The
religion of Islam is today the fastest growing religion in the world
with around 1.5 billion followers from many places and backgrounds.
Although the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an Arab based in
the cities of Mecca and Medina in the Hejaz region of the Arabian
peninsula, his message was intended to reach the ears and hearts of all
people.
Even
though the the message of Islam attracted many converts from different
parts of the world during the lifetime of the Prophet, due to the
socio-geographical starting point of this call, the responsibility to
carry this message to the rest of the world mainly fell upon the Arab
companions of the Prophet after his death.
From
Arabia, his companions spread across the world, covering a region from
Portugal to Indonesia and from the northern Caucasus to the southern
Sahara. Some of them arrived as conquerers whereas others arrived as
merchants, migrants and governors, while some arrived simply to call
people to faith in the one true diety. In doing so, some never returned
home, and instead chose to be buried in foreign soil, serving as a
reminder of their great sacrifice for generations afterwards.
One
such companion is Umm Haram bint Milhan, who unlike what one would
typically imagine these fearless companions to be, was not a dashing
young man galloping through the desert on his horse. Rather, Umm Haram
was an old woman, perhaps in her eighties or nineties. Nonetheless, that
did not prevent her from accompanying the Muslim army in their first
naval conquest of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Umm
Haram was the sister of Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, which also made her the
maternal aunt of one of the Prophet's closest companions, Anas bin
Malik. She was also a paternal relative of the Prophet via his great
grandmother, who was from the Banu Najjar tribe. The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) would often visit her.
During
one such visit, the Prophet was taking a nap in her home, upon which he
woke up laughing. When Umm Haram asked the Prophet why he was laughing,
the Prophet replied that he had seen a dream of his companions 'sailing
on the sea like kings'. Umm Haram, despite her age, had a very youthful
character and was an adventurous woman who liked to travel. The concept
of sailing on the sea was unknown to most Arabs at the time, who were
bound to the rough and tough deserts of Arabia.
Umm
Haram could not contain her glee on hearing this, and asked the Prophet
to pray that she be among those companions. The Prophet made a
supplication for her and went back to sleep, before he woke up again in
the same manner. Again she asked the Prophet what he had seen, to which
he gave the same answer, and then asked him to pray for her one more
time. 'You will be with the first group,' the Prophet reassured.
Long
after the Prophet passed away, during the reign of the third Caliph
Uthman, the governorship of Shaam (modern day Syria, Lebanon and
Palestine) decided to form the first Muslim naval fleet under the
command of Umm Haram's husband Ubadah bin al-Samit, who was the judge of
Palestine. With the orders of Muawiyah, who was the governor of Syria
at the time (later to become the first Umayyad Caliph), the fleet set
sail in the year 647 to Cyprus, which was under Byzantine control at the
time.
The
fleet arrived at the eastern shores of Larnaca, where they sought to
continue their expedition on land. Shortly after mounting their horses,
however, they came under siege and in the chaos that unfolded, Umm Haram
fell from her horse and suffered a fatal injury. As was custom for
martyrs, she was buried on the spot she fell, by the beautiful Salt Lake
of the city.
The
Arabs continued their presence on the island of Cyprus for centuries
afterwards. After the Ottomans conquered the island in 1570-1571 from
the Venetians, they gave great importance to Umm Haram. In around 1760, a
scholar by the name of Sheikh Hassan built a mosque close to her burial
site, which became known as the Hala Sultan Tekke.
The
mosque was, and still is, an important monument representing the
1,400-year history of Islam in Cyprus for all Muslims, especially the
Turkish Cypriots. After the Cyprus war of 1974, which saw the island
split with Turkish Cypriots forming the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus in the north and Greek Cypriots maintaining control of the south,
the mosque remained with the Greek Cypriot administation.
Turkish
Cypriots were unable to access the mosque for thirty years until the
borders were finally opened due to a breakthrough in negotiations.
Today, Turkish Cypriots are campaigning for the Greek Cypriot
administration to recognize the building's status as a place of worship.
As it is currently registered as a museum, it is subject to museum
opening and closing times, restricting Muslims from visiting and
performing their prayers outside opening hours.
Nonetheless,
the glorious landscape around the mosque still draws visitors from all
over the world, all coming to seek inspiration from the sacrifices Umm
Haram made to leave Islam's mark on Cyprus and to pray for her soul. Her
story inspired the likes of the wife of Sharif Hussein, the ousted
post-Ottoman leader of the Hejaz and founder of the Hashimite royal
dynasty in Jordan, who insisted on being buried in the same soil as Umm
Haram.
Upon
entering the room in which Umm Haram's grave is located, one is almost
suffocated by the sweet smell of musk. Despite this, the caretakers of
the mosque insist that they have never perfumed the room, and that it is
a natural aroma emanating from the grave itself. In 2013, out of their
respect to Umm Haram, the Turkish Cypriots named a new theology faculty
in Lefkosa (Nicosia) after her.
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