Sheikh Muhammad Abu Al-Huda Al-Yaqoubi Al-Hassani (may

Allah preserve him)

Blessings of Syria
Friday sermon 25 Rajab 1430/ 17th July 2009

Dear believing brethren; the speech today is about a great monumentous blessing that
Allah (the Exalted) has favoured us by; the people of Syria; is this not the blessing of
Syria? The blessing of this pleasant land; the blessing of this blessed earth; the blessing
of this sweet water; the blessing of this gentle breeze; the blessing of being brought up
in the land of the Prophets; the blessing of offspring in the land of the Awliyah and
righteous; the blessing of the Quran in the country of Syria; the blessing of knowledge
and scholars in the country of Syria. It is hoped that your recall that much and
continually say, 'All praise belongs to Allah for the blessing of Islam and dwelling
(being able to live) in Syria.' Therefore its source is the hadith of the Chosen (may
Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him).
The best of what we begin with is the speech of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, about the
praise of this earth which we have been reared, dear brothers. In the story of our
master Ibrahim (upon him peace) when He (Blessed and Exalted) said, "We gave

salvation to Lut to an earth that We have blessed over the universe."1 This is the land
of Syria according to the most valid opinion. When Ibrahim (upon him peace) left
Harran,2 fleeing from Nimrod, he went to the land of Syria and worshipped Allah
(Blessed and Exalted) at the foot of mountain of Qayissun. This was also stated that
His (Blessed and Exalted) words in the first of the Surah Al-Isra, "Glorified is He who
made His servant take a night journey from the sacred precinct to the furthest masjid
which is blessed around it..."3 The blessing in it is certain but the report of this Surah
have increased the blessings in that which surrounds the furthest masjid. 4 The scholars
say, "It can only be Syria and the land of Syria." We mentioned the Quranic exegesis
in weeks previous to (this) sermon about the opinion of the Quranic commentators
about His (Blessed and Exalted) words, "By the fig and olive; and the mountain of
Sinai."5 The meaning of fig is the land of Syria because Syria was known for a long
time by the farming of figs. This is a blessed land by the text of the honourable
Quranic passages according the opinion of the majority of commentators like Qatada
from Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikramah, Al-Sadi and others.
As for the hadith of the Chosen, peace and blessings be upon him, the hadiths are
many and the text leaves no doubt and no suspicion to the virtue of Damascus
specifically and the land of Syria generally. In a hadith taken from Al-Hakim in AlMustadrak, Al-Tabarani and others. Authenticated by Al-Hakim and confirmed by AlDhababi; from our master Abdullah ibn Hawlah Al-Azdai, may Allah (Blessed and
Exalted) be pleased with him, reports that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow
1

Quran: Prophets 21:71.

An ancient city now in Turkey.
3
Quran: Isra 17:1.
4
Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
5
Quran: Al-Tin 95:1-2.
2

peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Troops will come (troops meaning armies); a

troop from Syria and a troop from Iraq." I asked, (Abdullah ibn Hawlah Al-Azdai)
asked the Prophet, upon him peace and blessings) "Choose for me O Messenger of
Allah." (Meaning make a choice for me between Iraq and Syria; to where should I
go?) He said, "Go to Syria..." (in another narration the Prophet (upon him blessings
and peace) said three times, "Go to Syria, go to Syria, go to Syria,") "...because Allah

has guaranteed for me Syria and its people."

Imam Al-Izz ibn 'Abdussalam, Sultan of the scholars (may Allah show him mercy);
died in 660; was a king of the scholars; he was a leader of the major leaders of the
Shafi school in jurisprudence and principles; he has a treatise called Targhib Ahl Al-

Islam bi Sukna Bilad Al-Shamm/Awakening the desire of the people of Islam to dwell
in the land of Syria. He authored the treatise to make people desire to live in the
lands of Syria. He said, "Whoever Allah guarantees;" will they be discarded afterward?
(Hadith) "Allah has guaranteed for me Syria and its people." Will there loss after
what Allah (Blessed and Exalted) has guaranteed?
In another hadith the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) said,

