Where Is the Levant (Sham) and Why Is It Significant?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
Where is the Levant (Sham), and what is its significance?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
The Levant
The Levant (Bilad al-Sham) is the region located to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, it includes Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, and the Arabian Peninsula to the south. The Levant is distinguished by its strategic geographical location, connecting three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The Significance of the Levant
As for the significance of the Levant, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) mentioned its blessings in his supplication:
“O Allah, bless our Sham, O Allah, bless our Yemen.” The Companions said: “And in our Najd?” He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said again: “O Allah, bless our Sham, O Allah, bless our Yemen.” The Companions repeated: “O Messenger of Allah, and in our Najd?” He replied in the third instance: “There, earthquakes and tribulations will occur, and there will emerge the horn of Satan.” [Bukhari]
Moreover, in the Levant is the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the site of the Prophet’s Night Journey (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the first qibla (direction) of the Muslims. Allah (Most High) says about it:
“Glory be to the One Who took His servant (Muhammad) by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” [Quran, 17:1]
Sayyiduna ‘Isa (Peace Be Upon Him)
In the Levant, Jesus, the son of Mary, will descend near the white minaret to the east of Damascus, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) foretold in the hadith regarding the Dajjal:
“… then Allah will send Jesus, son of Mary, who will descend by the white minaret, east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed in saffron…” [Muslim]
Land of Many Companions
The Levant was home to many Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace), such as Mu‘awiya Ibn Abi Sufyan, Abu Darda, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, Abu ‘Ubayda Ibn al-Jarrah, Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal, and Ubada Ibn al-Samit, among many others. May Allah be pleased with them.
Recommendation
Lastly, I advise you, if you wish to delve deeper into the virtues and significance of the Levant, to refer to books that have elaborated on this subject, such as
- “Tarik al-Damashiq” (The History of Damascus) by Ibn ‘Asakir;
- “Fada’il al-Sham” (The Virtues of the Levant) by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali;
- “Fada’il al-Sham” (The Virtues of the Levant) by Abdul Karim al-Sam‘ani.
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
