Umayyad mosque

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. It is considered by some Muslims to be the fourth-holiest place in Islam

Address: Souq Al Hamidya St, Damascus, Syria
Opened: 715 AD
Architectural style: Islamic architecture
Height: 77 m
Burials: John the Baptist, Saladin

    Also known as Principal (Great) Mosque of Damascus, founded by the Umayyad caliph al-Walid in 706 CE.

The Great Mosque stands in the centre of the old city of Damascus on the site of the Roman temple platform, or temenos. The outer walls of the temenos still survive and are distinguished as large blocks of dressed masonry with pilasters set at intervals into the side. At the four corners of the temenos there are large square towers and around the edge there were arcades which opened into a large rectangular courtyard. There were four axial doorways to the temenos, that on the east being the principal entrance. At the time of the Islamic conquest the Byzantine church of St John stood in the middle of this platform. Immediately after the conquest the Muslims shared this space with the Christians with the Christians retaining possession of their church and the Muslims using the southern arcades of the temenos as a prayer area.

In 706 al-Walid destroyed the church and built a mosque along the southern wall of the temenos. The layout of the mosque comprised three aisles running parallel to the south (qibla) wall cut in the centre by a raised perpendicular aisle or transept. At the south end of this transept there was a mihrab set into one of the blocked doors of the south facade. Walls were inserted on the west and east sides between the corner towers, and new two-storey arcades were built around the east, north and west sides of the courtyard. The arcades and prayer hall were covered with pitched wooden roofs covered with tiles except for the centre of the transept which had a wooden dome. In the north-west of the courtyard there is an octagonal chamber raised up on eight columns with a pool beneath. This structure functioned as the bayt al-mal or treasury and is found in other early mosques such as Harran and Hamma.

Since the Umayyad period the mosque has been rebuilt several times because of fires (1069, 1401 and 1893) although its basic plan has remained the same. Originally the arcade of the sanctuary facade comprised one pier alternating with two columns but this was subsequently changed to piers only. A range of different arch forms is used in the arcades including round, semi-circular horseshoe and slightly pointed arches. The walls of the mosque are decorated with glass mosaics similar to those in the Dome of the Rock, with depictions of palaces and houses next to a river (possibly the Barada river in Damascus). The long rooms in the east and west sides were lit by marble grilles with geometric interlace patterns based on octagons and circles.
The form of the mosque, particularly the sanctuary facade, was probably derived from Byzantine palatial architecture, possibly the Chalci palace in Constantinople. Later mosques in Syria such as the Great Mosques of Aleppo, Hamma, Harran and Cordoba. The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir built in the Seljuk period is also of this form.

Prophet Yusuf (A.S) Story

You have read about Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S.). He had two sons, Hazrat Isamel (A.S.) whose generation settled in Makkah and Hazrat Ishaq (A.S.) who settled in Syria.

Hazrat Ishaq (A.S.) had son named Hazrat Yaqub [A.S.]. He lived in the Keenan city of Syria. Allah had given him twelve sons. One of them was Yusuf (A.S.) another was Yameeen the real brother of Yusuf (A.S.). All others was step-brothers.

Among them Hazrat Yusuf (A.S) was the most intelligent and noble. When he was only 16 years old, he saw a dream and in the morning told this to his father. He said, “Father, last night I saw a dream in which I saw that eleven stars, the sun and the moon are worshipping me.”

After hearing this, Hazrat Yaqub (A.S) replied. “My son, don’t tell your dream to your brothers lest they should tease you. It occurs to me that your Lord will choose you for His mission. He makes you His prophet, grant wisdom and, like your grand father Ishaq (A.S.), and great grand father Ibrahim (A.S.) bless you.”
Hazrat Yaqub (A.S.) loved Hazrat Yusuf (A.S) among his sons the most because he was noble and very intelligent since childhood. Now he had learnt that Allah had decided to assign the task of Prophet Hood to Hazrat Yusuf (A.S). Therefore, his love for him had increased. Other brothers did not like it. They were jealous of Hazrat Yusuf (A.S).

