق وما حوهلا وىلع أبواب بيت املقًدس ال‬
.‫يرضهم خذالن مِن خذهلم ظاهريِن ىلع احلِق إىل أن تقوم الساعة‬

Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdullāh al-Barāmī narrated to us:

Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Qāḍī narrated to us from ʿAbd al-Jabbār ibn ʿĀṣim
who narrated from Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh from al-Walīd ibn ʿAbbād
from ʿĀmir al-Aḥwal from Abū Ṣāliḥ from Abū Hurayrah  from
the Prophet  who said: “There will always be a group from my
Ummah fighting at the gates of Damascus and its surroundings
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

and at the gates of Jerusalem, not harmed by the abandonment

of those who abandon them, prevailing in truth until the Hour is
established.”103

138 (103) This report could not be verified. [Publisher]

‫ وأخربنا تَّمام حدثنا القايض أبو احلسن أَمْحد بن حذلم حدثنا أيب‬-115
‫حدثنا سليَّمان بن عبد الرَمْحن حدثنا ابن عياش حدثين الويلد بن‬
َ ُ َ َ
‫ َع �ن أ ِيب ه َري� َرة ريض‬،‫عباد عن اَعمر األحول عن أيب صالح اخلوالين‬
115
َ َ َُ ََ
‫اِهَّلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم قال مثله سواء إال أنه زاد‬
ِ ‫ أن رسول‬،‫اهلل عنه‬
‫ بيت املقًدس وما حوهلا وقال يف آخرِ ظاهريِن ىلع احلِق إىل يوم‬:‫فيه‬
.‫القيامة‬

Narrated by Tamām: Aḥmad narrated to us from al-Qāḍī Abū al-

Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Ḥadhlam who narrated from my father, who
narrated from Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who narrated from
Ibn ʿAyyāsh who narrated to me from al-Walīd ibn ʿAbbād from
ʿĀmir al-Aḥwal from Abū Ṣāliḥ al-Khawlānī from Abū Hurayrah 
that the Messenger of Allah  said the same, except that he added:

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

“…at the gates of Jerusalem and its surroundings,” and at the end,
he said: “…prevailing in truth until the Day of Judgment.”104

(104) It was narrated by Abū Yaʿlā (6417) and al-Ṭabarānī in al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ
(47). 139
 ‫‪ -116‬أخربنا تَّمام وحدثنا القايض ابن حذلم حدثنا سليَّمان حدثنا ابن‬

‫‪116‬‬ ‫عياش حدثنا صفوان بن عَّمرو عن عبد الرَمْحن بن جبري بن نفري‪ ،‬عن‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ ُ‬
‫أبيه عن عوف بن مالك قال أتيت رس ِ‬
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم وهو‬
‫يف بناء هل فسلِمت عليه فقال عوف؟ قلت نعم يا رسول اهلل قال ادخَل‬
‫فقلت يلك‪ ،‬أم بعيض قال بَل لكك قال فقال يل اعًدد عوف ستا بني‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ ُ‬
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل‬
‫يًدي الساعة أوهلِن مويت قال فاستبِكيت حىت جعَل رس ِ‬
‫اهلل عليه وسلم يسِكتين قال قَل إحًدى واثلانية فتح بيت املقًدس قَل‬
‫َ‬
‫اثنتني واثلاثلة فتنة تكون يف أميت وعَظِمها والرابعة موتان يقع يف‬
‫أميت يأخذهم كقعاص الغنم واخلامسة يَّفيض فيكم املال فيضا حىت‬
‫َ‬
‫أن الرجَل َيْلعطى ال ِِمئة دينار فيَظَل يسخطها قَل مخسا والسادسة هًدنة‬
‫تكون بَينكم وبني بين األصَّفر يسريون إَيْلكم ىلع ثِمانني راية ْحَتت‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫لك راية اثنا عرش ألَّفا فسطاط املسلِمني يومئذ يف أرض يقال هلا‬
‫الغوطة فيها مًدينة يقال هلا دمشِق‪.‬‬

