1,500 YEARS OLD 'The Blessed Tree' Of Safawi (Jordan).

 

1,500 Years Old

'The Blessed Tree'

Of Safawi (Jordan)

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)

Rested Under That Tree

(M. Javed Naseem)

(The Blessed Tree in autumn/winter)

(The Blessed Tree in Spring and Summer)

In ancient times, Jordan was part of the original Palestine – the Holy Land; the Land of the Prophets. During that period of time and history, today’s countries of Jordan and Lebanon did not exist. It was all Syria in the north; Palestine in the middle; Iraq and Persia (Iran) in the east; and Egypt in the south. Hijaz and Yemen formed the south-east. The west was occupied by the Mediterranean Sea. The north part of Syria and Turkey were under Byzantine Empire.

Emergence of Islam changed the course of history. The Byzantine and the Romans were forced to leave Middle East that eventually became entirely Muslim. But the ruins of those empires are still scattered all over Middle East. Ruined Elfi theaters and big Roman columns still decorate the landscape in countries like Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Arabia, Iraq, etc. Today’s Jordan has common borders with Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Amman is the capital of today’s Jordan, ruled by the Hashemite family. In the historic past, Amman was called Philadelphia. It is famous for many of its landmarks and historical monuments. Except for the desert, Amman is constructed on a hilly area – miles and miles of ups and downs – difficult to drive but more difficult to walk on foot. Actually, the whole country is hilly and mountainous.

In October 2019, Jordan’s King Abdullah and the visiting Head of Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, inaugurated the Visitors Centre at the site of the Blessed Tree in Safawi. It is said that Prophet Muhammad, (s.a.w.), rested under that tree on his way to Syria. The Prophet (s.a.w.) was in a trade caravan, in the company of his uncle Abu Taalib. In those days, Syria was the international hub of trade and cultural activities. Merchants from other countries used to bring their merchandise in Syria and make good profit by selling them there. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) rested under this tree, taking shelter from the scorching heat of sun.

At this point, a well-known Christian monk Bahira also met him and saw how the tree was protecting the young man (Muhammad, s.a.w.) with its thick shade and fanning cool breeze with its leaves. Bahira observed the situation with interest and  predicted that the young man (Mohammad, s.a.w.) would become a Prophet of Allah one day. Eventually, Bahira's prediction came true and at the age of 40, Mohammad (s.a.w.) declared his Prophethood. The Blessed Tree, estimated to be 1,500 years old, is a religious and historical site in Jordan.

The miraculous thing about the tree is that for miles and miles around, there is no other tree in sight in that desert. There is also no water. But the holy tree has always a small pond of water on one side. During spring and summer times, the tree shows its real volume when it is covered with fresh green leaves. It provides shade to a huge area of ground where a whole caravan can take rest. The tree has also been given the title of the “Living Companion (Sahabi) of the Prophet”.

(Jordan’s King Abdullah and Head of Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, inaugurating the visitor centre at the site of the Blessed Tree in Safawi, where Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.), rested on his way to Syria (Photo Royal Court/Jordan Times))

King Abdullah gave the head of the Chechen Republic a tour of the pond adjacent to the site of the Blessed Tree. Because of that event, the Blessed Tree site also got an asphalt road access. Before that, there was only rough rocky and dirt pavement leading to the site. Thank you Mr. Kadyrov for helping the visitors with an asphalt road!

The film “The Blessed Tree”

A film has also been produced depicting the story of the tree and the meeting of the two religions (Christianity and Islam) – a Christian monk Bahira met Prophet Mohammad at this site under the same tree, and predicted of his prophethood.

Most of the visitors don’t know about this holy and historic site. It’s more than 150km towards east from the capital Amman city, close to the border of Iraq. It takes about two hours drive from Amman. The round trip can take more than 4 hours (a half day). The visitors need to take the road to the city of Sahab; then to al-Azraq and from there (about 13km) to Safawi. The signs have been posted.

The visitors can also take advantage of the vicinity of Sahab city to go to the famous Cave of the Seven Sleepers or the site of Ass-hab al-Kahf.

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