In Arabia, during those days, the family that consisted of strong sons, grand sons, brothers and cousins was respected. Such a family always had an upper hand over all others and therefore, people loved their strong sons. The brothers of Yusuf [A.S], used to maintain that as they were stronger than him only they could be useful at a bad hour. According to them, Yusuf [A.S] who was weak of all could not do anything all alone, therefore, their father should love them more and they considered it their dishonour if Yusuf (A.S.) was loved more than them.

One day all the brothers, expect Yusuf [A.S], gathered at a place and said, “It seems our father has gone astray. He should have respected us because we are a full lot. It is wrong on his part to love Yusuf (A.S.) more than us. Let’s, therefore, kill Yusuf (A.S.) or leave him at some far off place. When Yusuf (A.S.) will not be among us, father will naturally love us more.” One of them suggested to throw their brother into a well, In a jungle, instead of killing him from where he could be taken along by some caravan passing by.

All of them liked this suggestion and went to their father. They asked him, “Father, why do you never send Yusuf (A.S.) along with us anywhere. Do you have no trust on us? We are his well-wishers. Please send him with us to the jungle to enjoy and play. We will protect him”.
Their father replied, “I am worried to send him with you. I fear lest you should be careless and some wolf eats him up.”
“But we are a strong lot, “the sons said, “How can a wolf eat Yusuf (A.S.) when we are there.” They somehow managed to get their father’s consent and one day took Yusuf (A.S.) towards the jungle. As decided, they threw him into a well.

They Allah consoled Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) and made him believe that one day or the other he would remind his brothers of their mischief and that day they would feel sorry over their deed. His brothers were to aware that Yusuf (A.S.) was being encouraged by Allah and of the result of their mischief.
Before throwing Yusuf (A.S.) in the well, they had removed his Kurta [cloth worn on the upper part of the body] and falsely stained it with the blood of an animal. At night when they returned home, they went to their father weeping and said, “Father, while we were busy in playing, and seated Yusuf (A.S.) to look after our belongings, a wolf appeared from somewhere and ate him up. See this is his blood stained Kurta.”

Hazrat Yuqub (A.S.) did not believe them and said, “You have certainly made some mischief or deceit. I can not believe what you say. I will only keep patience and seek Allah’s help.”

On the other hand, when his brothers had left after throwing Yusuf (A.S) into the well, a carvan happened to through there. They sent one of them to fetch water from the well. As soon as he suspended the bucket into the well, he saw a boy into it. He cried out, “Congratulations. We have found a boy here.”
The people of the caravan pulled Yusuf (A.S.) out of the well and immediately hid him planning to sell him in the market. How could they know that everything was happening by the order of Allah and He was aware of everything?

The caravan was going from Madina to Egypt. They took Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) also with them and sold him out there for a very few coins. They did not expect any other benefit from Yusuf (A.S.)

The king of Egypt had a minister whose name was Fotifar. He was the highest official treasury. He was called Aziz. He had purchased Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) from the caravan people. He had understood that Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) belonged to a respected family and somehow fallen to the caravan people. From his talks with Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) he had known that he was very intelligent.

Aziz had no sons. He said to his wife, “Look after this boy well. He may prove to be beneficial for us or we may even adopt.
At that time Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) was about 18 years of age. Soon Aziz authorized him of everything at his home, and handed over the management of his property and business to him.

So far Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) had spent a rural life and had all the qualities of a villager’ He was born in the family of Allah’s messengers. He was a devotee of Allah and very noble. Due to the open atmosphere of the village, he had very good health. Now Allah had landed him in a country renowned for its living. Moreover, he had now entered a house where he could learn governance and the administration of the country. It looked as if he was being groomed by Allah for His mission in the future.

Allah the Beneficent, on the one hand provided Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) with a good shelter in an alien land. On the other, He arranged for his training like of which only princes could get. It is true that Allah does fulfil His work but many people do not know about the compulsions behind what He does.
Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) live on at the house of Aziz till he was young. The name of the wife of Aziz was Zulaikha. One day when Aziz was not at home, she closed itself with Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) into a room, with evil intention, and said to him, “Come closer to me.”

Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) replied, “God forbid, my Lord has bestowed on me so much honour and such a shelter. How can I do this evil deed? I cannot do it. My Lord does not grant success to the sinners.”