‫‪We were informed by Tamām, and al-Qāḍī ibn Ḥadhlam informed‬‬

‫‪us: Sulaymān informed us: Ibn ʿAyyāsh informed us: Ṣafwān ibn‬‬
‫‪ʿAmr reported from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from‬‬
‫‪his father, from ʿAwf ibn Mālik, who said: “I came to the Messenger‬‬
‫‪of Allah  while he was in a building of his. I greeted him, and he‬‬
‫‪said, ‘ʿAwf?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Enter.’ I‬‬
‫‪asked, ‘All of me or part of me?’ He replied, ‘All of you.’ Then he said‬‬
‫‪to me, ‘Count, ʿAwf, six things before the Hour. The first of them‬‬
‫’‪is my death.‬‬

‫‪I then began to cry until the Messenger of Allah  tried to quiet‬‬
‫‪140‬‬
‫’‪me, saying, ‘Say one.‬‬
The second is the conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis ( Jerusalem). Say two.

The third is a fitnah (trial) that will occur in my Ummah, and it is

a great one. 116
The fourth is a plague that will strike my Ummah, taking them like
the deaths of sheep.

The fifth is that wealth will flow abundantly among you until a man
is given a hundred dinars and remains displeased with it. Say five.

The sixth is a truce that will be made between you and the Romans
(Byzantines), and they will come to you with eighty banners, under
each banner will be twelve thousand.

The camp of the Muslims that day will be in a land called al-
Ghūṭah, in a city called Damascus.”105

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

(105) An authentic hadith, narrated by Aḥmad (6/25) and al-Ḥākim (4/419 and
422-423). 141
 ‫َُ ََُ َ � ُ َ‬
‫اِهَّلل �ْب ُن أَمْحد بن عَّمر بن معاذ العنيس‬
‫‪ -117‬وأخربنا أبو َحُمَّم ٍد َعبد ِ‬
‫‪117‬‬ ‫َ�ُ َ �َ � ُ َ�ُ َ‬
‫وتَّمام بن َحُمَّمد قاال أخربنا أبو امليَّمون َعبد الرَمْح ِن ْبن َعبد ِ‬
‫اِهَّلل بن‬
‫الص ََّمد حدثنا أبو ايلَّمان‬‫راشد ابلجيل حدثنا يزيد ب�ن َُحُمَ ََّمد ب�ن عبد َ‬
‫َ � َ �َ � ُ َ�‬
‫احلكم بن نافع حدثنا صفوان بن عَّمرو عن َعب ِد الرَمْح ِن ب ِن جب ٍ‬
‫ري‪،‬‬
‫َ‬ ‫َ ُ‬ ‫َ �‬
‫ول اِهَّللِ صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬ ‫َعن أبيه عن عوف بن مالك قال أتيت رس ِ‬
‫وهو يف بناء هل فسلِمت عليه فقال عوف؟ فقلت هل نعم فقال يل ادخَل‬
‫فقلت أكيل‪ ،‬أم بعيض فقال بَل لكك فقال يا عوف اعًدد ستا بني يًدي‬
‫الساعة أوهلِن مويت قال فبِكيت حىت جعَل يسِكتين ثم قال قَل إحًدى‬
‫واثلانية فتح بيت املقًدس قَل اثنتان فقلت اثنتان واثلاثلة موتان‬
‫يكون يف أميت يأخذهم كقعاص الغنم قال قَل ثالث فقلت ثالث قال‬
‫َ‬
‫والرابعة فتنة تكون يف أميت وعَظِمها قال قَل أربع فقلت أربع قال‬
‫‪The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus‬‬

‫َ‬
‫واخلامسة يَّفيض املال حىت أن الرجَل َيْلعطى ال ِِمائة دينار فَيسخطها‬
‫قَل مخس فقلت مخس والسادسة هًدنة تكون بَينكم وبني بين‬
‫األصَّفر فَيسريون إَيْلكم ىلع ثِمانني راية ْحَتت لك راية اثنا عرش ألَّفا‬
‫فسطاط املسلِمني يومئذ يف أرض يقال هلا الغوطة يف مًدينة يقال هلا‬
‫دمشِق‪.‬‬

