Aroma of Paradise: Part IV

In the Name of the Most High

Today, we plan to make ziyarat of some of the most famous companions of the Prophet and the Imams. We begin early in the morning with a half-hour car ride to the tomb of Hujr b. Uday, one of Imam Ali's (as) companions who I haven't heard much about until this trip. The visit gets off to a somewhat bizarre start, unfortunately, as two grown men nearly get into a fist fight at the entrance of Hujr's haram. Our tour guide, a student in the local howzah in Damascus who understands Arabic, tells us that the dispute broke out over one man's refusal to take the other's word regarding a door that was broken leading to the haram's bathroom. Thankfully, some others are able to get between the two and break it up.

As I enter the room in which Hujr b. Uday is buried, a large caravan of pilgrims from an Arabic-speaking country enter along with me. Not wanting the crowd and noise to disturb what should be a spiritual experience, I wait until they depart before reciting the ziyarat of Hujr b. Uday. Afterward, I sit quietly near his grave, thinking about his sacrifices. This was a man so staunch in his love and support for Imam Ali (as) that he refused to curse Imam Ali (as) from the pulpit despite Muawiyah's order to do so. As a result of this refusal, Muawiyah had both him and his sons killed. As I reflect on Hujr's life, I wonder about my own soul; am I at a level in which I'd sacrifice my own life and sons for the sake of my Imam?

Next, we take another half-hour car ride to Bab al-Sagheer, a famous graveyard in Damascus where other famous companions of the Prophet and Imams are buried. Upon arrival, we decide to first visit Bilal al-Habashi, a former African slave who was freed by the Prophet and became the first muezzin of Islam. According to history, Hazrat Bilal was so distraught at the treatment meted out to the Ahlul Bayt (as) after the Prophet's death that while living in Medina, he refused to give the adhaan unless Imam Hasan (as) or Imam Hussain (as) asked him to. Because of this, Bilal was exiled to Syria, where he lived out his remaining days.

We then visit the tomb of Hazrat Fizza (as), a woman who served Hazrat Fatima (as) throughout her life and traveled to Karbala along with Imam Hussain's (as) caravan. In Shaam, she accompanied Sayyida Zaynab (as) and the rest of the women into Yazeed's darbaar. According to narrations, as Sayyida Zaynab (as) was being chastised in Yazeed's darbaar, it was none other than Hazrat Fizza - a young, African servant of the Ahlul Bayt (as) - who leapt to her defense. As we make ziyarat of Hazrat Fizza and Hazrat Bilal (as), only one word comes to mind: servanthood. We are visiting personalities that had given their lives, their wealth, their efforts, all for the sake of serving Ahlul Bayt (as). They were living manifestations of the Qur'anic verses that ask believers to sacrifice everything for the sake of God. At their graves, after reading Fatihah, ziyarat, and reciting 2 rakats of prayer after the ziyarat, I reflect on my own pitiable condition and how few of my actions are purely for the sake of pleasing God. Like Hazrat Fizza and Bilal (as), I seek to cultivate a similar pure and sincere servanthood toward Allah (swt) and the Ahlul Bayt (as) in myself so that I have the same relationship with Imam Mahdi (as) that Hazrat Fizza and Bilal had with their Imams.

In Bab al-Sagheer we also visit the graves of Umm Kulthoom, Imam Hussain's (as) sister, and Abdullah b. Ali, one of Imam Zayn al-Abideen's (as) sons. Our tour guide also points out another place in the graveyard in which it is believed Imam Zayn al-Abideen (as) prayed. As I see other pilgrims offering 2 rakats of prayer in this exact spot, I desperately want to pray there. Our tour guide is running short on time, however, and I console myself with the thought that perhaps God will value our respect of the tour guide's schedule as much as He will our prayers offered in this spot.

In the evening, we return to the area around Sayyida Zaynab's haram (the neighborhood is known as "Zaynabiyya") to do some shopping. Interestingly enough, because there are so many Iranian pilgrims who travel to Damascus to make ziyarat of Sayyida Zaynab (as), the shopkeepers in the area are all in fluent in basic conversational Farsi. Because we've also studied some basic Farsi in anticipation of our Iran trip, we are able to blend in and bargain for prices in Farsi. Undoubtedly, we're offered lower prices than we'd be offered had we negotiated in English. After shopping, we stop by the cyber cafe for a bit, eat dinner at our hotel, and call it a night.

The next morning is our last in Syria. We have only one hour in the haram before we have to leave for the airport. Knowing it's my last visit to the majestic shrine I've come to love in only a few short days, and not knowing when I'll be back, I try not to do too much amaal during this visit but instead focus on the quality of the amaal I do. I recite a final farewell ziyarat to Sayyida Zaynab (as). After the hour passes, I slowly head back out to the entrance of the haram, where I meet my wife. There, we both thank God for the opportunity to visit this divine personality, and ask Him to allow us to return and grant our family and friends the opportunity to visit soon.