At this, that woman moved towards Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) Had he not realized Zulaikha’s intention and replied spontaneously, he could also have moved towards her. But Allah had saved him from bad and dirty things.

When he saw the woman coming to him he rushed to the door. But the woman was very shameless. She followed him immediately and caught hold of his Kurta. Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) tried to pull it back. In the scuffle a piece of it remained into the woman’s hand and Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) rushed out of the room. She also followed him. As soon as they come out of the room, they confronted with Aziz. At this the woman was flabbergasted and immediately asks him “what is the punishment for a man who has an evil intention about your wife.” Before he could answer, she herself replied thus: “What else accept that he should be imprisoned or given severe and exemplary punishment.

When Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) heard this he said, “She is telling a lie. In fact, it was she who was flirting me. But I did not agree.”
In the meantime, a relative of Zulaikha appeared on the scene. Knowing, perhaps, about the character of Zulaikha, he understood everything and very wisely suggested, “Let’s first see the shirt of Yusuf (A.S.); if its front portion is pierced, the woman is true and if its back portion is pierced, then the woman is telling a lie and Yusuf (A.S.) is speaking the truth.” The suggestion was logical, were the shirt of Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) the front, it would imply that he would have moved towards the woman and then pushed away by her. In the scuffle his shirt might have been torn. Since the shirt was torn from the back it meant that Yusuf (A.S.) might have tried to save himself and the woman might have tried to catch him from the back. One more evidence was in the form that Zulaikha’s garments were not torn nor her body bore any sears. The position was contrary to it to clarify the whole thing.

Aziz then understood everything and cried at his wife and said, “This is all your mischief. It is true that you women are very tricky.” Turning to Yusuf (A.S.) he said, “Yusuf, forget it, and asked his wife “Say sorry to Yusuf as it is your mistake.”

Now the entire city was aware of what Zulaikha had done. Women said “Aziz’s wife has blindly fallen in love with her servant. It looks she has committed a folly.” When Zulaikha heard this, she got angry. So one day she invited all the women for a meal and seated them on coushions. She put some fruits and a knife before each of them. As soon as these women started cutting the fruits, she called in Yusuf (A.S.). When the women raised their eyes towards Yusuf (A.S.), they were taken a back, Instead of the fruits; they cut off their own fingers and exclaimed, “O God, he is not a man but an angel.”
Zulaikha said, “Look at him. He is the person about whom you were defaming me. I flirted him but he escaped. Now I have decided to send him to jail if he did not obey me. He will be debased there.”

See how shameless the Women of Egypt were in those days. Today Europe is proud that they have given equal status to women and they are also free like men. But you can judge how shameless the Egyptian women were. The fact is that Satan’s hirelings have always been almost the same.
When Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) come to know about Zulaikha’s ill intentions, he said, “O my Lord, I will prefer imprisonment to what she calls me for. O my Lord, save me from these tricks lest I shall be entrapped and thus be amongst the uncivilized.” At this stage Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) was at the peak of his youthfulness. Ladies of high families would flirt him and compel him for committing sin. But he stood firm and noble even amongst such evil persons. God’s fear kept him away from sin.

If one wants to become pious, and decides to follow the path of righteousness, Allah also helps him. True to this fact, Allah heeded the prayer of Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) and saved him from the trap of those evil women. He is the All Knower, All-wise.

These people put Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.) into jail to avoid bad name and commit atrocities on him. But the ladies of respectable families knew that he was innocent. Thus all the people became aware of the pious thought and nobility of Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.). His mission in future also required that he should be fully known. The propagation of his nobility and piety was necessary for the message of Allah which he had to deliver to the people of Egypt.
In the prison two young men also joined Hazrat Yusuf (A.S.). One of them was a bar tender to a king and the other a kitchen officer.

The Dead Sea

General Information

Floating in the Dead Sea     

How far does one have to descend to reach the Dead Sea? About 400 meters below sea level. How deep is this salty lake? Almost the same (in the northern section). Fascinating? Absolutely! Every detail about the Dead Sea is fascinating.