‫‪We were informed by Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad‬‬

‫‪ibn ʿUmar ibn Maʿādh al-ʿAnsī and Tamām ibn Muḥammad, who‬‬
‫‪both said: Abū al-Maymūn informed us that: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn‬‬
‫‪ʿAbdullāh ibn Rāshid al-Bajalī narrated from Yazīd ibn Muḥammad‬‬
‫‪ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad, who narrated from Abū al-Yamān al-Ḥakam ibn‬‬
‫‪Nāfiʿ, who narrated from Ṣafwān ibn ʿAmr, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān‬‬
‫‪ibn Jubayr, from his father, and from ʿAwf ibn Mālik, who said: I‬‬
‫‪142‬‬
came to the Messenger of Allah  while he was in a building (of
his), and I greeted him with the salām. He said: "ʿAwf?" I said: "Yes."
He said: "Enter." I asked: "All of me, or just a part of me?" He said:
"All of you."
117
Then he said: "O ʿAwf, count six signs before the Hour — the first
is my death."

(ʿAwf said:) I wept until he tried to calm me down. Then he said:

"Say, ‘One.’" I said: "One."

He continued: "The second is the conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis

( Jerusalem); — say ‘Two.’" I said: "Two."

"The third is a plague that will occur among my Ummah, taking

them as it takes a sheep; — say ‘Three.’" I said: "Three."

The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

"The fourth is a great tribulation in my Ummah." He magnified its
severity; — and said: "Say ‘Four.’" I said: "Four."

"The fifth is an abundance of wealth, such that a man will be given a

hundred dinars and still be dissatisfied." — say ‘Five." I said: "Five."

"The sixth is a truce between you and the Romans (Byzantines).

They will march against you under eighty banners, with twelve
thousand men under each banner.

The camp of the Muslims on that day will be in a land called al-
Ghūṭa, in a city called Damascus."106

(106) It was narrated by Ibn Mandah in al-Īmān (374). 143

 ‫ أخربنا أبو إسحاق إبراهيم بن عثَّمان بن عبد اهلل بن اهليثم‬-118

118 َُ َُ
‫احلراين اخلطيب حدثنا أبو القاسم عبد الرَمْحن ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن َحُم ََّمد ب�ن‬
‫األنصاري ابلخاري حدثنا احلسني ب�ن عبد اهلل ب�ن‬
ّ ‫أَمْحد اخلزريج‬
‫احلسني بن احلارث بهَّمذان حدثنا أبو أَمْحد القاسم بن احلسني بن‬
‫القاسم حدثنا أبو يلع خفيف بن عبد اهلل الغازي حدثنا هشام بن‬
‫عَّمار حدثنا َحُمَّمد بن الويلد الزبيدي أخربين الفضل بن فضالة عن‬
‫كعب األحبار قال معاقَل املسلِمني ثالثة معاقلهم مِن الروم دمشِق‬
،‫ومعاقلهم مِن ادلجال األردن ومعاقلهم مِن يأجوج ومأجوج الطور‬
.‫واهلل أعلم‬

Abu Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿUthmān ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Haytham al-
The Virtues of al-Shām & Damascus

Ḥarrānī, al-Khaṭīb, informed us: Abu al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn

Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Khazrajī al-Anṣārī al-
Bukhārī informed us: al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn
al-Ḥārith in Hamadhān informed us: Abū Aḥmad al-Qāsim ibn al-
Ḥusayn ibn al-Qāsim informed us: Abū ʿAlī Khafīf ibn ʿAbdullāh al-
Ghāzī informed us: Ḥishām ibn ʿAmmār informed us: Muḥammad
ibn al-Walīd al-Zubaydī informed me, al-Faḍl ibn Faḍālah reported
from Kāʿb al-Aḥbār, who said: “The strongholds of the Muslims
are three: their stronghold against the Romans is Damascus, their
stronghold against the Dajjal is Jordan, and their stronghold against
Yājūj and Mājūj is the Mount (Ṭūr). And Allah knows best.”107

(107) Kaʿb al-Aḥbar does not attribute this statement to any authority from the
Companions or to the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. In most cases when he does this, this is an
144 indication that it is from the Isrāʾīliyyāt.
 ‫انتىه الكتاِب‬
This marks the completion of the book.