Journey of Great Discovery

Daqadus, Dakahlya

Last Monday on 16^th of July, I was joining a trip visiting mausoleums of Islāmic scholars and Ras el-Bar. Along with 40 fellows whom were joining as well, we started our journey at 8.30 am. Our first destination was Daqadus village in Mit Ghamr, Dakahlya governorate.

On our way there, we stopped for awhile at a peach farm. We were greeted by the owner of the farm whom was delightful to present us with a plastic bag of peaches - free of charge! We truly appreciated it. Then, we continued our journey to Daqadus to visit Sheikh Sha’rāwi Centre.

Sheikh Muhammad Mutawalli as-Sha’rāwi's mausoleum

Approximately at 9.15 am, we arrived at the Centre’s compound. The caretaker of the centre welcomed us and opened the mausoleum chamber of the late Sheikh Muhammad Mutawalli as-Sha’rāwi - one of the most famous Islamic scholar and Egyptian icon. We prayed for him near his tomb and small brief about the Sheikh’s background was given by Ust Hj Nazri. Later, he asked the caretaker’s permission to visit the Sheikh’s library but unfortunately, he had lost the key.

Mit Damsis, Dakahlya

Next, we head to Mit Damsis district visiting the mausoleum of the son of the most famous companion of Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him), Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq. He was one of Amru ibn ‘Asr knight during their mission to conquest Egypt and was martyred in a battle here. Upon burial, his tomb was marked with a large stone that was discovered later in 1950s. The mausoleum is located beneath Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq mosque which is located beside an Orthodox Coptic Church. According to Coptic legend, the 1600-year-old church was built upon a site which is believed to be a place where Mary and Jesus rest on their way to Jerusalem after making a visit to Egypt.

Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr as-Siddiq’s mausoleum

Summer grapes…

Kafr el-Amir, Dakahlya

Then, we moved to Kafr el-Amir in Simbelawin district to visit ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām mausoleum. We stopped on our way at Kafr ‘Awad to visit a vineyard. It was an opportunity for us to see how grape trees are grown and of course, we Malaysians never see them because they aren’t grown in Malaysia. After 15 minutes later, we continued our journey. We arrived at ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām mosque at 12.15 pm. ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām was one of Prophet Muhammad’s companions. Formerly a Jew, he converted into Islām after satisfied with prophet’s answer to his questions regarding Islām. His mausoleum is just behind the mosque. We had our lunch at the mosque and waited for Zuhr. The ‘adzan here is quite different. The muezzin pronounced the word ‘Sayyidina’ before the Prophet Muhammad’s name in shahadah in the ‘adzan. Right after Zuhr prayer, we moved to Ras el-Bar in Damietta (Dumyat) governorate.

‘Abdullāh ibn Salām’s mausoleum

Qaryah al-Kamāl, Dakahlya

We stopped at Tel el-Rub’a, near Qaryah al-Kamāl to visit a historical site there - Djedet; which is believed to be an administration city of the eastern part of 29th Dynasty Empire during Ancient Egypt. According to legend, the city was vanished after being struck by a sandstorm. And now, it looks weird - like a desert surrounded by fertile land of Nile delta. Unfortunately for us, we weren’t allowed to enter the compound as we didn’t bring an official permit (tasrīh). We were asked to leave by the guards. However, we were able to see from far a broken statue, the Red Granite Naos and old inscription carved on a large stone. Then, we continue our 2-hour journey to Ras el-Bar.

Ras el-Bar, Damietta

We arrived at Ras el-Bar (Arabic: رأس البر) at 3.30 pm. It is where the 6695 km-long River Nile ends and meet with Mediterranean Sea. There’s a square here locating a lighthouse. To get here, you’ll need to pay nothing. It is a beautiful and clean town compared to other typical Egyptian towns and cities. After taking a few photographs, we had our ‘Asr prayer. We planned to go to a souq (market) to buy some seafood but our drivers discouraged us. They were afraid of being summoned by traffic policeman. But, we managed to stop at the other market - Souq el-‘Umumiyya. I bought a kilo of cuttlefishes for a cost of LE 25. We were told that the former market seafood is cheaper than the latter, but what else can we do? To get to there, we need to take a ride on a boat for a cost of 25 piastres because it is located at the right side of the Nile riverbank.

Where the River Nile ends into Mediterranean…

After that, we began to move to Batra, 20 km to the north of Al-Manṣūrah town to visit the late former Sheikh of al-Azhar as-Sharif’s mausoleum, Sheikh Jadul Haq Ali Jadul Haq. He was the Sheikh of al-Azhar before the current Sheikh, Imam Akbar Dr Muhammad Sayid Tantawi. We arrived at Sheikh Jadul Haq Mosque Complex during Maghreb. After praying, the imam of the mosque opened the mausoleum chamber for us and briefed us about the Sheikh’s background in pure Arabic. Beside the mosque, there’s a charity hospital which treat poor people free of charge. It is one of the Sheikh Jadul Haq’s contribution to his villagers after succeed as a renowned Islamic scholar around the world. He also received the King Faisal’s present but he donated the money for the sake of foreign students in al-Azhar institution. May Allāh be pleased with him.

Sheikh Jadul Haq Ali Jadul Haq’s mausoleum

We went back home after that. We arrived at Al-Manṣūrah during Isha’. It was a beautiful and wonderful journey though. Like a scholar said, “Visiting places to see the greatness of Allāh is sunnah, but to learn moral gained during the journey is a must.” God knows the best. Wallāhu a’lam.