How Shaam Was Divided
Shaam is a region closely associated with many of the Signs before the Day of Judgment. For this reason it is important to understand which area of land is included in this region. Unfortunately in our time, the word Shaam is used interchangeable with the word Syria and this is not correct. There is a significant difference between Shaam and Syria, and in order to understand this distinction we need to look at the Ahadeeth together with the recent world history and events.
Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘O Allah! Bless our Shaam’ (saheeh of bukhaari)
Shaam refers to the region within the Middle East that now comprises of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, West bank and Gaza Strip. These countries used to be united as one and the region was known as Shaam. So Shaam is much vaster than the Syria of today and for this reason it is not proper for translators to equate Shaam with Syria. All texts of Ahadeeth which mention Shaam specifically have to be understood in reference to the entire region collectively. Some translators have tried to explain this by using the expression Greater Syria to describe Shaam.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘The Hour will not come until the Romans land in ‘Amaaq or Daabiq.’ (saheeh of muslim)
At times our Prophet mentioned specific places within Shaam, such as Bait Al Maqdis in Jerusalem and Ludd in the Israel. He mentioned specific areas within Syria such as Busra and Dimishq which are well know today. In contrast he mentioned places in Syria which many of us may not be familiar with, such as ‘Amaaq and Daabiq which are places near Aleppo today. So some Ahadeeth do mention specific places in Shaam with many of them being in Syria. However, if a specific place is not mentioned and the word Shaam is used, then the Hadeeth is to be understood in reference to the entire region of Shaam collectively.
To facilitate our understanding of the difference between Syria and Shaam we need to look at the events following the First World War. After the war, the Muslim Khilaafah was dissolved and defeated, with the Muslim lands being shared out between various countries. Our Prophet mentioned how this would occur when the Muslims would be like foam on a sea, defeated despite being large in number due to their love for the Dunya and the life of this world.
Thawbaan narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Soon the nations will call one another to attack you as the diners call one another to the platter.’ (sunan of abu dawood)
After WW1 the disbelievers formed the League of Nations which, amongst other tasks, supervised the distribution of Muslim land. The French had an interest in Shaam and were given the Northern region comprising Syria and Lebanon today. This region in its entirety was called Syria back then, hence the name of the mandate-The French Mandate of Syria. The British also had an interest in Shaam and they were given the southern region comprising Jordan, Israel, West Bank and Gaza Strip today. This region in its entirety was called Palestine back then, hence the name of the mandate-the British Mandate of Palestine. Thus Shaam was divided and distributed between the French and British.
The French further divided Syria into various states including Lebanon. Later the states were reunited but Lebanon was kept separate as the Lebanese Republic. The rest of Syria became incorporated into the Syrian Republic. This division was purposeful and the rationale was to increase the influence of Christianity within the region. Prior to WW1 many of the Christians resided in Mount Lebanon within Syria. With the occupation of Syria by the French this area was expanded and became known as Greater Lebanon after the mountain range. Thereafter it became the Republic of Lebanon. Thus, the reason for carving out Lebanon from the rest of Syria was to extend Christianity to a broader area. When Lebanon gained independence in 1943, it did so with a strong Christian influence at a government level. This increasing Christian power was a root cause for the tensions between Muslims and Christians which followed, including the Lebanese Civil War of 1975.
Meanwhile, the British divided Palestine into two separate parts, east and west of the river Jordan. The river Jordan originates in Syria and flows south into the lake of Tiberias also known as the sea of Galilee, continuing south until it flows into the Dead Sea. Thereafter it continues to run south until it enters the gulf of Aqabah. The British used this river to divide Palestine into two parts. The section east of the river was given to the Muslim Hashemite Family while the British still maintained political control. Most generally, this is the region know as Jordan today. The section west of the river was carefully controlled by the British. This was the new revised Palestine, west of the river Jordan where Judaism was strengthened and expanded, much like how Christianity was strengthened in Lebanon by the French. The Jewish people were allowed to migrate to Palestine despite the fact that the majority of people in the region were Muslim. With time, the Jewish population increased and their land ownership expanded, until conflicts between the Jews and Muslims broke out and intensified. This state of affairs continued with the Jews gaining increasing power, until the state of Israel was created within Palestine in 1948. This state was formed after displacing numerous Muslims who were pushed to the side. It was called Israel after Prophet Jacob (Yaqoob) who was also known as Israel (Israaeel) as conformed in the Qur’aan. His descendents were called children of Israel (Bani Israaeel) after this very name. After Israel declared its independence a war broke out between the surrounding Arabic nations and Israel, culminating in the 1949 Armistice agreements. Under this agreement the state of Israel further expanded, gaining more land of Palestine, with Egypt only receiving the Gaza Strip and Jordan receiving the West Bank of today. However, after the Six Day War in 1967, Israel took these regions back as occupied territories. Hence, The Jews took control over Palestine, renaming it to Israel and occupying precious Muslim land as the Muslims were displaced from their land.
Thus Shaam became a divided region consisting of different lands-Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip of Today.
Written by Kamillah Khan
