Flashbacks from history

Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

 

THE study of history is a window into the past that provides understanding of the present and future; examining cultural, political, social, and economic influences across time and space.



We, as individuals, can be actors in the process of historical change. The Syrian government’s military assault in 2011 against the city of Homs was not only intended to shut down the revolution but was an attempt to erase history; destroying two-thirds of the city’s infrastructure and its oldest and most prominent historical sites.



Homs is one of the first Syrian cities to hold anti-government demonstrations, demanding more freedoms and rights. The Sunni Muslim and Christian populations were united in this stance against the regime. Homs is referred to as the ‘capital of the revolution’.



Looking back into history, one questions, “When and how did Islam spread to Syria after it had been under Roman rule?”



It was in the lunar month like the current one, Rabi Al-Thani. In the year 636 A.D., 15 years after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, and less than 5 years after his death. Under the Caliphate of Omar ibn Al-Khattab, Islam was a conquering faith, spreading through trade, education, capturing the hearts of people drawn to this faith, and also conquests.



The most formidable foe to the Islamic Empire was the East Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire, which ruled over Egypt, Asian Minor and present-day Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. To the Roman Emperor, Heraclius, the Muslims posed a looming threat; coming from the sands of Arabia.



According to historian Dan Fratini, the Muslim advance into Roman territory began slowly at first in minor battles and skirmishes. Gradually, many cities in the Roman Middle East began to fall into the hands of the Muslims. The spread of Islam became imminent when in 635 A.D. the Muslims conquered Damascus, one of the finest cities in all of the Roman Empire.



Emperor Heraclius realized that this new force must be crushed. He raised an army of 50,000 to expel the Muslims from Roman lands. Drastically outnumbered, the Muslims abandoned Damascus and retreated south with the Romans in pursuit, to the Yarmuk River, northeast of Jerusalem.



It was at the Battle of Yarmuk, in Rabi Al-Thani in the 15th Hijri year, that Islam would fight for its life. Victory for the Muslims meant survival and the chance to stretch to far corners of the globe.



Fratini wrote, “Facing the Romans were the Muslim Arabs. Unlike their foes, the Muslims were to a great extent ethnically united. Driven by a religious fervor the world has rarely known, one advantage the Muslims had was their mastery of desert travel and their acquaintance with the locations of vital desert oases.”



The commander of the Muslim army at the Battle of Yarmuk was Khalid ibn Al-Walid, an experienced military commander, the ‘Sword of God’. The Muslim forces in number were half that of the Romans.



On the second day of the six-day battle, neither side held any clear advantage, though both had suffered casualties. The right flank of the Muslim army was under heavy attack, forcing Muslim men back into their camps. Here the Muslim wives pushed their men to hold their ground; singing motivational songs and throwing rocks at them. The women’s tactics worked, and with cavalry reserves the Muslims were able to drive the Romans back.



Both armies used the fifth day to rest and regroup. Khalid knew on the sixth day that victory was near. He unleashed a full attack, concentrating on the Roman left flank which had been previously weakened, cut off from its base camp, until it collapsed entirely and Roman troops fled for their lives.



After their victory on the battlefield of Yarmuk, the Muslims continued their movement to Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. The Battle of Yarmuk was decisive in the flourishing of Islam in Syria.



It was in Homs that Khalid ibn Al-Walid later died and his body remains there to this day; his brave spirit lingering in the hearts of those under siege in Homs.



Syria has produced some of the greatest Muslim scholars. Ismail ibn Kathir, from Syria, is well known for his book Tafsir ibn Kathir, the most widely used book of the explanation of the Holy Qur’an. Born in Albania, Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani moved to Damascus to study Qur’an, Arabic linguistics, jurisprudence, and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet). He is most famous for his knowledge of Hadith.



Known in the past by the Greeks as Emesa, the city was named Homs by the Arabs. Homs was an agricultural, production, trade, and industrial center. It is home to a number of historic mosques and churches and is close to the Krak de Chevaliers castle, a world heritage site. Due to its central location, Homs has always been a vital city.



Geographer, Al-Idrisi, noted that Homs hundreds of years ago had well-paved streets, open markets, one of the largest mosques in Syria, and a highly developed underground sewage system. Homs was frequented by foreign travelers attracted to its “products and rarities of all kinds”. It stood through the rule of the Arab Caliphs, Mamluks, Ottoman Empire, French army, and then the Alawites.



A visiting British consul once referred to Homs as the “Manchester of Syria”.



The ruling family of Al-Assad has sapped the life, spirit, and beauty out of the city of Homs. Today, Al-Assad’s troops have left Homs in a heap of rubble. Its residents, once known for their ornate and delicious cuisine, are now literally starving to death.