"I saw the pillar of the Book (the Quran), taken from below my head; so I followed it
with my eyes until it reached Syria." The Book is the Holy Quran. Allah (Blessed and
Exalted) has made knowledge and the Quran in Syria for many centuries; until these
days; people continue to come from all corners of the world from all regions,
countries and geneses in search of sacred knowledge in the lands of Syria; to
memorise to Holy Quran; to receive narrations, modes of Quranic recitation, to take
permission to teach hadith; from all regions, from all countries they come to the lands
of Syria. The people of Syria are ascetic in Syria; the people of Syria are ascetic in the

scholars; pious in Quranic recitation and memorisation; they are pious in circles of
knowledge; pious in this blessings and the meaning of these blessings.
Dear brethren these hadith (presented) to you, to all who are listening because I know
that there are thousands listening to this address from the internet; all praise belongs
to Allah (the Exalted). I say to the youth who have reached these days aged twenty or
twenty five (years of age); those who living for the wisdom of travelling to the United
States of America or to Canada; what are you doing? Allah (Blessed and Exalted) has
bestowed upon you a great blessing. You have been brought up in this pleasant
country; the country is the best gift; you have been brought up the lands of the
Prophets, Awliyah, Scholars, Jurists and hadith narrators; then you desire other than
this country?! How many we have seen who have left this country and lost their
religion; they lost their future; lost their lives and ages; in desire to migrate for dollars;
in desire for wealth; in desire for seeking the world; or this disliked (things) of the
country and what it contains. Yes, dear brothers, our country is not like this in the
state of chaos like that which we see.
Yes, Islam is the religion of civilisation; the caliphates and dynasties which were
established in the past. The kingdoms, sultanates, dynasties despite that between this
were different wars; the organisation of the civilisation was preserved. The Arabs
Muslims were more advanced than the Europeans by six hundred years; moreover
more than one thousand years from the streets of Damascus were paved with stones;
it was clean; the streets of Damascus, Baghdad and the major Islamic cities had street
lighting in the night. This was for more than one thousand years. Islam is known as
civilisation, it presented civilisation, organisation, cleanliness and knowledge; all
together. Then it is necessary for us when we some limitations; the limitation are from

us; dear brothers; this country is our country. So when we see garbage discarded in
the path ways we know that we are responsible for this; because the children of this
country, in which we live, in which we grow. It is necessary that we become a cure
and treatment for hate of the country, the dislike of it, flight away from it and
compare the state of the Europeans or the state of the people in the United states of
America to our state today. I say to you, dear brethren, (when the) United states of
America are given years of chaos; then look how the American will live with the rules
of the jungle; how will they treat each other...
I delivered a sermon in the Islamic centre on third avenue, 96 street; some of those
present in that sermon are here in this masjid hearing my sermon here. I said there in
that time it was 2002 and 2003 there sixty thousand homeless people in the city of
New York. I said to them in Syria there are no homeless by the grace of Allah (the
Exalted). United States of America is a powerful country; they are able to conquer
space; to make the atomic bomb; find water on Mars; to analysis human tissue; to
uncover chromosomes, inherited genes and inherited (disorders) despite all this are
unable to accommodate people! Sixty thousand homeless! I said to them, "Our
country, the country of Syria does not have any space force or nuclear power but we
have religion, character, we have the blessings of the Prophets and Messengers in our
country. We have a brotherhood between people that stops mankind from sleeping
and his neighbour next to him is hungry. So how would we be if we found homeless
in the street?" These are blessings, dear brothers, it is not possible to find our
condition in the condition of other countries.
I speak today about this subjects in relation my arrival from travelling because I
concluded the past Jummah this morning in the Moroccan Kingdom in an Islamic