Here are a few more facts: The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth in any land mass (417 meters below sea level, to be exact). The quantity of water that evaporates from it is greater than that which flows into it, such that this body of water has the highest concentration of salt in the world (340 grams per liter of water).


It is called the Dead Sea because its salinity prevents the existence of any life forms in the lake. That same salt, on the other hand, provides tremendous relief to the many ailing visitors who come here on a regular basis to benefit from its healing properties. All these and more make the Dead Sea so fascinating, so different and so interesting.

ographic Regions > The Dead Sea

      Sea of Galilee (Lake Kineret)
      The Carmel Mountain
      Jezreel Valley
      The Golan Heights
      The Hula Valley
      Valley of Elah
      The Jordan Valley
      The Galilee
      The Dan Region (Gush Dan)
      The Dead Sea
      The Uvda Valley and Eilat Mountains
      The Judean Desert
      The Lowlands
      The Jerusalem Hills
      Gush Etzion
      The Negev Desert
      The Coastal Plain.

The Healing Power of the Dead Sea

Covered in Dead Sea mud    ​
The Dead Sea can also be called “the lowest health spa in the world.” Sea salts are produced from the southern section for industry, and in the northern section promote tourism and good health. The composition of the salts and minerals in the water are what make it so unique and beneficial for the body.


The sea bed also has deposits of black mud that is easy to spread on the body and provides the skin with nourishing minerals. As if that were not enough, the bromide in the air is also beneficial to the body’s systems, thus making the Dead Sea a provider for good health and healing for vacationers from all over the world. 

Dead Sea

Also known as Bahr Lut, Eastern Sea, Lake of Asphalt, Salt Sea, “Sea of Sodom and Gomorrah,” Sea of the Arabah, Sea of the Devil, “Sea of the Plain,” Sea of Zoar, Stinking Lake

Dead Sea sunrise

   

   

Names of the Sea

Known in the Bible as the "Salt Sea" or the "Sea of the Arabah," this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters.  Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the "Sea of Sodom," the "Sea of Lot," the "Sea of Asphalt" and the "Stinking Sea."  In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the "Devil's Sea."  All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.

Biblical Period

The Dead Sea, unlike the Sea of Galilee to the north, does not figure prominently in the biblical narratives.  Its most important role was as a barrier, blocking traffic to Judah from the east.  An advancing army of Ammonites and Moabites apparently crossed a shallow part of the Dead Sea on their way to attack King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 20).  Ezekiel has prophesied that one day the Dead Sea will be fresh water and fishermen will spread their nets along the shore.
   

   

Dead Sea lisan aerial from west



Dead Sea lowest point on earth
   


   

Lowest Point

The Dead Sea is located in the Syro-African Rift, a 4000-mile fault line in the earth's crust.  The lowest point of dry land on earth is the shoreline of the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level.  That the lake is at the lowest point means that water does not drain from this lake.  Daily 7 million tons of water evaporate but the minerals remain, causing the salt content to increase.  Figures for the Dead Sea's salinity today range from 26-35%. 



Mineral-Rich

Nearly ten times as salty as the world's oceans and twice as saline as the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Dead Sea is rich with minerals.  The Dead Sea Works company on the southwest side of the lake employs 1600 people around the clock to harvest the valuable minerals from the water.  Potash is the most valuable of those extracted today and is used in the manufacture of fertilizer.  The best article on the minerals in the Dead Sea is in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
   

   

Dead Sea shoreline with salt crystals



Man floating in Dead Sea reading newspaper
   

   

Healthy Water

The unique concentration of the Dead Sea waters has long been known to have medicinal value.  Aristotle, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon and Cleopatra were all familiar with this and modern doctors as well often prescribe patients with skin ailments to soak in the waters of the Dead Sea.  Because of the dropping level of the Dead Sea, the southern end is no longer under water, except for that which is channeled by aqueducts for the purpose of extracting minerals.

Waqia e Karbala ---Maulana Tariq Jameel

Waqia e Karbala ---Maulana Tariq Jameel 

History and full Facts of Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A) Shahadat in Urdu written by Akmal Owaisi Pirzada.

Maulana Tariq Jameel - Waqia e Karbala by islampoint