seminar. Believe me I was riding public transport on the way and the first person who
noticed that I was from Syria (Where are you from? From Syria?) began by praising
the people of Syrian; flattering the people of Syria; he began by praising the lands of
Syria and the stance of the Syrians against Israel; the goodness that is Syria; the
scholars in Syria; the Quran is in Syria; I heard this from ten people. I did not meet a
man from the people of knowledge except that he wished to visit Syria. I did not meet
a student of knowledge except that he wished to attain knowledge in Syria. This is
week of travel from one Islamic country to another.
If we want to compare our state with the state of our neighbours, dear brothers, then
look and compare with the state of the neighbours in security; Allah (Mighty and
Exalted) has provided us with the blessing of security; this is a great blessing. The
Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) said, "Whoever spends the

night safe in his bed; wellbeing in his body; he has sufficient for the day; it's as if he
has all the goodness of the world."6 Meaning it's as if he owns the whole world and
the first of this is, "Whoever spends the night safe in his bed," on his bed; spending
the night in safety; he does not fear anyone against his self; he walks in the paths in
safety. This is Damascus that Allah (Mighty and Exalted) has graced us with the
blessing of safety. Mankind can walk in the middle of the night or the second part of
the night in the streets and not fear anyone. The blessing of Allah (Mighty and
Exalted); a grace from Allah (Mighty and Exalted) upon us. Believe me that cities like
Detroit, Chicago, New York or other cities or even London; a person is not able to
walk in the middle of the night except that he is sacred of being attacked by a thief or
a robber.
6

At-Tirmdhi.

If we take, dear brothers, the blessing of this religion it is a virtuous blessing. We with
all we admonish by, if we admonish or we mention when we speak about the matter
of hijab and the matter of character. We do not deny that the religion in Syria is by
the bounty of Allah (the Exalted).The (good) character in Syria is better than other
countries by greater degree. I have gone to most countries and the lands of the Arabs
by the bounty of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Travelling allows one to compare
states, to compare religions; to compare the adherence to hijab, to compare attendance
to the congregation prayer. If you want to know the religions of people, as the Salaf
said, go to the markets. Religion is know in the markets and not in the masjids
because the transactions manifest the reality of the persons attachment to Allah or to
wealth. Yes, perhaps he comes and prays in the masjid but is miserliness in fulfilling
the rights of people; to the people in the markets. Or obstructing the payment of a
debt by delaying it. Or perhaps he desires (by cheating) profit from people so cheats
people. We look and we see this, dear brothers, in the countries of the east and west
of the Islamic countries. We see that this country Allah (Blessed and Exalted) has
honoured; He has honoured it by ease, by character, by religion, by knowledge and
preserving the signs of Islam.
These matters are necessary to be noted because the (Muslim) nation continues on
goodness as long as it preserves the signs of Allah (Blessed and Exalted); as long as it
magnifies the religion of Allah (Mighty and Exalted); the sinner remains veiled in his
sin as long as he does not openly profess it; as long as the neglectful is sorry for his
shortcomings and ashamed from his Lord; then the nation remains on goodness.
These are the blessing of Allah (Blessed and Exalted) that Allah (Mighty and Exalted)
has graced us by. Therefore it came in an authentic hadith which was reported by Al-

Bukhari from Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with them) report
that the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) said, "A group

of my nation remain manifest on the truth; they are not harmed by those who oppose
them; until the command of Allah comes and they were like this." Mu'adh ibn Jabal
(may Allah be pleased with him) said, "They are in Syria." The group remain, of my
nation, manifest on the truth and they are not harmed by those who oppose them. A
group manifest on the truth in the religion in faith, in belief, in adhering to the
Sunnah, in adhering to the Quran, in acting by it, in following the Prophet (may
Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him), in revering the signs of Allah (Mighty
and Exalted) in making the truth prevail and causing falsehood to vanish. A group, of
my nation, remains on the truth; they are not harmed by those who oppose them;
until the command of Allah comes and they were upon this.
O Allah make us from those; I said that I what I said; I seek the forgiveness of Allah,
the greatest, for me and you; so seek His forgiveness as the seekers of forgiveness are
successful.

End of Khutba.

Translated by Arfan Shah Al-Bukhari in 2014.